We all have a friend of a family member who loves licking the bowl or spoon when baking. Raw cookie dough is a guilty pleasure of some but undercooked brownies shouldn’t be!
Brownies are quite a challenge to bake and even the most experienced and practiced baker can make a mistake when it comes to brownies. It can be the difference of a few minutes that either means your brownies are undercooked or done. It’s hard to know what to do with undercooked brownies. Some brownies are meant to be gooey, making it even harder to tell if you’ve followed the recipe correctly or if your bake is underdone.
If you have made a batch of undercooked brownies and have only just noticed that they may be undercooked, you will need to know how to define if they are undercooked or just gooey. If they are safe to eat or you should avoid and throw them away.
In this article we will be talking about what to do with undercooked brownies.
Table of Contents
- Are My Brownies Gooey Or Undercooked?
- How To Tell If Brownies Are Done
- Can You Rebake Brownies If They Are Undercooked?
- How Do You Fix Undercooked Brownies?
- Are Undercooked Brownies Safe To Eat?
- Undercooked Brownies When Pregnant
- Avoid Undercooked Brownies
- FAQs
Are My Brownies Gooey Or Undercooked?
You’ve cooked your brownies and followed the recipe exactly. But you then take the brownies out of the oven and it’s unclear if they’re ready. So, what do undercooked brownies look like?
The signs of an undercooked brownie is the appearance. The best way to start checking if your brownies are undercooked is by the top of the brownies tray. If there are cracks on the top layer of the brownies then this may mean that your brownies are cooked in the middle and your brownies are gooey, not undercooked.
If the top layer of your brownies looks watery, soft or like the mixture may slightly jiggle if you move the tin, this is a sure sign they are undercooked. This watery top means that the brownies haven’t cooked properly in the middle of the tray and will need more time in the oven.
Just to complicate things further, there are two main types of brownies that require slightly different recipes. So they will have slightly different textures. There’s the classic brownies, which are cooked through and, once set, are quite solid and dense. And then there’s the fudge brownie. Fudge brownies are gooey, crumbly and will fall apart easily. A fudge brownie is closer to a dessert than a cake. Fudge brownies are naturally made to be softer and moist. So if they seem gooey, this doesn’t mean they are undercooked.
It doesn’t matter if we’re talking about classic or fudge brownies, though. Any undercooked brownie will be mushy and will taste off.
Gooey vs Undercooked: How to Tell
We do have some baking tips and tricks that can help you distinguish if your brownies are gooey or melty, cooked or undercooked.
Texture Test
The first baking tip is to do a texture test. This can be done by using a knife or a toothpick. This involves placing either the knife or toothpick into the middle of the brownie baking tray to see what texture the brownie mixture is.
If the toothpick or knife comes out clean this means that your brownies are 100% cooked. This will create a cake-like, classic brownie that is dense and solid.
If the toothpick or knife comes out with a couple of moist crumbs or mixture, this means they are perfectly cooked to achieve the fudge brownie gooey texture. It’s best to take fudge brownies out of the oven at this point.
If the toothpick or knife comes out of the mixture wet, the brownies are undercooked and will need longer in the oven.
This is a great test to catch the brownies before they overcook and to determine if they are not cooked enough. This test may not work if you have taken your brownies out and they have already cooled.
Many prefer to use toothpicks rather than knives for this test because toothpicks are very sticky, meaning they will give a true representation of the brownie mixture. The mixture may not stick to the knife as easily.
Check the Temperature
The next baking test to see if your brownies are either undercooked or gooey is to check the internal temperature. A temperature check can tell if the brownies have been raised to a temperature that is safe for consumption. This is often a required step when serving food in restaurants and other food establishments. To check the internal temperature it is best to use a cooking thermometer.
When looking to see if your brownies have risen to the safe temperature, you are aiming for them to be between 160-220 degrees Fahrenheit. When checking the temperature of your fudge brownies, to make sure they are still gooey, it’s best if they rise to 160-170 degrees Fahrenheit.
Once you have worked out if they are gooey or undercooked you can decide what you need to do with them – eat or throw away?
If you’re aiming for “Fudgy Brownies” from the outset – make sure you follow a reliable recipe and you should be in for a safe, chocolatey, chewy and “fudgy” treat!
How To Tell If Brownies Are Done
The toothpick test and the temperature checks are great ways to tell if your brownies are done as well as undercooked.
When you are cooking brownies it is key that you leave them time to set properly. Brownies will still cook once you take them out of the oven. Leaving the brownies for at least 30-45 minutes after you take them out of the oven will give them time to set properly. This is when you should cut the brownies.
Can You Rebake Brownies If They Are Undercooked?
So, can you re-bake undercooked brownies? Yes! It is possible to rebake undercooked brownies. This will mean your mixture won’t be wasted and you can still enjoy your delicious bake.
Putting brownies back into the oven can make sure that they crisp up and finish baking. The risks when putting your undercooked brownies back in the oven is that they may burn quickly, so it’s advised that you keep an eye on them. Start by putting them back in the oven for short bursts of time. Undercooked brownies may only be a few minutes short of being cooked and they can be a few minutes over being overcooked and burnt. The other issue with this method is that it may dry your brownies out.
You can also put your undercooked brownies back in the oven after a few hours of leaving them to cool. Place the brownies back on a baking tray and return them to the oven, at a temperature of 200 degrees F. If you put your oven at too high of a temperature, this risks blasting your brownies and burning the outer edges. Brownies cook from outside in, so it’s important to not blast your brownies with a high temperature. Or you may still end up with undercooked brownies, but burnt edges and a dry texture.
How Do You Fix Undercooked Brownies?
There are a handful of ways that you can fix undercooked brownies and even ways to fix undercooked brownies that have cooled.
Use Other Ingredients
Some of the methods to fix undercooked brownies may cause dryness. This may have to be something that is accepted and it can be masked by serving with other ingredients like chocolate sauce, ice creams and cream. These ingredients will soak into the brownies, disguising its dryness. If you hate the idea of dry edges, you can always cut them off and only serve the inner pieces of the brownie baking tray.
When placing your undercooked brownies back into the oven, you can cover it with tin foil, which will protect the brownies from burning.
Use a Microwave
It is possible to fix undercooked brownies by using a microwave. This method is quick and easy and works!
The best way to microwave brownies is to microwave individual slices at a time for 30-40 seconds. This will ensure all areas of the brownies have been heated to a safe temperature. Microwaves are known to not do a very thorough job when heating everything evenly. Cutting the brownies in smaller pieces will help. Although, a microwave, unlike an oven, will cook the brownies from the inside out, meaning they are less likely to burn. Microwaving brownies will keep your brownies moist and avoid dry edges.
Use a Refrigerator
Another method of fixing undercooked brownies is to place them in the fridge. This is a great method for when fudge brownies are too gooey. Using this method means that the brownies do not need to cook for longer.
If the brownies look too gooey and unsafe to eat, cook them for longer rather than using this method. Using the refrigerator method of saving your undercooked brownies will harden this chocolate confection, but not bring the ingredients to a safe consumption stage and will not actually cook the eggs and flour for longer.
Place the brownies in the fridge for up to one and a half hours. This will make the brownies more chewy rather than gooey.
You can also fix undercooked brownies by placing them in the freezer. This will make the brownies go completely solid and firm. Just like the fridge method, this will not cook the brownies so only use this method if you think the brownies are safe to eat.
Are Undercooked Brownies Safe To Eat?
No, we wouldn’t say that they are safe to eat. This is due to egg and flour being used in the brownies mixture.
Raw eggs have risks of carrying salmonella, which is bacteria that will give you horrible food poisoning. Uncooked flour can also contain bacteria that can cause you to be sick. This bacteria can not only give you food poisoning but may cause symptoms like fever. Flour needs to be cooked to 160 degrees Fahrenheit to be safe to consume.
If you have eaten undercooked brownies, try not to panic as food poisoning from badly cooked chicken and fish is more common.
Undercooked Brownies When Pregnant
It is best to avoid undercooked brownies if you are pregnant. Eating them can expose you to E. Coli or salmonella. These could make you and your baby unwell.
Avoid Undercooked Brownies
Using tricks like the toothpick test and temperature check can help you tell if your brownies are not cooked enough. If they aren’t fully cooked, you can fix them by using an oven, microwave, fridge or freezer. Avoid eating undercooked brownies if you can as they can be risky for your health and they don’t taste as good as properly cooked ones.
For related articles check out: Undercooked Rice, Is It Safe, How Do I Tell If It’s Cooked?
How do you fix undercooked brownies? Are there any clear signs for you to tell?
FAQs
Is It OK If Brownies Are Gooey In The Middle?
If you’re making fudge brownies, gooey in the middle is fine and even desired. If you see your brownies are gooey in the middle, don’t panic. Simply look for the signs that tell you if your brownies are undercooked or cooked to reassure yourself.
Generally, you do not want your brownies to be raw in the middle of your tray so it’s best to cook for longer.
Should Brownies Be Gooey?
Yes, if you are aiming to make fudge brownies. And they taste delicious!
Fudge brownies when baked three minutes too long can lose their gooey center. Yet when Fudge brownies are undercooked by three minutes they can taste pretty gross.
If you’re unsure about booking brownies and this is your first try, it may be better to start by making a classic brownie which is dense and more cake-like.
Is It OK To Eat Slightly Undercooked Brownies?
When brownies are only undercooked by a minute or so or when they are made with pasteurized eggs, they should be safe to eat. You want to aim for anything that contains eggs to reach an internal temperature of 160 degrees Fahrenheit. This internal temperature will make them safe to eat.
Can Undercooked Brownies Make You Sick?
Undercooked brownies can make you unwell due to the egg used when making them. Raw eggs can carry salmonella which can give you food poisoning. It’s best to avoid eating undercooked brownies as they don’t taste nice and they have large health risks.
