Brownies might be one of the quickest and most straightforward treats to make at home, but I have a lot of opinions about them for something so simple. It turns out that Claire and I are on the exact same page when it comes to brownies. I think I shouted “ME TOO!” no fewer than three times when watching this video:

• Chewy vs Cakey: Claire starts off the video by pledging her allegiance to chewy brownies, and says she has no use for cakey brownies which are just chocolate cake. ME TOO!
• Milk Chocolate vs Dark Chocolate: Claire says she prefers milk chocolate in general because it’s so sweet and creamy (ME TOO!) and uses milk chocolate chunks in this recipe.
• Corner Piece vs Edge Piece vs Centre Piece: Claire likes an edge piece BUT NOT a corner piece. ME TOO! I like to get the crisp edge on one side for contrast, which is the perfect compromise between corner and centre.

I already have a pretty robust roster of excellent brownie recipes that I make all the time, but I was still excited to try Claire’s Malted “Forever” Brownies. This is an easy recipe to mix up in no time, and only uses a bowl, and a whisk which is nice (no condescending sigh about hand mixers in this video). There are a couple of noteworthy ingredients/tips that Claire includes:

• Obviously from the title, you can already see Claire’s secret ingredient for these brownies is Malted Milk Powder. I randomly have a jar of this in my cupboard from a long ago trip to Target. You can’t taste it in the final baked brownies, so I’m not sure it’s worth naming the brownies after. If you don’t have it, just leave it out.
• Claire says you should whisk the brownie batter vigorously for a full 45 seconds once the dry ingredients are added which develops the gluten and results in a chewier brownies. I’ve never done this before because my favourite brownie recipe says to switch to a spatula when adding the dry ingredients and fold them in gently, BUT these brownies were very chewy, so I guess it works.
• Perhaps the most unexpected instruction in this recipe is that once the brownies are baked and cooled to room temperature, Claire wants you to chill them in the fridge for at least a full hour before slicing and eating them which contributes even more to the chewy texture. I did this and tried one and it was fine, but they’re also good at room temperature and of course a warm brownie is not to be skipped.

Overall I really liked these; they were quick to mix up and I loved the milk chocolate chunks. I’ll definitely make them again.

You can find the ingredient listing + directions in Claire’s video here!

More Planet Byn x Dessert Person posts here!

Note: I ordered a gigantic 3lb box of Diamond Crystal Kosher Salt online, but if you don’t have it, just use regular salt and cut the measurement in half for these recipes.