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Why You’ll Love My Recipe
This brownie recipe has been a staple on my website since 2009, and it even earned a spot in my very first cookbook. That’s how much I stand behind it! Over the years, it’s become one of the most popular recipes I’ve ever shared, and for good reason. These brownies are rich, decadent, and completely irresistible. Once you try them, you’ll see why this is the only brownie recipe you’ll ever need!
If you love those stick-to-your-teeth, chocolate-smile brownies as much as I do, be sure to try my Toffee Brownies, Mint Chocolate Brownies, or Healthy Zucchini Brownie Bites next. They’re just as delicious and always satisfy a chocolate craving!
Reader Review
I love brownies. Period. They’re one of my favorite desserts! The only tough part is finding a good recipe. I have spent countless hours searching for recipes and seeing if they work out. Most of them failed. Too gooey, stuck to the pan, etc. Then, I found THIS recipe, tried it out, and after testing all the others, this one definitely took the cake (pun intended)! I highly recommend this recipe to anyone searching for a perfect brownie!
Karlynn’s Recipe Notes
- Skill Level: This recipe is incredibly easy to make. Since it’s a one-bowl dessert, this is perfect for bakers of all experience levels!
- Total Time: You’ll have these brownies ready to enjoy in just 40-45 minutes.
- Variations: This is a great base brownie recipe that’s easy to customize! Try adding nuts like almonds, walnuts, or Old Fashioned Candied Pecans, and mix in fun extras like marshmallows or pretzels. You can also top the brownies with chopped cookies after baking! When it’s time to serve, pair your brownies with my Perfect Whipped Cream, a drizzle of Chocolate Sauce, or a scoop of your favorite ice cream.
- Tools For This Recipe: You will need a 9×9 baking pan, a medium-sized pot, a whisk or hand mixer, a spoon for stirring, and a toothpick to check for doneness.
What You’ll Need for Ingredients
Cocoa Powder: Cocoa powder is what gives these brownies their deep chocolate flavor – without it, they wouldn’t be brownies! Karlynn’s Tip: You can use either natural or Dutch-processed cocoa here. This recipe doesn’t rely on chemical leaveners for rise, so the difference in acidity between the two won’t affect the texture. That means you can choose based on taste: natural cocoa has a sharper, more intense chocolate flavor, while Dutch-processed cocoa is smoother and richer!
Chocolate Chips: Brownie lovers usually fall into two camps: you either want them light and cakey, or thick, chewy, and ultra-decadent. If you’re in the second group, chocolate chips are a must! They melt into the batter as it bakes, creating pockets of gooey chocolate that make every bite even better!
All-Purpose Flour: Flour gives the brownies structure, but the key to fudgy brownies is using less of it! This recipe only uses ¾ cup, which keeps the texture dense and chewy rather than dry or cakey. Combined with salted butter, you get a perfectly soft, chewy bite. Karlynn’s Tip: If you see a brownie recipe that uses oil, skip it! Butter adds much more richness, and oil-based brownies just don’t compare (unless you’re camping and using a boxed mix!).
Eggs: Eggs help bind the batter together, giving these brownies their signature fudgy texture with just the right amount of chew.
Sugar: White sugar sweetens the brownies and helps create that classic shiny, crackly top. When combined with vanilla extract, it really enhances the overall chocolate flavor! Karlynn’s Tip: For a fun twist, add a pinch of cinnamon, espresso powder, or a hint of nutmeg to bring out even more depth in these brownies.
How To Make The Best Chewy, Fudgey Brownies
This is a quick overview of the recipe. The full list of ingredients & complete step-by-step instructions are in the recipe card below.
- Preheat the oven to 350°F.
- Line a 9×9 pan with parchment paper or grease it 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 extract.
- Mix in the chocolate chips.
- Add the flour to the mixture and barely stir it in.
- Bake for 30-40 minutes, until the brownies pull slightly away from the edges.
- Cool the brownies, and enjoy!
Karlynn’s Tips and Tricks for the Perfect Chewy, Fudgey Brownies
- Don’t Overmix the Batter: Once you add the flour, go easy! It’s so tempting to keep stirring the batter, but that’s exactly what you want to avoid here. Overmixing your batter will make your brownies cakey instead of rich and fudgy. Mix until just combined, and follow the recipe’s directions carefully for the best texture.
- Skip the Leavening Agents: You don’t need baking powder or baking soda here – trust me! Classic brownies are meant to be dense, thick, and chocolatey. Adding leavening agents (like baking soda or powder) will make them rise and turn them into something more like an airy chocolate cake.
- Slightly Underbake for the Best Texture: The secret to perfect brownies? Pull them out just before they look fully done. A toothpick should come out mostly clean, with a little bit of moist batter on it. Baked goods are safe to eat once they reach 165°F in the center, but they don’t fully firm up until around 200-210°F. That gives you some room to work with! You want these brownies chewy and fudgy, not raw or overbaked. Remember: the brownies will continue to cook as they cool down!
Storage Instructions
These brownies store beautifully – but don’t be surprised if they disappear before you know it!
Refrigerator: Let the brownies cool completely, then store them in an airtight container. They’ll stay fresh and delicious for 3-5 days at room temperature or in the fridge.
Freezer: These brownies freeze very well! Wrap them tightly in plastic wrap and place them in a freezer-safe bag or container. Freeze for up to 3 months, following USDA food safety guidelines. When you’re ready to enjoy them again, thaw at room temperature for the same soft, fudgy texture!
More Delicious Brownie Recipes
Why make just one type of brownie when there are so many more to enjoy? Be sure to give these reader-favorite Brownie Recipes a try next:
- These gorgeous Easter Brownies are topped with colored coconut and mini eggs for a festive dessert the whole family will love!
- If you have ripe bananas on hand, skip the banana bread and try these Banana Brownies instead! Fair warning – they might become your new weekly go-to.
- These Hot Chocolate Marshmallow Brownies take the classic drink and turn it into one of the most decadent, irresistible brownie recipes you’ll ever make!
And just like that, you’ve got a pan of chewy, fudgey brownies that are seriously hard to resist! And the best part? Everything comes together in one bowl!
Cut your brownies into squares, sneak a corner piece (you know you want to), and don’t forget to let me know how they turned out in the comments below. You know I always love hearing about your kitchen adventures!
Happy Baking!
Karlynn
The Best Fudgey Brownies
Video
Ingredients
- ¾ cup salted butter
- 1 ½ cups white sugar
- ¾ cup cocoa
- 3 large eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- ⅔ cup chocolate chips , this makes them extra fudgy, omit if desired
- ¾ 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.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Amie says
These brownies came out great! I’ve got 4 kids so I usually make brownies in 13×9 inch pan. How much would I use? I was think 1.5x the recipe amounts? Or maybe I should just double and buy a second 9inch pan!
Hamster says
IT’S THE BEST THING EVER!!,
my mom absulotly HATES brownies but this recipe made her change her mind!
I personally say you would add baking powder to it tho!!
Jillian says
These are seriously the best brownies ever! I noticed some comments regarding baking times, so figured I’d share… My oven gets 25° hotter than the set temp, so I set it to 325. I used a 9×9 light nonstick baking pan, and baked for 28 mins. I thought I may have overcooked them, since the toothpick came out clean, but they were perfectly fudgy and the edges were not dry at all! I also used a combo of semi-sweet and dark chocolate chips, and added 1/4 tsp of salt since my butter was unsalted. Hope this helps!
Ty says
These are the best brownies ever and there so simple and easy to make
Annette says
I have made these brownies several times and everyone loved them, I did make one substitution I used marijuana infused coconut oil instead of butter.
Mayalz says
How much coco oil did you use?
Annette says
3/4 cup
Emma says
I think this is a really great recipe and I loved how they turned out, except for the fact that it doesn’t call for salt. I didn’t realise until I baked them that I didn’t put any. Still very good but next time, maybe add 1 teaspoon salt. Thanks for the recipe!
Kate says
These turned out amazing! Super chewy and fudgy! Tip: Instead of cocoa powder, I used hot chocolate mix, so they were chewy, fudgy, hot chocolate brownies! They were delicious, and I rate this recipe 10 stars! Nice job! 🙂
O Conlee says
My wife said these are the BEST brownies I’ve ever made. Surprisingly, they get better the older they get! Delicious!!!!
Sarah says
These were a hit! Thick, so chocolatey… yum!! Baked in an 8×8, 35 mins, turned out great.
Jenny says
I doubled this recipe and added a little salt, these would have been perfect except that I doubled the recipe and cooked them in a bigger pan and I way under cooked them, they looked plenty done until I cut them, they are so thick that it’s hard to tell when the center is really done
Erin says
So so so good! I will never make box brownies again. These are just as easy and so much better. Yum!!
DiDi says
Wow! Thank you so much for sharing this recipe. It is truly the best. The lack of levening agents and the low amount of flower means that making it gluten free is as easy as swapping out the flour. And if you want it a little more chewy, just add a half cup of walnuts. I cooked them in a brownie pan and they were cooked in 17 minutes. Thanks again!
Alice says
I just baked these and they are the best brownies I’ve ever tasted! I hate dry fudgy brownies, but these brownies have a very moist fudgy chewy texture. I used an 8×8 baking dish, so it took 45 minutes to finish baking. I didn’t read the whole blog, so I accidentally used unsalted butter, but it still tasted great!
Kevin says
Please correct the bake times listed; the recipe says 20-25 minutes and the printed version says 30-40 minutes. I just made these and I baked the 9×9 pan for 35 minutes. I think they are delicious. I think 30-35 will work well.
Victoria says
The brownie mixture was very thick but seems alright. Only downside is that at this moment the brownies have been cooking for over an hour. They are at the right temp. And right pan and I baked them for 40 mins and let them cool and the inside was all soup.
Annie says
These turned out great, they are supposed to be fudgy and chewy.
Beth says
Can I bake these in a 9×13 pan? Or a round cake pan? If so how long do I bake it for?
Aneeqah says
The brownies were not bad. I actually really enjoyed it. I might’ve very stirred them a little bit, because the centre is a little cakey but the edges are fudgy? But out of all I really enjoyed it, although I put my batter in a bigger tray( made my brownies very thin) and not a 9×9, it was delicious. Next time I’ll put it in the 9×9 tray 🙂
Jaime Lynn says
Thank you for sharing this recipe! It is now a favourite. Your brownies (and now MY brownies!) are perfection.
Erin says
Good brownies & easy recipe but I feel it is a bit misleading to call them ‘chewy’. These are the fudgiest brownies I’ve ever had & unfortunately I didn’t see the part where that was called out… I thought they were going to be super chewy (being named “Chocolate Chewy Wonders”) so I’m still on the hunt for a delicious chewy brownie recipe if anyone knows one!
However, these are exactly what you are looking for if you want a fudge-y brownie!!!
Jenny says
Out of this world!!!! I just hit a home run on these with my first try. It was a a great recipe to follow along with and it turned out pretty amazing.
Thank you so much for sharing this with us, I’ll definitely be using this recipe again.
Britney says
I am sure they’d be great however I cannot make brownies. Cakes, cookies, cheesecakes, all perfect! My brownies though, they leave a lot to be desired. They always turn out cakey. I even followed the recipe to the tee and didn’t stir the flour too much and still got cake. ?
Amelia.C.Jones says
Thank you so much for you recipe! We love it at home!
Mona Rosengren says
Haven’t made these yet. The recipe is written twice on one page. One says bake them 20 – 25 mins and the other one is 30-40 mins. One salted butter, the other unsalted. We need it a little more clear. Can I double the recipe? I’m sure they are marvelous, can’t wait to bake. ?
Barb says
Tried it easy and wonderful loved them
Cameron Martin says
Absolutely love these and so has the family. Possible to turn this inro a cheesecake brownie ??
Tegan says
I really enjoyed these brownies! I was out of butter but the craving was strong so I used half coconut oil and half rice bran oil. They really were too sweet but I understand the sugar has something to do with them being chewy which was why I chose this recipe. If you eat a small piece with some unsweetened cream it balances the sweetness perfectly 🙂
Kathy W says
Love these! No icing don’t need it.
Sara says
I made these last week with dark cocoa powder, and my husband and I both loved them! I am making a few more batches this weekend for our Superbowl party! Thank you for the recipe 🙂
Kamilah says
May I know if it’s okay to substitute the butter with oil??
mark says
what kind of chocolate bitter semisweet milk
Karlynn Johnston says
The choice is up to you! some people prefer milk chocolate, some semi=sweet, it’s whatever you want to add in!
egmonty says
Haven’t tried yet but three things right off the bat after baking: 1. they smell heavenly 2. The chocolate chunks did not sink AT ALL, would definitely stir them in next time 3. Bake time is almost double the suggested, baked mine for 40 minutes and they are still perfectly under done in the center
Mary Jane says
I’m with the comments it taste overly sugary. Texture was there, moist but cooked thru,smelled good but the sugar overwhelmed the taste & it didnt have that rich chocolate flavor & mouth feel.
Adam says
Quick question, should I be using salted or unsalted butter for this recipe. Earlier in your instructions you mention all the ingredients you need and you mention salted butter but later in the recipe list you say unsalted butter. Which one is correct?
Toni says
Hi Adam, I am not Karlynn, but I used salted butter and they turned out fabulous. I don’t see why it would be necessary to use unsalted in this recipe. Your going to love these.
Toni says
OMG!!!!! I cannot believe HOW GOOD these are.. 5 stars and not nearly enough. These are by far the best brownies I have ever eaten much less made. I was baking them on my last comment so I had no idea that I would be dying and going to brownie heaven within and hour or so. I did not change a thing except I baked them for 30 minutes. I have tossed every other brownie recipes I had on my laptop. This one is the keeper. I have written it down also. I can’t wait to add a little caramel next time and maybe some walnuts. The possibilities are endless. Thank you Karlynn so very much!!! Time for another and a glass of milk.
Toni says
Hi Karlynn, My brownies are baking and they smell like heaven. I have a question about where in the oven these should be baked. I have an electric oven and only 4 places to put racks. I have seen others say to bake brownies on the very top ? I question this because unless I have broil on there is not heat coming from the top element. Can you please answer my question? I will let you know when these come out and I can taste them. Thank you so much.
Karlynn Johnston says
Sorry I didn’t catch this comment, I am glad that they worked out! I bake everything except pies in the middle of my oven!