For Ultra-Gooey Boxed Brownies, Don't Wait Until They're Fully Baked

While we want cakes to be light and fluffy, "gooey" is the best possible descriptor for a batch of delicious brownies. Dense, fudgy, gooey brownies are the goal, and yet many boxed brownie mixes run the risk of becoming hard or dried out in the oven. The good news is there's a simple trick for ultra-gooey boxed brownies, even from the box: Don't cook them for the entirety of the specified baking time.

Most boxed brownie mixes instruct you to bake them at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for between 35 and 45 minutes. However, for the fudgiest results, pull the brownies out of the oven around five minutes before the specified baking time. You can start to check the brownies around the 25 to 30-minute mark. Even when you pull the brownies out early, they will continue to cook as they cool and set. 

Of course, there's a difference between fudgy and raw, and one of the easiest ways to check this is with a toothpick test. With fudgy brownies, a toothpick inserted at the center of the brownie should come out with a few damp crumbs or streaks. However, if it's covered in raw batter, you'll know to stick the brownies back in for a few more minutes. If you don't have toothpicks on hand, you can gently press the center of the brownie with your fingers. The brownie should spring back as opposed to sinking and indenting under the weight of your fingers. You can check every two minutes after the 25-minute mark if you really want to be prudent.

While undercooking brownies saves you time while also ensuring a gooey texture, there's also a real risk for foodborne illness. If not fully cooked, both raw flour and raw eggs can be the breeding ground for harmful bacteria. So, it's important to make sure that gooey brownies are safe to eat. And, as is the case with meat, the easiest way to tell that the eggs and flour are safe to eat is by measuring internal temperature. Do this by simply inserting a meat thermometer in the middle of the gooey brownie center. Brownies should have an internal temperature of 165 degrees Fahrenheit to be safe to eat. An internal temperature of 190 is what you'll want for cakier brownies.

Another method you can try is lowering the baking temperature to 300 and baking your brownies for half the time specified on the box, taking them out to rest for 15 minutes, then sliding them back in the oven for the final half of the specified baking time. This mid-bake pause allows the gooey center to set, while the lower temperature prevents the brownies from getting burnt or crisp.

Of course, there are plenty of other fudgy brownie-making tips to follow before you slide your pan of brownies into the oven. For example, overmixing your brownie batter is a mistake that'll result in tough, hard brownies. You can also bring even more gooeyness to the batter by adding chocolate chips. Combine all of these tricks and you may set a new record for the fudgiest brownies ever.