My Family Thinks These Are the Best Brownies—Here's How I Make Them Even Better

One little switch makes a subtle but noticeable difference.

If you’re going to be the parent that wants all the kids to know they’re welcome in your home, feeding them is one way to let them know you enjoy their company. I was one of those parents (my kids are now adults, but their friends are still always welcome in my home), and one of the recipes I always had in my back pocket was the Best Brownies recipe right here on Allrecipes.

Many of my family’s favorite recipes come from Allrecipes, including the go-to French dip sandwiches that will get my grown sons back to my dinner table every. single. time. But back in the day, it was the snacks that brought the kids to the table, and these brownies were frequently part of the snack spread, along with popcorn, apple slices with peanut butter, and juice pouches.

Last week, I wanted to make brownies to take on a picnic, and I pulled out the Best Brownies recipe that I hadn’t made in many years. In those years, I learned that one very simple ingredient in a recipe can make a difference. That ingredient? The variety of salt used.

Switching Up the Salt in Brownies

For most of my home-baking history, I’ve used table salt in my baked goods. I still use it in the no-one-believes-it’s-a-back-of-the-package chocolate cake that I make for everyone’s birthday (but I do switch one ingredient out in that cake, and maybe someday I’ll write about that). But the other night, I wanted to see what these brownies would be like if I substituted fleur de sel, a sea salt from France.

What is Fleur de Sel?

Fleur de sel (which translates to flower of salt in English) is a specific type of sea salt harvested from the Atlantic Coast of France. It is distinguished by its large flake size, its mineral quality, and its brininess. It’s what I used when I replicated Courtney Cox’s Best Damn Cookie recipe. Sprinkling the salt on those cookies created a salty, savory best friend to the chocolate that worked really well.

You can purchase fleur de sel online or at gourmet grocery stores. No need to go to France.

Using Fleur de Sel in Brownies

When a brownie recipe calls for salt and you use table salt, the table salt enhances the sweetness of the baked goods, helping to balance the flavors. But when you bite into that baked good, the salt doesn’t stand out as an ingredient.

When you use fleur de sel in brownies, it does stand out, sort of in the way salt does when you make something with salted caramel. You might say, “Oh, yeah, I can taste the salt.” But you won’t say, “This tastes too salty.” Rather, you’ll catch a hint of saltiness, but mostly the fleur de sel will help you savor the sweetness of the sugar mixed with cocoa in these brownies that come together in one pot (you melt the butter in the pot then add the other ingredients).

The fleur de sel creates brownies that are yummier in an “OMG these REALLY are the best brownies” way. They rise above the sum of their parts: sugar, eggs, vanilla, cocoa powder, flour, salt, and baking powder.

To Frost or Not to Frost

The Best Brownies recipe also calls for a chocolate frosting sweetened with honey, but I have never once added that frosting (although if someone else made them with frosting, I wouldn’t turn away a taste).

Why have I never frosted them? It’s a personal preference. I’m a brownie purist—which basically means I like brownies the way I had them growing up, and I never had a brownie with frosting as a kid. Go ahead and add the frosting if you want. Is frosting ever a bad idea?