There are plenty of tricks for making fudgy, chewy, gooey brownies, including the use of ingredients like dark brown sugar or mascarpone. However, the best-kept fudgy brownie secret of them all is one is to use a technique called "rapping," an old-school baking practice that will result in the fudgiest brownies ever.

To try this technique, wait until halfway through your brownies' baking time, then take the pan out of the oven and "rap" it (AKA tap or bang it) against your countertop once, firmly but not too hard. This will break up the air bubbles in your brownies (the culprit of a fluffy, non-fudgy texture) and also gives your batch a perfect crackly top.

Other steps to ensure fudgy brownies include letting your eggs come to room temperature before adding them to the batter, since cold eggs can result in a spongier texture. The way you mix your batter makes a difference, too: the more you overmix, the more airy the batter becomes, resulting in less fudgy brownies.