Absolutely needs to have some moistness to the knife. I like mine fudgey in the middle so I tend to underbake anyway.

Here is a link that might be useful: Here's my recipe...you can sub butter, but the texture is slightly diff

Brownie batter should be mixed by hand. Do not overmix. I slightly underbake mine. Toothpick should have some moist crumbs stuck to it. I like a fudgy brownies, not cakey!

The others beat me to the punch. I like mine moist so I don't want a clean knife. I like where I take the pan out and I can still see a little bit of mix moving in the center (if that makes sense). They are cooked and will cook a little more once removed from the oven. I'm sure your "old" oven played a part in it.

I never and I mean never bake to the cooking times noted in recipes. I check my baked goods by how they look and feel.

I like soft, chewy brownies and yes there should be some sticky goodness on your tester. Also note the edges and they should be slightly higher and a bit darker in color. Then touch the middle and if your finger leaves a slight dimple (not a concave hole) with there is a bit of resistence, it's done!

And like everyone else suggests, don't use an electric mixer. Just mix by hand and gently fold in the chocolate and nuts.

Michelle

Hey, I made those brownies. We must have the same cookbook ;).
I usually stick with my no-fail pumpkin brownies now and have them as a treat when someone else makes them. I will try these tips though.

"Concrete" brownies are a symptom of over-baking and reminds us of our own past baking failures and the subsequent purchase of an oven thermometer, or having the oven recalibrated for accurate baking temperatures.

- There's two basic types of brownies, fudgy gooey ones, or cake-like ones.

- Make sure you use a recipe for the type of brownie you want to produce to begin with. Trying to make cake-like brownies into gooey ones just doesn't work as well as choosing the correct recipe to begin with.

- Be sure to use the correct size pan for the recipe.

- As khandi mentioned, they are best stirred by hand or else you develop too much gluten in the flour.

- Fudgy brownies start with melted butter and chocolate. If you want that molten gooey texture, don't over-bake them. The recipe will also have a lot of sugar in it.

- If you want a cake-like brownie, choose a recipe that uses cake-making techniques - creamed fat and sugar, etc. These recipes will often have more eggs in them.

- To help brownies stay moist longer, let them cool completely before cutting. Cutting while they are still warm releases the moisture.

- To test for doneness, start checking them 5-10 minutes before the time specified in the recipe. One source mentions NOT inserting the toothpick in the middle, but insert it halfway between the center and the edge, in order to keep from over-baking them. Some moist crumbs should be adhearing to the toothpick. It's always better to err with under-done, rather than over-done, brownies. If they are under-done, just stick them in the refrigerator to firm up.

If they are over-done, time for some hot fudge sauce. Let the dry brownies soak up the hot fudge sauce for 10 minutes, then serve with ice cream. No one will know "what condition their condition was in" prior to the secret sauce remedy.

- If you want an ultra-smooth texture, use cake flour instead of all-purpose flour.

- I found a plastic (picinic) knife is best for cutting brownies and bars. Read the hint somewhere and was completely sold the first time I tried it.

-Grainlady

Wow, Grainlady, that's some information. I am going to search your name to get more info. This is why I don't enjoy baking, there is so much to know and the smallest thing messes it up. Off to learn.

Thank you so much, everyone! Great info, grainlady! I never would have thought to not stick the tester in the middle. Can't wait to experiment now! ;-)
- mando

Great hints, a couple there I had not heard of. One though that was listed, let cool completely before cutting, just won't happen at my house. Tain't nothin better than a warm brownie.

ngraham:

cool completely

That just means enough that you don't singe your fingers.

At least around here it does!! We usually eat the first few with a fork....

Deanna

I really like the idea of cutting brownies with a plastic knife...then my pans would get scarred. I recently tried a trick I read from some test kitchen (probably Reynolds!) Line the pan with non-stick foil. Then you can lift the brownies out of the pan in one piece and it's easier to cut them nicely. This saves my pans too.

This recipe is from an old church cookbook. I make it with a cuisinart and it turns out nicely chewy, kinda between cake and fudgy. I pronounce them done when I see the edges start to leave the sides and are a bit darker but they can probably be removed sooner amd might be fudgy:

Best Ever Brownies
Cream together 1 c softened butter & 2 c sugar
Add 4 eggs & 2 tsp vanilla
Mix in 1/2 c cocoa, 1 c flour & 1/2 tsp salt just until blended.
Optional: Stir in 1 c walnuts
Bake in 13 x 9 pan that is greased or lined with non-stick foil sprayed with a little Pam (I don't trust the non-stick foil to do its job)and start checking for doneness after 25 minutes. Sides should be pulling away from pan when done. Cool in pan (undisturbed if possible). Lift out of pan if non-stick foil is used or cut in pan WITH PLASTIC KNIFE LIKE GRAINLADY SAYS.
Around Christmas time in our area, a good goosechase will find you some Hershey's Premier Baking Pieces - Dark Chocolate Filled with Raspberry Creme. They look like tiny boxed chocolates with raspberry filling. I added two 8 oz pkg and 1 c sliced almonds instead of walnuts to the brownie batter. Was a big hit at Christmas parties this year. Try not to eat any of the baking pieces by hand because you will need to enter a 12 Step Program...highly addictive. Then you'll be stalking grocery stores every Christmas season and buying every bag you see like...uh, me. Please don't report me to Oprah for the next show on Hoarders.

Here is a link that might be useful: Hershey's Dark Chocolate Raspberrry Filled Pieces

Don't feel bad! I made fudge like that in home ec in 8th grade, had to crack it on the edge of the counter to break it in half.A boy that was a pitcher on the baseball team threw mine as hard as he could against the brick building, didn't hurt the fudge, but not sure about the building!
I make good fudge now, we learn from our mistakes! Sue

We make brownie bites now, in mini muffin tins. No cutting. Eat two, they're small!

I like James Beard's brownie recipe from his "American Cookery" cookbook.

I always line my pan with foil so I don't have to worry about getting the brownies out. I just use regular heavy duty foil and spray the bottom with non stick spray. We like our brownies fudgy so I always leave them a bit under baked. I used to over bake them all the time (I was worried that the egg would not be cooked enough and hurt someone) and mine used to come out like a brick. Now that I cook them until they are barely set in the center they come out great, and I'm still using the same "recipe". To save myself worry I use either pasteurized eggs or egg beaters.