Classic Fudge-Walnut Brownies

Like others here I've found these to be very dense and even lacking in structural integrity; so they don't "present" well as they don't slice or plate neatly even after they're cooled.  Regardless, the flavor and texture are superb - moist, fudgy and uber-chocolatey with satisfying chunks of chocolate and walnuts.  I add the cocoa powder directly to the melted chocolate, butter and milk to "activate" it and bring out the flavor even more.  As I use whole-grain flour (hard white whole wheat) which makes them even more dense I bake them at a lower temperature (325F) to allow the center to bake adequately, and maybe even let the mixture sit for a little while before baking to let the flour absorb the liquids.  The flour and lower temperature call for a longer baking time, and 35 minutes seems about right. I have a short list of brownie recipes I use on a regular basis (e.g., tahini, mint) but this has become the one I use most often and will be hard to beat.

This is the problem I have with recipes like this: who on earth ever cuts a 9x9-inch pan of brownies into 20?  No one. No one does this! This recipe makes a 3720-calorie pan of brownies. Multiples of four or three are the norm, yielding at most 18 brownies, 206 calories per treat. And they will be tiny brownies, 1.5x1.5 inches. Not saying they're bad, but be realistic about the calories and what you will actually eat. One star for playing with the math, which is complete misdirection about how "light" these brownies are.

I found it way too chocolatey too.  And bitter!

Amazing! Pretty sure they are no longer light when you eat half a pan so be careful it is tempting!

Delicious! Per other reviewers I started with 19 minutes and added another 5 minutes, then put on a foil collar to keep the edges from burning for another 3 minutes, and that worked very well. I used a dark 9x9 metal square pan, so I think that may account for some of the darkening around the edges. I used about 2/3 cup 60% cocoa bittersweet chocolate chips and about 1/3 cup King Arthur Flour cappuccino chips and it tastes amazing! I also used less white sugar per another reviewer, 3/4 cup instead of a cup, and 1/2 cup white wheat flour + 1/4 cup all purpose flour. I'm the only walnut brownie fan in the family so I sprinkled some along one side for me. I've made delicious CL brownie recipes over the years but this is the best! I will definitely make these again.

Good brownies, not too sweet. They did take about 25-30 min. as another reviewer stated.

way too much sugar and white flour is unhealthy

Even though I let these cook way longer than the recipe indicated, they came out burned on the outside and uncooked in the center.

Excellent brownies, don't overbake

These were amazing! Super-fudgy, just the way I like my brownies! I made a few minor tweaks: semi-sweet chocolate chunks (only ones I could find), 1% milk (what I had on-hand), and I chopped the walnuts very finely, sprinkling them all on top instead of mixing some in. I did have to bake for at least 25 minutes, and the toothpick never came out clean, because they are so fudgy, but I didn't want to over-bake them, since I don't like dry brownies.

Very chocolatey and moist. I agree with other reviewers that if you use an 8" glass dish it takes about 30 min of baking time. Excellent fudgy brownies.

Fabulous! Although for some reason, I found that the middle of the pan is a bit too gooey. Not sure if it hasn't baked enough or I did something wrong. I don't have a metal pan and hence had to make do with a glass dish. Also, I used Dutch process cocoa, so the color is a bit deeper. I also added some instant coffee. Overall, a keeper!

Excellent! Everyone loved them. Very chocolate-ly and delicious. Had no alterations to the recipe. I only have an 8x8 glass baking dish, so I used that and probably baked them about 30 minutes. Will definitely make again!

I tried last night and didn't get good results. Does the recipe really call for 1 cup of chocolate? I assume that means 8 1oz squares. I only used 6oz and it was too rich. It also never did cook all the way through even after 45 minutes. I was thinkingthe recipe had a error and retrying with only 1oz chocolate. I am surprised that no one else questioned the amount of chocolate.

these are good...but, seriously, 20 SERVINGS in that little pan...that is absurd, and misleading. the number of servings would in reality be 9 (in this size pan)...more than doubling the "cooking light" nutritional statistics....i'm surprised no one else noticed/mentioned this...

Yes, they were chocolately - not disputing that - but they were drier than dust. The only moisture was 6 Tbs of butter and two eggs. Will not make again.

These brownies are so chocolatey-rich and decadent. I was completely satisfied after having one, but I couldn't stop myself from having another, and another ... Yikes! Don't forget to pour yourself a glass of red wine with this treat!

I made these last night and they are delicious. I omitted the walnuts (personal preference) and used 1/4 cup whole wheat flour and 1/2 cup white flour in place of all white flour and they still came out great. I had to bake for about 30 minutes before they were done. Great brownie recipe!

Very good and very rich. I do agrees with the others on the cooking time. I had to cook mine for 30 minutes.

Delicious and easy! I had to bake my brownies for 25 minutes before they were done. Left out the nuts.

These were decadent! I didn't use the walnuts, and needed to cook them for about 28-30 minutes in an 8x8 pan. So good with some light vanilla bean ice cream!

These brownies are a breeze to make and really are fabulous! I won't go back to a box mixture again. This would be a great basic fudge brownie mix to experiment with adding to. I also used a 9x9 and it took closer to 26-27 minutes. This is well-deserving of Cooking Light's #1 chocolate recipe in 25 years!

Fantastic! better than any box - I used white whole wheat flour. Hard to stop at one...which of course would negate the "Cooking Light" part.

Wonderful brownies. Taste like full fat regular brownies. However, I have a bone to pick with Cooking Light and their cooking times on brownies. This is the second brownie recipe of theirs I have made, and the second time I ended up cooking them almost twice the recommended cooking time. After the first time it happened I went out and bought a second oven thermometer (my oven is spot on). Does this happen to anyone else, or am I in some sort of brownie no-cook zone (I am not at a high altitude either).

Wow - not only do these taste as great as you'd want them to, they are amazingly easy to make! I highly recommend these. NOTE: I used a 9x9 pan and it still took closer to 25 minutes. Not a complaint - just a heads-up to others.

I baked both the brownies and the Texas sheet cake for an office birthday party. The results are unofficial, but by the end of the day the brownies were all but gone, so I'd have to say that the brownies took the cake!

I made these brownies tonight, replacing the walnuts(b/c my husband doesn't love nuts in brownies) with white chocolate chips and OMG!!!!! If you like brownies, you must make these. They were a million times better than any boxed brownie I have ever made!

I followed the recipe exactly, but I only have an 8" x 8" pan, so I ended up baking the brownies much longer than the recipe calls for, probably an extra 25 minutes. These were good, and between four of us we had eaten the whole pan by the end of the weekend! I will make these again--easy and all ingredients I had on hand.

Very good, in fact I have made them twice now and they're a huge hit!!

So delicious and easy to make. Love!

I followed the recipe exactly and they turned out AMAZING! Very rich and tasty, I will definitely make again!

Holy chocolatey, yummy, deliciousness! I've never made brownies from scratch before, and was very apprehensive, but these turned out wonderfully!! I did use whole wheat flour, and think there was no noticeable difference. These reminded me why I don't like to bake...because I will eat all of the tasty deliciousness I make!

Very good and easy to make.

These brownies were fantastic! And pretty easy to make too. I made these instead of birthday cake - and we made brownie sundaes. Will definitely make these again

Fantastic brownies! Very easy to make and a joy to eat.

the best brownie for us, from cooking light. i have tried many of them over the years from CL, and this is the best so far. Omitted the nuts for my allergic daughter, and you can reduce the sugar by 1/4 cup maybe as i prefer things not overly sweet. very fudgy. depending on your oven you might want to bake them for another minute; then they harden a bit on the top as they cool. thank you very much for the wonderful recipe.