Fudgy Spicy Brownies

These fudgy brownies are anything but boring.

By Max Falkowitz
Published October 11, 2025
Stacked fudgy brownies with a geometric background

Serious Eats / Deli Studios

Why It Works

  • An ample amount of butter keeps the brownies tender and gives them their rich flavor.
  • A combination of ground chile and cinnamon gives the dessert a warm kick of heat.

This is a pretty classic brownie approach, but these are anything but boring. I've modified the classic (and well-loved) Baker's One Bowl recipe to produce a firmer slice with a stronger chocolate flavor. While tender from ample butter, these brownies aren't greasy. They're definitely sweet—sugar helps form superb chewy crusts—but some salt and plenty of spices balance them. Fudgy brownie fans: This is for you.

I'm of the firm belief that a brownie is not a flourless chocolate cake, so this recipe is as much about texture and butter as it is about chocolate. But brownies also provide excellent opportunities to mix chiles and chocolates. I used a chocolate with a roasted coffee flavor profile, something deep, rich, and almost smoky. Since it's diluted in a sweet batter, a chile that complements its toasty flavors would get a little lost. Instead, I opted for something to contrast the heaviness of dark chocolate and chose a bright, oily, and acidic chile: guajillo.

You can pick them up at any Mexican market, and increasingly, many mainstream ones; they're sometimes labeled as New Mexico chiles. Aleppo is another great chile for this, though it's a tad too bright and I miss some of the guajillo's peppery richness. As for the cinnamon, fresh and spicy "Saigon cinnamon" is best; it rounds out the flavor of this brownie, making it the closest thing I know to a universally adored dessert.

Stack of four brownies on a white surface with a blue tile background

Serious Eats / Deli Studios

October 2020

Recipe Details

Fudgy Spicy Brownies

Prep 10 mins
Cook 35 mins
Cooling Time 2 hrs
Total 2 hrs 45 mins
Serves 8 to 10
Makes 9 brownies
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Ingredients

  • 140 g (5 ounces) dark chocolate, at least 72 percent cacao, finely chopped

  • 140 g unsalted butter (5 ounces; 10 tablespoons), plus more for greasing

  • 2 tablespoons ground guajillo or Aleppo chile, see notes

  • 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

  • 1/2 teaspoon Diamond Crystal kosher salt; for table salt, use half as much by volume

  • 350 g granulated sugar (about 12 1/4 ounces; 1 3/4 cups)

  • 3 large eggs

  • 128 g all-purpose flour (4 ounces; 1 cup flour

Directions

  1. Adjust oven rack to middle position and preheat oven to 350°F. Line a 9- by 9-inch baking pan with two 9-inch wide strips of parchment paper or foil so that all sides are covered with a 1-inch overhang on all sides. Lightly grease with butter; set aside.

  2. In a large microwave-safe bowl, combine chocolate, butter, chile, cinnamon, and salt. Microwave on high, stirring every 30 seconds, until melted and smooth, about 2 minutes. (See notes.) Set aside to cool slightly, about 5 minutes.

    Twostep process for making brownies unmixed ingredients and the mixed batter in glass bowls

    Serious Eats / Deli Studios

  3. Whisk sugar into chocolate mixture, followed by the eggs, whisking until smooth. Using a flexible spatula, fold in flour until just combined and no dry bits remain. Scrape batter into baking pan and bake until brownies are firm to the touch and a toothpick or cake tester inserted in the center comes out with a few moist crumbs attached, about 30 minutes.

    Steps in mixing brownie batter shown in a fourpanel collage with hands stirring ingredients in bowls and a baking pan

    Serious Eats / Deli Studios

  4. Let cool in pan for 5 minutes. Using the parchment or foil overhang, lift brownies and transfer to a wire rack to cool completely, about 30 minutes. Slice and serve.

    A batch of brownies on parchment paper one whole and another partially cut with a knife

    Serious Eats / Deli Studios

Special Equipment

9-by-9-inch baking pan, parchment paper or foil, whisk, flexible spatula, wire rack

Notes

The chile can be ground using a mortar and pestle or spice grinder.

Alternatively, chocolate can be melted in a heat-proof bowl set over a saucepan of simmering water. The bowl should be large enough to nest in the saucepan without touching the water; stir occasionally until chocolate is melted, 6 to 8 minutes.

Nutrition Facts (per serving)
393 Calories
19g Fat
52g Carbs
5g Protein
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Nutrition Facts
Servings: 8 to 10
Amount per serving
Calories 393
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 19g 25%
Saturated Fat 11g 56%
Cholesterol 87mg 29%
Sodium 179mg 8%
Total Carbohydrate 52g 19%
Dietary Fiber 2g 8%
Total Sugars 39g
Protein 5g
Vitamin C 1mg 4%
Calcium 29mg 2%
Iron 3mg 15%
Potassium 162mg 3%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.
(Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.)

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