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This decadent brownie recipe has been on my website since 2009, and I made sure that it was in my first cookbook—that’s how good it is and how much I stand behind its excellence. This has been one of the most popular recipes on my website for years and years now, so I’m giving it an update with new photos and new tips and tricks. This is honestly the best brownie recipe; it’s all that you are going to need from here on in!
The Best Brownie Recipe
Ever since I made the best chewy, fudgey brownie recipe ever, that were the most delicious, chewy brownies I have ever eaten and promptly lost the recipe for them, I have been searching for a recipe that creates the same chewy-riffic, chocolate bliss that I once experienced. In the search to learn how to come up with the best chewy brownie recipe that I possibly could, I learned a few things. Read on to learn how to make thick, fudgey, NOT CAKEY brownies! We aren’t making cake; we are making stick-to-your-teeth-and-smile-a-chocolate-smile brownies.
How To Make Brownies from Scratch
Making brownies from scratch is super easy! You guys, this is a one-bowl dessert, and trust me, once you try these ooey, gooey brownies from scratch, you will never use another recipe again. Remember, these were in my cookbook; these homemade, from-scratch brownies are the best! And I never say that lightly because claiming something is the best is a bold thing to do. The reviews on this recipe speak for themselves, however!
To make brownies from scratch, all you need to do is:
- Preheat your oven.
- Line a 9×9 pan with parchment paper or grease it really well with butter.
- Melt the butter in a pot. Stir in the sugar, then the cocoa.
- Add in your eggs, then stir in the vanilla.
- Stir in the chocolate chips.
- Add in your flour and barely stir it in.
- Bake for 30-40 minutes, until the brownies pull away from the edges slightly. Cool the brownies.
How to Make Brownies Step-by-Step Video
Ingredients Needed for Brownies
Brownies are one of the easiest things to bake up and a great recipe to start your kids baking with! To make a chocolate brownie, you only really need five ingredients :
- salted butter
- eggs
- white sugar
- flour
- cocoa powder
How to Make Them Extra Chewy
People usually fall into two camps when it comes to brownies and their preferences. Either you like your brownies like cake, fluffy and a little moist, or you want them thick, chewy, and so decadent you can barely stand it.
Adding chocolate chips to the batter ensures that these are even richer and chewier!
If you need proof that this is the best brownie recipe ever, take a look at the photo below. These brownies aren’t under-cooked and raw-looking, like some brownie recipes are, to get that fudgey look and feel. They are simply wonderfully thick, chewy, and fudgey, with no raw batter middle in sight. There is a vast difference between raw batter and fudgey!
Use Butter, Never Oil in Your Brownies
It’s all about the fat, baby. A brownie recipe that will yield you fudgey, delectable brownies will have a higher fat ratio than flour. Look at how small the flour I use is – it’s only 3/4 of a cup! This ensures that it’s NOT a raw, under-cooked brownie that will yield your result of chewiness; it’s the butter. And it should only be butter, so why waste your fat calories on tasteless oil? If you see a brownie recipe with oil, skip it! (The boxed mixes use oil; do I need to say more? They have their time and place, but only when camping!)
Karlynn’s Tips & Tricks for Baking up the Best Brownie Recipe Ever
- You need to learn how not to mix the heck out of them when you put in the flour; thus, you need to do things in a particular order to do that. Make sure to follow the directions for success!
- You do NOT need any leavening agents at all in authentic brownie recipes! No raising of these brownies; thank you kindly! We are aiming for thick, fudgy little bites of chocolate heaven. If you use a leavening agent ( baking soda or powder), you turn these into a cake, making them rise and become airier.
- UNDER BAKE THEM. Always. Remember that your baked products are safe to eat when the temperature reaches 165 °F in the middle, which kills any germs from the raw eggs. Baked goods firm up around 200-210 °F, so you have a lot of area in between to play with. You want them to be chewy but not raw. The brownies will continue to cook a little after you pull them from the oven, so if you insert a toothpick and it comes out reasonably clean – you still want some fudgeyness on it, though – remove them before they bake too much.
Happy baking, everyone! Let me know in the comments below if you tried this brownie recipe!
Love,
Karlynn
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The Best Brownies AKA Chocolate Chewy Wonders
Ingredients
- 3/4 cup salted butter
- 1 1/2 cups white sugar
- 3/4 cup cocoa
- 3 large eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 2/3 cup chocolate chips (this makes them extra fudgy, omit if desired.)
- 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350°F.Line a 9×9 pan with parchment paper and set aside.
- On the stove over medium heat, melt the butter in a medium pot. Remove from the heat and stir in the white sugar, stirring to dissolve the sugar as much as you can.
- Once that is combined, mix in your cocoa until thoroughly combined into the mixture.
- Beat in the eggs until fully incorporated, then add in the vanilla.
- If you are using chocolate chips to make these extra fudgy, mix them into the batter now.
- Add in your flour and barely stir it in. This will prevent the brownies from being too cakey. You want to just mix the flour into the batter.
- Bake for 30-40 minutes, until the brownies pull away from the edges slightly. A toothpick inserted should come out fairly clean, with no raw batter on the stick. A few crumbs sticking to the toothpick means they are baked and fudgy inside.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
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Maxine says
I have not tried them yet, I am looking forward to making them. Thank you
Irene Gibson says
Rather than pass a comment may I ask a question please? Would it be possible for anyone to give me a breakdown of ingredients in either grams or ounces? I believe this great website is based in USA (the all purpose flour being one of the signs ) but I’m sure that here in the UK our ‘cup’ measuring utensils hold a different quantity of whichever ingredient. Fairly recently I tried making a recipe, the chocolate banana bread. It was ‘ok’ but not the success I’d hoped for & I only blame myself…..I’d tried to convert the ‘cup’ measurements from info on the internet but clearly not precisely enough. It was ‘edible’ & the flavour was basically good but it clearly wasn’t ‘right’. My daughter-in-law hit the nail on the head by saying it was ‘heavy’. Before anyone even thinks otherwise, we have a fantastic relationship….she loves my chocolate muffins & cheese scones (my favourite things to bake) as well as my standard banana bread so her appraisal was honest, not nasty in any way.
Kenzi says
hmm these came out dense and crumbly rather than chewy & fudgy.. i did reduce to just 1 cup of sugar since 1.5 seemed like a lot – but i didn’t think modifying the sweetness would impact the texture. we did also only bake for almost 30 minutes and thought maybe we should’ve stuck to 30 minutes? or maybe we overmixed the batter? idk! maybe a combination of all those things, but we’ll try again and see if it was just user error
to anyone making these brownies, please be mindful of those steps i made! hopefully this helps.
Kenzi says
sorry, i meant that we baked it for almost 35** minutes
Jeanne Church says
Best chocolatey, chewy, brownies ever!
HS says
I made these brownies and the crowd comment was best they ever had. The recipe is wonderful as is and I will make this a repeat recipe for sure.
If I wanted a little more crumb, what change would need to be made?
Anna says
I’ve been searching for a homemade brownie recipe that I actually like! I’m a sucker for a box mix brownie (something nostalgic and satisfying about the texture). These are richer and more decadent in taste, and are almost as chewy!
Shannon says
I’ve made these several times and me and my family love them! So yum!
Sharon says
Used 9×9 pan and it’s too big
Also trying not to mix the flour too much how is that a thing surely you have to mix it all in
Nico says
These are some of the best brownies I’ve ever had in my life! The texture and flavor is absolutely decadent, and they whipped up super duper fast. I’ll be making these again for sure.
Karlynn Johnston says
I am so glad that you enjoyed them, thanks for letting us know!
Dolores says
This is the best and easiest brownie recipe I have ever made! Used 8×8 pan and baked about 5 minutes longer.
erika says
sorry it didn’t work out for me
Kim says
Heavenly delicious! I used a 8×8 and baked for 50 minutes. Woweee they came out crisp, chewy n fudgy just like you said and shown in your photos. My hubby and I love these brownies, but next time imma double up or make two pans, one for him and one for me but with walnuts. 🙂 Thank you for sharing such a simple and absolutely yummy brownie recipe!
Sharon Higgins says
What type/brand of Cocoa did you use?
Meg says
Delicious recipe! Baked mine for 35 minutes and came out perfectly
Kim solomon says
can you substitute dark chocolate in place of semi sweet
L says
Tried and true! Ive been using this recipe for a year and they’re perfect every time! With Thanksgiving being this week, I had some leftover pumpkin cheesecake batter… So, I swirled it into this one… voila. Pumpkin Cheesecake Swirled Brownies
Chanel Johnson says
Possibly the best brownie recipe I have ever tried I am bookmarking it saving it doing whatever to make sure I don’t lose this it’s that good
Christine says
I love the brownies my husband isn’t a brownie lover but he said these where really good and he would eat them again.
Alice C says
I’ve been making this recipe for several years now and it’s always delicious! It’s so easy to make with just 1 bowl. I only have an 8×8 glass dish and my oven needs 45 minutes to finish baking this, but it turns out perfect every time… lightly crispy top, chewy edges, and fudgy everywhere else! 🙂 When the brownies are set enough, I lift them on the parchment to let them cool on a cooling rack before cutting.
Camelot says
I’ve tried countless brownie recipes as well as restaurants and bakeries. And these are by far the BEST ever. Absolutely perfect balance of pure goodness. Brownies are one of my favorite desserts. But if not done right it’s a big let down, and just not worth the calories.Again, your recipe and tips create the perfect fudgey,chocolately ,crakely top confection. I followed your recipe measurements exactly and did not change a thing. 👍