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If there's one dessert that sneakily made its way onto holiday menus and then blew up all over social media, it's Ina Garten’s brownie pudding. Ina Garten is an American cook, author, and TV personality best known as the Barefoot Contessa. She got her start in the food world in a pretty unconventional way. Before cooking, she worked in the White House Office of Management and Budget in the 1970s. Without any formal culinary training, she eventually bought a small specialty food store in the Hamptons called Barefoot Contessa, teaching herself to cook and bake by studying classic recipes and tweaking them through lots of practice. Now, Ina Garten is considered one of the most trusted names in home cooking. Her recipes often pop up during the holidays because they’re great for gatherings, easy to scale, and focus on flavour over flash. Her brownie pudding is just a simple, quick treat that doesn't exactly reinvent the wheel, yet every December, it makes a comeback, usually with a spoon breaking through a crackly top into something gooey and richly indulgent underneath. That contrast is exactly what makes it so appealing.
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What Exactly Is Ina Garten’s Brownie Pudding?
Brownie pudding sits somewhere between a classic fudgy brownie and a baked chocolate pudding. It has the structure and crust of a brownie on top, while the centre remains soft, gooey, and almost spoonable. When baked correctly, the edges set firmly, the surface forms a delicate crackle, and the middle stays dark, glossy, and rich.
How Brownie Pudding Is Different From Regular Brownies?
A regular brownie is designed to set completely, even when fudgy. Brownie pudding, on the other hand, is intentionally underbaked in the centre. The batter is looser, closer to a pudding or thick sauce, which allows it to stay molten after baking. It is also served hot or warm. Brownies improve as they cool and set, while brownie pudding is at its best straight from the oven. Cooling it too much changes the texture and takes away the whole point. This difference makes it ideal for winter holidays. Served warm, it feels generous, cosy, and a little dramatic in the best possible way.
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How To Make Ina Garten–Style Brownie Pudding For The Holidays
This version stays true to the spirit of Ina’s recipe while being easy to follow at home.
Ingredients
- Unsalted butter
- Good-quality dark chocolate
- Cocoa powder
- Granulated sugar
- Eggs
- Vanilla extract
- All-purpose flour
- Salt
The key here is chocolate quality. Since the recipe is simple, the flavour depends heavily on the cocoa and chocolate you use.
Method overview
- Start by melting butter and dark chocolate together until smooth. This forms the base of the pudding and gives it that deep, glossy richness. Whisk in cocoa powder while the mixture is still warm so it dissolves properly and intensifies the chocolate flavour.
- Sugar goes in next, followed by eggs and vanilla. The mixture will look shiny and thick, which is exactly what you want. Finally, fold in flour and salt gently, just until combined. Overmixing will push it closer to cake territory, which is not the goal here.
- Pour the batter into a buttered baking dish and bake until the edges are set but the centre still wobbles slightly. That wobble is crucial. It will continue to cook slightly after coming out of the oven, settling into that signature pudding texture.
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How to serve it
- Serve brownie pudding warm, ideally within 10 to 15 minutes of baking. Vanilla ice cream is the classic pairing, but softly whipped cream or even a spoon of crème fraîche works beautifully if you want something less sweet.
- For a festive touch, you can dust the top lightly with icing sugar or add a few raspberries on the side, but decoration should stay minimal. This dessert is about texture and warmth, not presentation tricks.
