Easy Sea Salt Brownies
These Sea Salt Brownies have the perfect balance of sweet and salty. They’re fudgy, rich, and chocolatey with a hint of salt.
Recipe and photos by former contributor Caroline
Making these Sea Salt Brownies
When you think of fudgy brownies, salty isn’t the first thing that comes to mind. Traditionally, you add salt to the brownie batter so that the salt helps accentuate the chocolate flavor.
This time, all of the salt is sprinkled on the top. This creates a crunchy and salty crust on top of the brownies.
This is a very good idea. Trust me.
Homemade brownies are always so much better than boxed mix, but adding this layer of salt to the tops just pops. It reminds me a lot of these chocolate covered nuts with sea salt. So good!
Tools Needed to Make these Sea Salt Brownies
- Measuring Cups and Spoons – to measure the dry ingredients and the vanilla extract.
- Medium Bowl – to whisk the eggs.
- Metal Whisk – to whisk the eggs and make the batter.
- Medium Saucepan – you’ll melt the butter in a saucepan and then stir the remaining ingredients into it.
- Silicone Spatula – transfer the brownie batter from the saucepan to the square pan for baking,
- Square Baking Pan – for this recipe I use an 8×8 size pan.
- Parchment Paper – I like to line my baking pans with parchment paper.
- Toothpick or Cake Tester – Ideal for testing if the salted fudge brownies are done in the center.
Ingredients in Sea Salt Brownies
Here’s a quick overview of what you’ll need to make these sea salt brownies. For the complete ingredient list and detailed instructions, scroll to the bottom of this post for the FREE printable recipe card.
- Unsalted Butter
- Dark Chocolate
- Cocoa Powder
- Granulated Sugar
- Brown Sugar
- Large Eggs
- Vanilla Extract
- All-Purpose Flour
- Sea Salt
- Flaky Sea Salt (such as Maldon Sea Salt)
How to Make Sea Salt Brownies
These sea salt brownies are so easy to make! Here’s a quick summary of the process. Let me know if you have any questions!
- Preheat the oven and line a pan with parchment paper.
- While the oven preheats, you’ll melt the butter and dark chocolate in a saucepan. Then, add cocoa powder and sea salt and stir.
- After that, stir in the granulated sugar, brown sugar, whisked eggs, and vanilla. Mix well, then stir in the flour.
- Add the brownie batter to the prepared pan and bake.
The above is simply a quick summary of this recipe. Check out the full recipe in the free printable recipe card at the bottom of this post for all the detailed instructions.
Tips for Making the Best Brownies with Sea Salt
Use good quality dark chocolate, at least 65% cacao. In a pinch, you can substitute dark chocolate chips if needed.
For this recipe, I like to use Hershey’s Special Dark Cocoa Powder instead of regular cocoa powder, but you could use regular. It just wont be as rich.
Lining a pan with parchment paper makes it easy to take the brownies out of the pan after they cool. Then, place them on a cutting board to cut into squares.
Add a sprinkling of flaky sea salt on top of the batter before baking. We like Maldon salt for this.
Start your baking with a preheated oven. You’ll get much better results than if you put the brownies in to bake while the oven is still coming to temperature.
Cool hot brownies before cutting. I like to leave them in their pan set on a wire rack until room temperature, then lift them out of the pan with the parchment paper.
Sea Salt Brownies FAQ
Got questions about how to make this recipe for sea salt brownies? Here are the answers to a few commonly asked questions. Feel free to leave any other questions in the comments on this post and I’ll respond with answers.
How Long do Sea Salt Brownies Take to Bake?
30-35 minutes, but I usually check them around 25 minutes to be safe. Plus, every oven runs a tad differently. If you over bake them, you risk losing some of that fudgy texture.
Can I Double this Recipe?
Yes! This sea salt brownie recipe doubles easily for a 9×13 inch pan, but you’ll need to keep an eye on the baking time. The brownies will likely bake a tad faster in the larger pan.
What is the Best Way to Cut Brownies?
It is best to wait until they’re completely cool!
Another tip I learned a long time ago is that cutting brownies with a plastic butter knife (like from disposable silverware) is much easier than using a metal knife. Weird, but it works!
Try these Sea Salt Brownies at Home!
Next time you’re looking for an easy brownie recipe with a fudgy center, give this Sea Salt Brownie recipe a try!
Did you love the combination of sweet and salty with rich chocolate? Leave a comment below and give it a review for others to see what you thought of this delicious recipe.
On Instagram? Share your photo and tag me with @goodlifeeats and #goodlifeeatsrecipes. I’d love to see your photo of these salted brownies!
More Brownie Recipes:
In this decadent Brownie Ice Cream, creamy vanilla no churn ice cream is layered with chewy brownie chunks and swirled with sweet and salty vanilla bourbon caramel sauce.
Easy Homemade Brownies are the perfect quick dessert to whip up at home. They only take a few minutes and totally satisfy your chocolate cravings.
This Easy Brownie Trifle recipe features layers of fudgy brownie, homemade peanut butter mousse, and whipped cream.
In this Raspberry Brownie Parfait, fudgy brownies are layered with mascarpone whipped cream and raspberries for a delightful dessert!
This Brownie Tart is a cross between a deep dish fudge brownie and a pie. This is one brownie dessert you’ll want seconds of!
Don’t see what you’re looking for here? You can always head over to check out the recipe index to look for more recipes.
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Have you ever tried a salted fudge brownie?
Sea Salt Brownies
Salty and crunchy topping with a fudgy brownie underneath.
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 sticks unsalted butter
- 2 ounces dark chocolate (I used 90%, but you could also use baker's chocolate)
- 1/4 cup and 2 tablespoons cocoa powder (I used Hershey's special dark)
- 1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
- 1 cup sugar
- 1 cup brown sugar
- 3 large eggs
- 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 cup all purpose flour
- Flaky Sea Salt, such as Maldon
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350F. Set aside a parchment paper or non-stick foil covered 8" x 8" pan.
- In a medium saucepan over low heat, melt the butter and dark chocolate together. Once melted, remove from heat and whisk in the cocoa powder and sea salt.
- One by one, whisk in the sugar, brown sugar, eggs, vanilla extract and flour until combined. Pour into the prepared pan.
- Sprinkle the top evenly with the flaky sea salt.
- Bake for 30-35 minutes until cooked on the outside edges and still fudgy if a cake tester is inserted. Allow to cool for at least 1 hour before cutting.
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Nutrition Information:
Yield: 12 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 306Total Fat: 14gSaturated Fat: 8gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 5gCholesterol: 77mgSodium: 113mgCarbohydrates: 42gFiber: 2gSugar: 34gProtein: 3g
GoodLifeEats.com offers recipe nutritional information as a courtesy and is an estimate only. This information comes from online calculators. Although GoodLifeEats.com makes every effort to provide accurate information, these figures are only estimates.
The Ninja Baker says
Perhaps salted caramel desserts will soon be out of fashion because Caroline has introduced the world to brownies with salted tops! Thank you for this innovative idea and recipe, Caroline and Katie =)
Laura says
Love the combination of salty and sweet! Add some Carmel and I’m in heaven 🙂
sara says
Amazing! These look like the PERFECT dessert! 🙂
Katrina @ Warm Vanilla Sugar says
These brownies looks truly perfect!
Heather of Kitchen Concoctions says
Brownies are my weakness so I am all over these!
Tieghan says
Wow, these look and sound incredible!! Fudgy, satly brownies sound amazing!