Air Fryer
Air Fryer Brownies
Crackled tops and dense fudgy middles in 16 minutes. Why the skewer should come out dirty, and why the chill before cutting is the step that actually matters.
Ingredients
- 100g dark chocolate
- 100g unsalted butter
- 150g light brown sugar
- 2 medium eggs
- 50g plain flour
- 25g cocoa powder
- 150g chocolate chips
Method
- Check your tin fits inside the air fryer basket before you start. A 7 inch round tin suits most models.
- Melt the dark chocolate and butter together in a bowl until smooth, then let it cool slightly.
- Whisk in the eggs and the light brown sugar until glossy.
- Fold in the plain flour and cocoa powder until the batter is thick and even. Stop as soon as it comes together.
- Fold the chocolate chips through.
- Pour into a tin lined with baking parchment and level the top.
- Air fry at 160°C (320°F) for 14-16 minutes. A skewer should come out with moist crumbs on it, not clean.
- Let the tin cool completely, then chill for 3-4 hours in the fridge before cutting.
Notes
- The chill is what makes them fudgy and cuttable. Cut them warm and you get a delicious mess rather than squares.
- A skewer that comes out clean means they are overbaked. Moist crumbs clinging to it is what you want.
- Time depends almost entirely on tin size and depth. A shallow 7 inch round takes 14-16 minutes; a deeper square tin can take 25-35. Start checking early and go by the skewer.
- Line the tin with parchment rather than greasing it. Brownies stick badly and the parchment lets you lift the whole slab out.
- The papery crackled top comes from whisking the eggs and sugar properly into the melted chocolate. Skip that and you lose it.
- Air fryer models vary. Treat the times as a guide, go by colour and crispness, and adjust the seasoning to your taste.
Watch it
More Air Fryer Desserts
Air fryer models vary in power and basket size, so treat the times here as a guide — go by colour and crispness rather than the clock, and adjust the seasoning and glaze to your taste.
Recipe source: Quantities and method from Jane's Patisserie (janespatisserie.com): 100g dark chocolate, 100g unsalted butter, 150g light brown sugar, 2 medium eggs, 50g plain flour, 25g cocoa powder and 150g chocolate chips, baked in a lined 7-inch tin at 160°C (320°F) for 14-16 minutes, then cooled and chilled to set. Corroborated against Morphy Richards UK and Thermapen UK, who both also use 160°C (320°F) but quote 25-35 minutes for a deeper square tin — the gap is tin size and depth, not disagreement. All three test with a skewer that comes out with moist crumbs rather than clean.