Cakey brownies are terrible compared to fudgy brownies. Good choice OP!

LOL. I make ONE 8x8 pan of brownies that uses a stick of butter. They are THE best brownie. America's Test Kitchen recipe aptly named Bake Sale Brownies.

I make the SK brownies all the time. It's not a super sweet sugar bomb, it's more chocolately. But it's super easy and everyone always loves it.

Everything I have ever made from the SK website is phenomenal. Make those.

OP here. Thank you all, you have me convinced! I'll make the Smitten Kitchen brownies.

I always look at the fat content of food I'm going to make, even desserts. I know it's weird, but I can't stop.

I don't know much about baking, so I appreciate the explanations about what makes the brownies more fudge-like or more cake-like.

Thanks again everyone!

Yes, please make the fudgey brownies. Now I might just have to make some myself.

The WaPo recipe is a typical lowfat attempt at a cakey brownie. It calls for baking powder, which will cause the brownie to have more fluff than the SmittenKitchen recipe.

If you're making ice cream sundae brownie sandwiches, as pictured in the SmittenKitchen recipe, then definitely use that recipe. It's a fudgey brownie recipe -- yummie!

Oh and I agree - the Smitten Kitchen ones will be fudgier, a texture I far prefer.

Why freak about fat in your treats? It slows the absorption of sugar, so pick good fatty recipes.

One stick of butter is normal for brownies of that quantity. You're making brownie sundaes, so why are you worried about the calories? With more flour and less butter, the WaPo ones will be cakier and less moist than the Smitten Kitchen ones. And if you eat them more than a day after they're made, they'll be totally dry and stale.

If you want a foolproof homemade recipe, buy a canister of Ghirardelli's Sweet Ground Chocolate and follow the recipe on the back. Can't screw it up. And they're chewy and delicious.

I want to make this brownie sundae recipe this weekend: http://smittenkitchen.com/blog/2014/07/brownie-ice-cream-sandwiches/.

I got freaked out by the amount of butter in that recipe and searched the WP site for brownie recipes, where I found this one (http://www.washingtonpost.com/pb/recipes/better-for-you-one-bowl-brownies/11253/). If I double it, it also makes a 9x13 pan, the same as the one above.

The two recipes are identical in terms of sugar, number of eggs, and chocolate. The biggest difference is that the WP one has double the amount of flour (remember, I have to double the WP recipe to make the same amount of brownies as the SM recipe). What will that do to the texture and taste of the brownies?

I'm only going to have one chance to make the brownies, so I don't want to mess this up.

TIA!!