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Deepest, Darkest, Fudgiest Flourless Chocolate Brownies

Kritsada Panichgul

BY The Editors

PUBLISHED October 9, 2026

There are fudgy brownies, and then there are these: extra fudgy, supremely chocolaty, and so dark they’re almost black. This is an indulgent, adult brownie, with no flour to mute the darkest chocolate flavor (and so, as a bonus, it satisfies our gluten-free friends). Flourless brownies can taste like undercooked batter, however. To create a baked good, not a confection, we add just 3 tablespoons of cornstarch; it binds the ingredients, resulting in brownies with a melt-in-your-mouth center and a crispy, chewy edge. For dark chocolate flavor with dimension, we include a mix of chocolate—bittersweet, unsweetened, and a generous 1/4 cup of black cocoa powder that makes our brownies deeper and darker than your average. The cocoa powder also works, along with the cornstarch, to prevent our brownies from being pasty or wet. Finally, we achieve a shiny, sleek, obsidian-like finish with an unadulteratedly chocolate water ganache, made from bittersweet chocolate and more black cocoa powder, that gently drips down the sides.

We prefer black cocoa powder in this recipe. You can substitute regular Dutch-processed cocoa powder for the black cocoa, but the brownies will not be as dark and the ganache will turn out thicker. – America's Test Kitchen

 

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Deepest, Darkest, Fudgiest Flourless Chocolate Brownies

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Makes 18 brownies 1x

Time 1 hour, plus 3 hours cooling and setting

Units Scale

Ingredients

For the brownies

  • 1/4 cup (21 grams) black cocoa powder
  • 3 tablespoons cornstarch
  • 1/2 teaspoon table salt
  • 8 tablespoons (114 grams) unsalted butter, cut into 8 pieces
  • 4 ounces (113 grams) bittersweet chocolate, chopped
  • 2 ounces (57 grams) unsweetened chocolate, chopped
  • 1 1/4 cups (248 grams) sugar
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
  • 1 teaspoon instant espresso powder
  • 3 large eggs

For the ganache

  • 5 tablespoons (74 grams) water
  • 1 tablespoon black cocoa powder
  • 1 teaspoon corn syrup
  • 4 ounces (113 grams) bittersweet chocolate, chopped fine

Instructions

  1. Adjust oven rack to lower-middle position and heat oven to 325°F. Make foil sling for 8‑inch square baking pan by folding 2 long sheets of aluminum foil so each is 8 inches wide. Lay sheets of foil in pan perpendicular to each other, with extra foil hanging over edges of pan. Push foil into corners and up sides of pan, smoothing foil flush to pan. Grease foil.
  2. For the brownies: Whisk cocoa, cornstarch, and salt together in bowl. ­Microwave butter, bittersweet chocolate, and unsweetened chocolate in large bowl at 50 percent power, stirring occasionally, until melted, 2 to 4 minutes. Whisk in sugar, vanilla, and espresso powder until well combined. Whisk in eggs until fully combined and smooth. Stir in cocoa mixture until just ­incorporated. ­Transfer batter to prepared pan and smooth top.
  3. Bake until toothpick inserted in center comes out with few moist crumbs attached, 33 to 37 minutes, rotating pan halfway through baking. Let brownies cool completely in pan on wire rack, about 2 hours. Using foil overhang, remove brownies from pan.
  4. For the ganache: Bring water, cocoa, and corn syrup to simmer in small saucepan over medium heat, whisking to dissolve cocoa, then immediately remove from heat. Whisk in chocolate until melted and smooth. Pour ganache over brownies, spreading with offset spatula to cover top (ganache may drip over side but does not have to cover sides). Let sit until ganache is set, about 1 hour. Before serving, using hot knife, cut brownies into 9 squares, then cut each square in half diagonally to create 2 triangles, dipping knife in very hot water and wiping knife clean and dry between each cut.

– Excerpted from The New Cookie: Creative Takes on the Classics You Love, courtesy America’s Test Kitchen

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