This undated photo provided by America's Test Kitchen in April 2019 shows Fudgy Brownies in Brookline, Mass. This recipe appears in the cookbook "The Perfect Cookie."

Brownies are controversial territory to chart: Some like them cakey and light in flavor—more of a snack than a rich dessert; some like them moist and chewy; and others, the biggest chocoholics, like them to be purely decadent—almost as dense as fudge and deliciously dark.

We wanted to make sinfully rich brownies that would be a chocolate lover’s dream, so we started by using three forms of chocolate: unsweetened chocolate for intensity, cocoa powder for complexity, and bittersweet or semisweet chocolate for moisture and well-rounded flavor.

Melting butter along with the chocolate was the key to a fudgy texture, and a generous three eggs contributed richness and structure. In addition to providing a clean sweetness, granulated sugar gave the baked brownies a delicate, shiny, crackly top crust.

We found it best to cut these brownies into small bites rather than big bake-sale squares—a little goes a long way. Tasters preferred the more complex flavor of bittersweet chocolate over semisweet chocolate, but either type works well here, as does 5 ounces of bittersweet or semisweet chocolate chips in place of the bar chocolate.