Few things beat for dessert. When you bite into one, the crackly top gives way to an almost molten centre, and the brownie's accompanies it. Yet, too often, these dreamy brownies fall flat with a crumbly and cakey texture that lacks chewiness.

to crack the code. Many suspect it lies in melting processes, baking times, or even the kind of chocolate used, but the truth among is this: if your brownies aren't fudgy, you've likely allowed the structural components, like flour and cocoa, to overpower tender elements.

Award-winning baker and creator of Pastry Chef Online, Jenni Field, told Simply Recipes: "Fudginess depends on using a lot of 'gooey' ingredients.

"Both butter and sugar qualify-butter for its high-fat content and sugar for its ability to turn into a syrup and bind liquid."

These are known as tenderisers, which not only sweeten the mixture but also create a soft, moist crumb. The fat and sugar also contribute to the glossy, crackly top.

More butter or sugar means a richer fat content, while more sugar means more moisture. Together, they overwhelm the effect of flour, which toughens the mixture.

The , which is why you should think carefully about how you add them to the mixing bowl.

Firstly, make sure the eggs are at room temperature before adding them to the mixture.

Anna Olson, Pastry chef, Food Network star, and author of Anna Olson's Baking Wisdom, explains that cold eggs don't mix with warm chocolate and melted butter - the mixture ends up crumbly.

When combining the eggs with the other ingredients, always mix by hand to avoid developing too much volume. Doing so can leave your brownie dry and cake-like.

Combining the eggs and sugar into a pale, fluffy meringue mixture first results in a better cracked top for brownies. They essentially rise to the top during baking, said Jenni.

The culinary experts agree that you can reduce flour to a minimum based on the recipe you're using. Reducing the flour quantity by one-third is generally a safe bet.

When adding it to the mixture, always fold the flour through the brownie mixture slowly and swiftly.

Don't skimp on the cocoa powder, the chefs told Simply Recipes. Using a combination of melted chocolate and cocoa powder provides the perfect blend of moisture, density and an intense cocoa flavour.

Overmixing the flour, or adding too much, can cause it to drift towards a cakey texture.

You'll know if brownies are cooked when moist crumbs come out on a toothpick when inserted. Always check your brownies around 10 minutes before the allotted cooking time: overbaking them will undo all your hard work in perfecting the mixture.