I made Gordon Ramsay's 'world's best brownies,' and they were easy, cheap, and a chocolate lover's dream

Gordon Ramsay is the king of quick and delicious cuisine. My family loves his 15-minute bolognese, and his 10-minute turkey and leek pasta is perfect for fall. I'm also a huge fan of his 10-minute burger, which was made for enjoying NFL Sundays. 

I'm not the best baker, but I've been improving my skills with Ina Garten's easy recipes. So I decided it was finally time to try one of Ramsay's desserts, and what better place to start than brownies? Especially when they're called the "world's best brownies."

To make a serving of 15-20 brownies, you'll need: 

• 245 grams dark chocolate, broken into squares or roughly chopped 
• 100 grams dark chocolate, chopped into small chunks (optional) 
• 200 grams butter, diced, plus extra for greasing 
• 175 grams caster sugar (granulated sugar works too) 
• 125 grams light-brown sugar 
• 115 grams all-purpose flour 
• 4 large eggs, lightly beaten 
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract 

If you're confused by the two separate chocolate measurements, I was too. The difference is just that the small chunks of dark chocolate are added to the brownies in the middle of the baking process. I simply bought two bags of dark-chocolate chunks (each was 10 ounces/283 grams). 

I used the entire first bag while melting the chocolate (because who doesn't love more chocolate), and used a third of the second bag for adding more chocolate on top. It worked perfectly.

I preheated the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit and greased my pan with butter before lining it with parchment paper, per Ramsay's instructions. 

I diced my butter and threw it into a bowl with my chocolate. But my boyfriend and I were making chili at the same time and realized we didn't have enough pans for Ramsay's next step, which is to melt the chocolate and butter in a heatproof bowl or pan that's been set over a pot of simmering water (known as a bain-marie or double-boiler). 

Thankfully, Ramsay also had instructions for doing this step in the microwave. He recommends throwing the chocolate and butter into a heatproof bowl, covering it (with a small air gap), and setting the timer to three minutes. My chocolate and butter were perfectly melted after 2 minutes and 30 seconds, so be cautious with your timer and check on it regularly. 

Ramsay specifically says you need a balloon whisk for this, but a fork worked just fine for me.

I lightly beat my four eggs in a separate bowl before throwing them in, then added the vanilla. I mixed everything with a wooden spoon until it was just combined.

Per Ramsay's instructions, I sifted the flour and salt over the batter and stirred again until the mixture was smooth and combined.

I set the timer for 20 minutes.

Ramsay recommends you "vigorously throw the chunks of chocolate at the half-baked brownie so they break the surface," which I took very seriously and was very fun to do. If you make this with kids, they will have a blast with this task as well. 

I then threw the pan back in the oven and set the timer for 15 minutes. I forgot Ramsay's tip to rotate the pan halfway through baking, but it didn't seem to affect the final product.

Ramsay says to bake the brownies for 35-40 minutes total, until the brownies are "cracked around the edges and soft in the middle." He notes that the brownies will firm up as the pan cools. 

After taking the pan out of the oven, I allowed the brownies to cool for about 10 minutes. 

Each brownie was packed with chocolate chunks, adding some crunch to the deliciously gooey texture. 

The brownies also tasted rich and decadent without being too sweet, which was likely helped by just sticking to dark chocolate. My boyfriend Peter was a huge fan and said he loved their "smooth, irresistible chocolate flavor." 

Ramsay recommends eating the brownies with a dollop of thick cream, but I think they'd also pair great with some vanilla ice cream. 

Even with seven Michelin stars currently to his name, Ramsay has always been great at creating affordable recipes that are still super impressive. All I had to buy to make these brownies was the chocolate — everything else was already in my pantry. 

And although they didn't take much effort or time, the brownies were packed with tons of flavor and tasted divine. When you're craving something sweet after a long work day, or just need something that tastes extra special, Ramsay's brownies are the perfect (easy) way to treat yourself.