Home » Recipes » Desserts » » 85% Chocolate Brownies Recipe
By Katie Moseman 18 Comments
1K Shares
Print Recipe Jump to Recipe
Do you have some 85% chocolate you’d like to use in a brownie recipe? Any chocolate between 80 and 90% will do! These 85% chocolate brownies are delicious!
If you’ve been following this blog from the beginning, you’ll know that it used to be called “The Perfect Brownie.”This week, I renamed it to avoid future trademark conflicts. I’m actually happy about the renaming, and I hope you like the new name, too. You can be sure that there will still be plenty of brownie recipes as I continue my search for the perfect brownie- not to mention other perfect recipes!
In most of my recipes for brownies,I’ve used cocoa powder or unsweetened chocolate, but today I usedan 85% single origin Colombian chocolate bar. Why? There were a couple of reasons.
- I wanted to know how different percentages of chocolate behave in a brownie recipe.
- I had a bar of 85% chocolate in the pantry, and I don’t really eat 85% chocolate straight. I find it a bit too strong and bitter.
Before melting this chocolate and adding it to the batter, I had a quick taste. This particular bar was a bit more harsh than the average high-percentage dark chocolate,yet had a strongly creamy flavor as well. That didn’t make a lot of sense until I looked at the ingredient list, which includedvanilla.A hefty dose of vanilla would definitelyexplain the taste of cream. It was almost as if a little extra vanilla had beenincluded to try and smooth out the harsh flavor of the chocolate.
I was pleased to see that these brownies had the sought-after crinkly crust that shatters at the slightest touch. I’m beginning to think that this is a function of both the mixing method and the amount of superfine sugar (from chocolate bars, but also found in brownie mix) present in the batter. More experiments will be needed. But, hey, if I cracked the secret of chewy brownies, I can crack this secret, too!
In the mean time, I hope you enjoy these brownies. They’rea bit sticky, very chewy, and quite sweet. They remind me quite a lot of these Milk Chocolate Brownies, except with a darker chocolate flavor. You can use any chocolate between 80-90% for this recipe and it should turn out fine.
5 from 11 votes
85% Chocolate Brownies Recipe
What do you do when you want to make brownies, but you only have a chocolate bar on hand? If it's between 80% and 90%, you'll find that this brownie recipe works just great!
CourseDessert
CuisineAmerican
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 25 minutes
Total Time 35 minutes
Servings 9
Calories 272 kcal
Author Katie Moseman
Ingredients
- 3.5oz85% chocolatebroken or chopped in pieces (any percentage between 80% and 90% will work)
- 8tablespoonsunsalted buttermelted
- 1cupsugar
- 1/4tspvanilla
- 1/4tspsalt
- 2eggs
- 1/3cupall purpose flour
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 350 and prepare an 8 inch square pan by lining it with parchment paper or foil.
In a microwaveable bowl, microwave the chocolate on 50% power in 30 second bursts, stirring in between, until the chocolate is completely melted and smooth. Set aside to cool until warm but not hot to the touch.
In a large bowl, whisk together the melted butter, sugar, vanilla, and salt until well combined. Whisk in the eggs one at a time.
Stir in the melted and cooled chocolate. Add the flour and stir until just combined. Scrape the batter into the prepared pan and smooth the top.
Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out with moist crumbs but no wet batter. Place pan on a rack to cool for 15 minutes, then use the foil or parchment to lift out the brownies. Place them on the rack to cool completely.
Nutrition Facts
85% Chocolate Brownies Recipe
Amount Per Serving
Calories 272Calories from Fat 135
% Daily Value*
Fat 15g23%
Saturated Fat 9g56%
Cholesterol 63mg21%
Sodium 82mg4%
Potassium 97mg3%
Carbohydrates 30g10%
Fiber 1g4%
Sugar 24g27%
Protein 2g4%
Vitamin A 365IU7%
Calcium 17mg2%
Iron 1.7mg9%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
1K Shares
Previous Post: « Renaming My Blog
Next Post: A Good Food Day by Marco Canora | Cookbook Review »
Reader Interactions
Subscribe
Comments
I so wish that my laptop screen were ~ Scratch ~ Sniff ~ Eat…. Oh those look so good. I love love love dark chocolate, and so therefore would have eaten that bar, it would not have made it into the Brownie Batter, although by the looks of things, if I were to make these that is where it would best be served!!!I love your brownies!!!
Reply
Katie
Now THERE’S a blog title- “Scratch, Sniff, Eat!” LOL! I tried a taste of the 85% but it was too bitter for me. Wait til you catch my flourless brownies, though, they’re insanely chocolatey in a way that even I like. The most chocolate brownie ever. You’re gonna love it. 🙂
Reply
I am seriously craving brownies right now – these look so incredibly chocolat-y, rich and delicious!Reply
Katie
Indeed, these truly are the very dense, very fudgy variety of brownies. Thanks for stopping by! 🙂
Reply
Liz W
I had an extra 3.5 oz 85% dark chocolate bar I was almost going to throw away, and this was the perfect solution! The flavor is not bitter to me at all- just a yummy brownie indulgence, which is what I was hoping for! The only thing I would change next time is to avoid the foil. I like brownies a little chewy/undercooked, and the foil did not want to let go. Bad for dental fillings, I imagine! Anyway, now I feel like keeping 85% cacao chocolate around just for emergency brownies! Thank you.Reply
Katie
Thanks for the feedback! I’m so glad it worked out for you. I vastly prefer parchment paper over foil, but many folks don’t keep parchment paper handy, so I always say that you can use either foil or parchment paper. It’s my way of making cleanup easier and for lifting the brownies out of the pan to stop them from continuing to cook after removing them from the oven. If you like a milder chocolate brownie, you may also like my Milk Chocolate Brownies, or even my incredible White Chocolate Brownies! 🙂
Reply
What brand did you use? I usually buy Lindt but adore the super dark flavours
Reply
Katie
Hmm, let me think… it was a gift, and I think it was a bar from Trader Joe’s. I am a long time Lindt fan, too- used to buy their dark chocolate bars when I was a kid. They came in a beautiful white paper wrapper with embossed gold on it.
Reply
Melanie
Easy and delicious!Reply
Jaya
I tried it with 90% bitter chocolate. It came out so good. When tasting, it starts on the sweeter note and leaves a little bitter taste on the end which was perfect. So gooey too.Reply
Jaya
It was so tasty.Reply
Can the recipe be doubled and cooked in a 9×13 pan or is that asking for trouble? They get gobbled up so fast I often don’t get any! We used 88% Chocolove and they came out great. Have you tried them with a sugar substitute like the 1:1 monk fruit/erithrotol blends?
Reply
Katie Moseman
Brownie recipes are easily doubled. You should have no trouble there. However, I’ve never tried a sugar substitute – if I were you, I might try reducing the sugar first, then going lower the next time if it worked out. Sugar plays a big role in the texture and flavor and if it’s all gone, they might taste weird. Let me know if you find a workable variation! 🙂
Reply
D W
I wanted to use up 86% dark chocolate. I used half 75% and half 86% to equal 3.5 oz. This produced an outstanding finished brownie. I added walnuts, baked 25 minutes at 350, 10 minutes at 325. Thank you so much for publishing. This recipe is a keeper.Reply
Annette
My friends and family declared these the best brownies ever. Very moist and decadent and easy to make!Reply
Janet
So easy to put together! I used two bars of 85% Madagascar Chocolate from Vinte Vinte that weighed 49g in total. My batch required the full 30 minutes. The chocolate aroma is fantastic! Very tender and creamy (!!) when nibbling the corners while still hot. My husband wants to know if the calories stay the same if the batch is cut into fourths rather than ninths. He almost has me convinced that they do. Thanks for a **small* batch recipe using some Madagascar chocolate bars.
❤️JanetReply
Sharon
My boyfriend and I absolutely love these! I used Lindt 85% chocolate. The brownies have the best texture and flavor. I’ve always had trouble finding brownie recipes that didn’t taste sickeningly sweet. I’m so happy I found the recipe I had been searching for to satisfy my brownie craving. And it’s such an easy recipe to make. I use the microwave to heat up the chocolate and butter, and I have the brownies in the oven in no time.Reply
Ant Sullivan
Loved it. Super easy. I made one batch – so yum so a second was well in order!!! C’mon it’s chocolate! I whisked the mix for a few minutes after adding the flour the second time, instead of till just combined. It went pale and milk chocolatey looking. Didn’t deflate after baking and held together better and still had that gorgeous gooey texture. This recipe is a keeper!Reply
