Gordon Ramsay’s chocolate brownies are rich, fudgy squares made with 245g of dark chocolate, two types of sugar, and a crackly crust hiding melted chocolate pockets inside. Ready in under an hour, and they make 15 to 20 pieces from one tin.
This is his “World’s Best Brownies” recipe from the Bread Street Kitchen cookbook. Ramsay says “every chef thinks that their brownie recipe is the best, but we think this one really is the crème de la crème.” The recipe comes from his London restaurant, where they serve them warm with thick cream.
The signature move is what happens halfway through baking. You pull the tin out after 20 minutes and throw dark chocolate chunks at the surface so they break through the crust and sink in. When it goes back in the oven, those chunks melt into gooey pockets trapped inside the brownie. Nobody else does this.
Gordon Ramsay Chocolate Brownies Recipe
Course: DessertCuisine: BritishDifficulty: Medium15
brownies15
minutes40
minutes350
kcal55
minutesGordon Ramsay’s “World’s Best Brownies” from the Bread Street Kitchen cookbook. Two types of sugar for depth, a double hit of dark chocolate, and his signature technique of throwing chunks at the half-baked surface for melted pockets in every bite.
Ingredients
245g (8.5 oz) dark chocolate, broken into squares or roughly chopped
200g (7 oz) unsalted butter, diced, plus extra for greasing
175g (6 oz) caster sugar
125g (4.5 oz) light soft brown sugar
4 large eggs, lightly beaten
2 tsp vanilla extract
115g (4 oz) plain flour
Pinch of sea salt
100g (3.5 oz) dark chocolate, chopped into small chunks (optional)
Thick cream, to serve (optional)
Directions
- Preheat and line: Set the oven to 180°C (160°C fan / 350°F / Gas 4). Grease and line a 30x23cm (12×9 inch) cake tin with baking parchment.
- Melt chocolate and butter: Put the 245g of dark chocolate and butter into a large heatproof bowl set over a pan of gently simmering water. Don’t let the bowl touch the water underneath. Leave until melted, stirring occasionally.
- Mix in the sugars: Remove from the heat and whisk in the caster sugar and light brown sugar using a balloon whisk. This cools down the melted chocolate so you don’t scramble the eggs in the next step.
- Add eggs and vanilla: Add the beaten eggs and vanilla extract, and mix in with a wooden spoon until combined. Don’t overwork it.
- Fold in flour: Sift over the plain flour and sea salt, then stir until smooth and just combined. Pour into the prepared tin and smooth the top level.
- First bake: Bake for 20 minutes, then remove from the oven.
- Throw in the chunks: Vigorously throw the 100g of dark chocolate chunks at the half-baked brownie so they break the surface and sink in. Return to the oven.
- Finish baking: Bake for another 15 to 20 minutes until cracked around the edges and still soft in the middle. Rotate the tin halfway through. The brownie will firm up as it cools.
- Cool and cut: Transfer to a wire rack and leave to cool in the tin, then cut into squares. Serve warm with thick cream or cool completely for a chewier texture.
Notes
- Store in an airtight container for up to a week. Freezes well for up to a month wrapped tightly in cling film. You can melt the chocolate and butter in a microwave on low for about 3 minutes instead of the bain-marie, checking and stirring every 30 seconds.
FAQs
Why does Ramsay melt the chocolate with the butter together?
Most brownie recipes melt chocolate on its own, then add butter separately. Ramsay puts both in the same bowl over simmering water and lets them melt together.
This matters because butter contains water, and water can cause melted chocolate to seize up and go grainy. By melting them at the same time, the fat from the butter surrounds the chocolate as it softens, so the two blend into a smooth, glossy base without any risk of seizing.
It also means one less bowl to wash, which Ramsay would appreciate.
Why does he use two types of sugar?
Caster sugar and light brown sugar do different things. The caster dissolves cleanly into the melted chocolate and gives sweetness without changing the colour. The light brown sugar brings molasses, which adds chewiness and a deeper toffee note.
Together they create a brownie that’s sweet but not flat. If you used only caster you’d get a one-dimensional result. Only brown sugar and the brownie would be too dark and too treacly.
Ramsay whisks them into the hot chocolate mixture straight away, which also cools the base down before the eggs go in.
What is the chocolate chunk technique and why does it work?
This is Ramsay’s signature move with this recipe. After 20 minutes of baking, you pull the tin out and throw chunks of dark chocolate at the surface hard enough that they break through the crust and sink in.
When the brownie goes back in the oven, those chunks melt inside the half-set batter. But because the outside has already started to firm up, the melted chocolate gets trapped as gooey pockets rather than blending into the mixture.
The brownie version is more dramatic than any other bake in his books because you’re physically throwing chocolate at a half-set surface. That violence is what cracks the crust and lets the chunks sink deep enough to melt inside.
How do you know when chocolate brownies are done?
Cracked around the edges, soft and slightly wobbly in the middle. Ramsay bakes at 180°C for 35 to 40 minutes total and says the brownie “will firm up as it cools.”
The biggest mistake is overbaking. A brownie that looks perfect in the oven will be dry and cakey once it cools. You want the centre to look almost underdone when you pull it out.
Ramsay also rotates the tin halfway through the second bake so it cooks evenly. Most home ovens have hot spots, and brownies are thick enough that one corner can overbake while the opposite stays raw.
Can you make these without the chocolate chunks?
Yes. Ramsay lists the 100g of dark chocolate chunks as optional in the recipe. Without them you still get a rich, fudgy brownie from the 245g of melted dark chocolate in the base.
The chunks add texture contrast though. Without them, every bite is the same smooth density. With them, you get some bites with gooey melted pockets and others without. That unevenness is what makes a homemade brownie more interesting than a shop-bought one.
How are these different from Ramsay’s blondies?
Completely different foundation. The brownies start by melting 245g of dark chocolate with butter, so the chocolate IS the batter. The blondies start with just melted butter and dark brown sugar, with white chocolate folded in as chunks at the end.
The brownies use two sugars (caster and light brown) while the blondies rely on dark brown sugar alone. The brownies bake in a larger 30x23cm tin making 15 to 20 pieces. The blondies use a smaller 23cm square tin for 9 denser squares.
And the big difference: brownies get chocolate thrown at them mid-bake. Blondies fold everything in before the tin goes in the oven. Same baker, opposite methods.
