Want To Make Brownies Even Fudgier? Try Dropping Them.
It's hard to whip up a bad brownie batch, especially if you've been baking them for years. But what if you could make brownies even more delicious? If you don't think that's possible, look no further than Ina Garten's trick for making brownies taste even more lusciously fudgy.
Garten is one of many who uses a technique that's pretty old-fashioned to get her brownies fudgy, but it's about time we bring it back. This method doesn't require any extra ingredients or an encyclopedic knowledge of "kitchen science." It doesn't even take more than a few seconds, which is an especially pleasant surprise for bakers in a hurry. What it does do, though, is elevate a regular ol' pan of brownies by bringing out all of that chocolatey flavor.
Are typical brownies not fudgy enough for you? If so, then it might be time to try this easy, effective brownie hack.
How rapping can make brownies fudgier
Want more fudge flavor in your brownies? Try "rapping" them. (No, we don't expect you to spontaneously bust rhymes in the kitchen, but that could make baking even more fun.)
Rapping brownies is a process that involves dropping the brownies. Yes, you read that correctly — you've got to drop brownies to elevate their texture. (Trust us, the brownies will survive.) Ina Garten recommends rapping your brownies after about 20 minutes of baking. Lift the pan up about two inches, drop it against the oven rack, and you'll have given the brownies a good rapping. That tap against the rack from dropping the brownies is more than enough to change the texture.
You don't need to slam or throw the brownie pan or repeatedly bang it against the oven rack. After you've successfully dropped the brownies, pop them back in the oven and let them finish baking. Once you've let them cool and you finally take that first bite, you'll definitely notice a difference — the brownies will taste even fudgier.
Why dropping a pan of brownies makes them fudgier
How in the world would dropping the pan improve brownies' texture and taste? It all comes down to some simple science.
When you drop a pan of brownies midway through cooking, what you're really doing is forcing air out of the remaining batter. Brownies have lots of little air pockets — and you might see them when you make your current brownie recipe — but this trick makes the batter more dense. After you rap a pan of brownies, you might notice that your brownies are more filling, and it's all thanks to those air bubbles being less prominent.
Fudge is also extremely dense, so it's natural that rapped brownies will taste more like fudge than brownies that haven't been dropped. By contrast, brownies that haven't undergone rapping will likely have a consistency more similar to that of cake, which is fluffier and has more air bubbles. If you've had brownies that look and taste like little pieces of fudge and want to emulate them, look no further than adding a simple extra step: dropping the brownie pan.