Rich and fudgy brownies topped with almonds and sea salt that are easy to make from scratch. Jump to the Salted Almond Brownies Recipe or read on to see how we make them.
This one-bowl recipe makes brownies that have dense, fudgy middles. There’s even a good chance you already have the ingredients needed on hand.
YOU MAY ALSO LIKE: Our original Fudgy Brownies recipe from scratch has hundreds of 5-star reviews. It was the inspiration for this recipe. There’s even a quick recipe video where you can watch us making the recipe. Take a look now!
How to Make Salted Almond Brownies
This easy recipe is a riff off our popular brownies recipe. The base is similar — there’s cocoa powder instead of melted chocolate, butter, sugar, eggs and flour. The original is pretty amazing, this time, though, we add lots of crunchy roasted almonds and sea salt on top. A nut lovers dream!
By the way, the original recipe is slightly adapted from Alice Medrich’s Cocoa Brownies found in many of her popular cookbooks. We HIGHLY recommend buying one (or many) of her cookbooks — she’s a genius when it comes to desserts.
The batter start with butter, cocoa powder and sugar. They are all added to a bowl then set above gently simmering water until the butter has melted. Eggs are added as well as a small amount of flour. We transfer the batter to a square metal baking pan — here’s the one we use — and top with roughly chopped almonds and sea salt.
And that’s it — they bake in the oven for about 25 minutes. These almond brownies are so rich and fudgy. They are easy to make, too. Just a few simple ingredients, a bowl and a spoon are needed.
YOU MAY ALSO LIKE: These Double Chocolate Cookies are a must for chocolate lovers. Since you’ve already got the cocoa powder out for brownies, you might as well make a batch of these cookies! They are Joanne’s favorite!
Recipe updated, originally posted March 2016. Since posting this in 2016, we have tweaked the recipe to be more clear. – Adam and Joanne
Salted Almond Brownies from Scratch
- PREP
- COOK
- TOTAL
These rich and chocolaty brownies have dense, fudgy middles and are topped with salted almonds. They aren’t overly sweet. If you are like us and find yourself reaching for darker chocolate over milk chocolate, these are most certainly for you. They are one-bowl and come together in minutes. There’s also a good chance you already have all the ingredients on hand.
You Will Need
10 tablespoons (145 grams) unsalted butter
1 1/4 cups (250 grams) granulated sugar
3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons (80 grams) unsweetened cocoa powder, natural or Dutch-process
1/4 rounded teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 large eggs, cold
1/2 cup (65 grams) all-purpose flour
2/3 cup (75 grams) whole roasted almonds, roughly chopped
1/4 teaspoon flaky sea salt
Directions
- Prepare Batter
1Position an oven rack in the lower third of the oven and heat to 325 degrees F. Line the bottom and sides of an 8-inch square baking pan with parchment paper or aluminum foil, leaving an overhang on two opposite sides. (This helps when removing the baked brownies from the pan, once cooled).
2Add enough water to a medium saucepan so that it is 1 to 2 inches deep. Heat water until barely simmering. Combine butter, sugar, cocoa powder, and the salt in a medium heat-safe bowl. Rest the bowl over simmering water (if the bottom of the bowl touches the water, remove a little water).
3Stir mixture occasionally until the butter has melted and mixture is quite warm. Don’t worry if it looks gritty, it will become smooth once you add the eggs and flour. Remove the bowl from heat and set aside for 3 to 5 minutes until it is only warm, not hot.
4Stir in vanilla with a wooden spoon or spatula. Then, add eggs, one at a time, stirring vigorously after each one.
5When the batter looks thick, shiny and well blended, add the flour and stir until fully incorporated, then beat with the wooden spoon or spatula for 40 to 50 strokes. (The batter will be quite thick). Stir in nuts, if using. Spread evenly in lined pan and scatter the almonds and sea salt on top.
- Bake Brownies
1Bake 20 to 25 minutes or until a toothpick can be inserted into the center and come out almost clean (you want it to be a little moist with batter). Note: Some have found they need to bake an extra 10 minutes, so keep an eye on the doneness of the brownies and use the toothpick test as your guide.
2Cool completely then remove from pan. For the cleanest lines when cutting, place into freezer for 20 to 30 minutes to firm up. Cut into 16 squares.
Adam and Joanne's Tips
- These are on the bittersweet side – we like that, but if you are more into milk chocolate than semi-sweet or dark, these may be a little bitter for you. Some readers have had success with adding a little more sugar to accommodate.
- This recipe is slightly adapted from Alice Medrich’s Cocoa Brownies found in many of her cookbooks. Here’s one of them: “Sinfully Easy Delicious Desserts” If you love dessert as much as we do, buy it. You won’t regret it.
If you make this recipe, snap a photo and hashtag it #inspiredtaste — We love to see your creations on Instagram and Facebook! Find us: @inspiredtaste
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Hi I love this recipe. Its so Good.
Love this recipe !! I was thinking of adding some melted milk chocolate. How would this work in this recipe ?? Last thing i want to do is ruin the texture.
Hi Diana, We’d add milk chocolate to the batter just before baking.
Can we add some bittersweet chocolate?
Hi there, extra chocolate is a great idea.
Didn’t have enough butter, so substituted coconut oil for some of it (and then put coconut flakes in the batter), and this worked well. In a European (convection) oven, cooked at 140C instead of 160C. These came out delicious. I recommend these, and intend to make them the next time I need a simple + decadent dessert for guests!!
I made this tonight! OMGosh!!! It is so YUMMY!!!