How to Correct a Brownie Recipe That Came Out Underdone?
July 19, 2015 4:12 PM   Subscribe

How do I correct a recipe that resulted in under-cooked brownies?

Yesterday I made brownies from a recipe that called for baking them at 350 degrees for 20 minutes. The recipe provided ingredient amounts that were intended for use with an 8 inch by 8 inch pan, but also specified that amounts could be doubled for use with a 13 x 9 inch pan. The recipe went on to say that if the brownies were not sufficiently done after 20 minutes, to put them back in for 2 minute additional increments, but "to resist the temptation to bake them for more than 24 minutes".

Welp, I resisted the temptation, and the brownies are entirely under done. We're essentially scooping batter out of the middle of the pan. So, when I attempt this recipe again, what should I do, either:

a) Increase the time by some amount, or
b) Increase the temperature?

Help me
posted by Ipsifendus to Food & Drink (17 answers total)
 
were they underdone throughout, or just in the middle / bottom? was the outside nice, under, or overdone?
posted by andrewcooke at 4:19 PM on July 19, 2015


I cook my brownies at 325 for 45 minutes. Stick them with a knife to test. It should come out clean.

So here's the thing about brownies. Brownies will seem slightly underdone when you pull them out of the oven, but not like goopy batter. If you try to remove them from the pan right away, they will probably fall apart. So you let them cool for a while in the pan first. If your brownies are very firm and "done" right when you pull them out of the over, they will probably be too hard when cool.
posted by ryanrs at 4:19 PM on July 19, 2015 [4 favorites]


Same temp. Increase the time, I'd say to 30 mins or so, but that's not a for sure thing. You can pump the temp if you want, but don't exceed 375. You'll need to do some trial and error here.

Use the toothpick trick to check how they're progressing when they're getting close. Once they start giving off that brownie smell you should give them 2-3 minutes then start watching them like a hawk.

Honestly your brownies sound a-ok to me as is. Spoon that shit over some vanilla ice cream, dude.
posted by phunniemee at 4:20 PM on July 19, 2015 [6 favorites]


Have you let the brownies cool completely? What seems like batter in the center might tighten up quite a bit through carry-over cooking as they sit. Even perfectly baked brownies won't cut out intact if they aren't cooled first.
posted by little mouth at 4:20 PM on July 19, 2015 [1 favorite]


Next time something like this happens, reduce the temperature and cook for a bit longer, say 5 minutes, then test with a skewer or fork. You want the poking thing to come out clean. 20 minutes seems very quick for brownies. Worst thing that can happen if you cook for a bit longer is they're firmer and less gooey but that's okay, it'll be more cookie-like but still delicious.

Successful baking for me has been to be precise with my measuring and getting to know my oven. Ovens can vary, you might like to try one of those oven temperature gadgets to see if your 350 degrees really is 350.

Seconding phunniemee, even "bad" brownies are gooood. Just eat it.
posted by stellathon at 4:40 PM on July 19, 2015


I just made brownies last night, actually!

Nthing that you want them to seem kind of underdone in the center for them to be the right consistency once cooled. But if they're truly like a bunch of batter in the middle, yeah, they need to stay in for longer. My prized brownie recipe calls for baking at 350 degrees for 20-25 minutes (I usually stop at 23 mins but that's my oven), and that's with an 8x8 inch pan. With a doubled recipe I'd definitely add at least 5 minutes to that.
posted by darkchocolatepyramid at 4:45 PM on July 19, 2015 [1 favorite]


Are you sure your oven is at the right temperature? If the gauge reads 350 but it's actually 325, that might explain your problem...
posted by Sublimity at 4:53 PM on July 19, 2015 [7 favorites]


Sublimity has a good point. If you're a frequent baker it would be helpful to get a thermometer so you can calibrate to your oven gauge. If you're only a sometimes baker, you might consider preheating the oven for extra time -- my old apartment oven didn't reach the indicated temperature until about 20 minutes after the "preheated" light came on.
posted by telegraph at 5:22 PM on July 19, 2015 [1 favorite]


Definitely increase the time. If you were to increase the temperature, they would get crisp on the outside but stay goopy on the inside.

My grandmother says that there is a moment in baking when all of a sudden it stops smelling like something is baking and it briefly doesn't smell like anything. That's the perfect time to take the baked goods from the oven because past that moment it will go into burn territory. I have generally found this to be true and it is useful because when in doubt I can rely on my nose.
posted by donut_princess at 6:04 PM on July 19, 2015 [1 favorite]


The recipe I use is from The Joy of Cooking and they say to bake them I think at 325 for 25 minutes or something (maybe at 350). I always wind up baking for more like 40 minutes. But the trick is to keep testing them (I use toothpicks) so that you're sure there's no wet batter in the middle.
posted by DMelanogaster at 6:26 PM on July 19, 2015


I'd just bake them longer. For some reason, cakes always take a lot longer in my oven than the recipe says --- so you can ignore the "no more than 24 minutes" if your oven is fussy.
posted by leahwrenn at 7:29 PM on July 19, 2015


As an avid baker, something i find very helpful with brownies is to refrigerate them during the cooling process. The gluten in many baked goods makes refrigeration a no-no (the crumb will dry out), but I have not found that to be the case with brownies. They are delicious straight from the fridge! And this often solves my seemingly-gooey batter issues.
posted by bookworm4125 at 7:50 PM on July 19, 2015


Thirding double checking what temperature your oven is actually at. Also what kind of pan are you using? Plain metal, non-stick, and glass pans all do slightly different things to how long and at what temperature you need to be baking.
posted by Meeks Ormand at 8:08 PM on July 19, 2015


I've never heard of brownies that take less than 40-45 minutes, and certainly not half of that. Are these some sort of crazy diet brownies that have less calories because you can't eat them? :[ (now i want brownies)
posted by sexyrobot at 10:11 PM on July 19, 2015


My Mom's brownies only take 25-30 minutes depending on the oven/pan, but that's for an eight inch pan. It also depends a lot on how you like your brownies, cakey vs fudgy, edges vs center. Brownies are about as close as you get to having an exception to the follow the recipe exactly rule when it comes to baking as there is so much individual preference about what makes a good brownie good. No matter how you screw up making brownies somebody out there will tell you it is the best brownie ever.
posted by Meeks Ormand at 10:35 PM on July 19, 2015 [1 favorite]


A good rule of thumb with baking (modulated by moisture concerns) is to never increase temperature, only increase time. And follow your nose! With any kind of baking/roasting, there's going to be a point at which suddenly eveything smells like The Thing You're Cooking, which is usually a good sign that you're done or close to.

So yes, check your oven calibration. And honestly, that really doesn't sound like long enough for any brownies to bake. It's probably a badly-written recipe. I'd suggest go 25 minutes and start testing every couple minutes after that.
posted by feckless fecal fear mongering at 1:00 AM on July 20, 2015 [1 favorite]


Every time I've watched a cooking show about baking meat in the oven, they almost always point out that the meat continues to cook even after it's taken out, and you should take it out about 5 degrees before it is done. I'm assuming the same thing happens with other foods other than meat. If it's not quite cooked, but very close to being cooked, I would just wait and see what happens. If it never quite makes it to being fully cooked, then just eat around the edges, and next time keep it in for 5-10 minutes longer. Well, that's what I would do at least :)

Don't worry about cooking so much! If it's not right this time, just take what you learn and apply it to next time. It's not a big deal! Really.
posted by sam_harms at 7:34 AM on July 20, 2015


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