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Why You’ll Love My Recipe
The Best Chewy, Fudgey Brownies 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 The Best Chewy, Fudgey 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
The Best Chewy, Fudgey 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 The Best 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.
Emmalyn says
I’m in 8th grade and I love to bake for my friends, I usually would just use a box recipe, but I didn’t have one on hand and I found this recipe. So good, I will most likely not be going back to box brownies after this. My friends loved them as well.
CJ says
This recipe is fabulous! I just wanted to suggest baking for more like 25-27 minutes. I didn’t have a 9×9 pan so I used a 7×11. Technically it should have taken a little longer. It was a little dry baking for 30 minutes. So next time I will do a shorter time.Perfect texture and taste!!!
Andrea D says
Hey. This was a great base recipe! I made some changes and thought some people might like them this way too. This is the recipe with the changes I made:
3/4 cups unsalted butter,
1 cup light brown sugar+ 1/2 cup white sugar, 3/4 tsp salt,
3/4 cups Dutch processed cocoa powder,
1 tsp espresso powder or instant coffee powder, 3 eggs,
1 tsp vanilla,
1/4 tsp baking soda,
1/3 to 1 cup chocolate chunks (your preference), 3/4 cups flour.
Absolutely beautiful recipe, and it’s easy to make! Thanks, Karlynn!
Jaclyn Boyd says
did your changes give you fudgy chewy or cakey brownies.
Whiteysgirl says
Not the best brownie. I think the brownie from the box is better. They are okay, but it leaves a weird aftertaste because of the espresso. It isn’t what the flavor I was expecting to be. It never enhanced the flavor. It could have been the baking chocolate I used. Eh.
Alli D says
Perfect brownie!
Maureen says
These were just OK. They definitely needed some salt to balance out all the flavors.
Stacey says
Made these and they were so yummy!! I doubled the recipe in order to make more and used a 13×9 pan. So many compliments! May never use boxed mix ever again!!
MJ says
These brownies live up to their name. Truly the best I’ve ever made/eaten! I cut them up and froze them, microwaving for 40 seconds and the taste and texture were as it was when they came out of the oven. I added chocolate chunks and walnuts to the top and used an 8×12 casserole dish because that’s all I had, but it worked fine.
Mark Krieter says
These are by far the best brownies I have ever had in my 50 years. No more Ghirardelli brownie mixes for me. I could go on and on about how chewy and soft they are. So amazing!
Wendy says
Simply fantastic..I added orange extract instead of vanilla essence, exquisite citrusy aroma, moist and fudge chocolate brownies!
BJ says
Recipe says 1 cup of chocolate chips; instructions say 2/3 cup – can you clarify?
Mark Krieter says
Personally I’d say just go with either amount, depending on how much you like chocolate. I use a full cup.
Carol Luman says
2nd time I have made your brownies. They are truly the best EVER! Changed absolutely nothing, no need to mess with perfection! I am putting them on my Christmas dessert tray for family and neighbors. Thank you sooooo much!
Lori Rafter says
I doubled the recipe and used a 9 x 13 pan. They were a bit thicker (yum!) so I baked them for an extra 15 minutes and they came out ooey gooey good! Moist all the way through but no raw batter! Awesome recipe!
Hal says
Pretty much followed the recipe, esp. the part about not mixing too much. Did not come out fudgy. I’ve yet to find a recipe that uses cocoa powder that I liked. My go-to recipe uses a combination of 100% and semisweet and only 1/4c of flour.
Jackie says
I can’t wait to try these! I have a question. I do prefer a little more cakey brownie, if I were to add a leavening agent, what should I add and how much or would I add more flour? Thanks!
Sue Bowden says
Made this for the first time after using packet brownies – goodness how amazing are your brownies – got full marks from brownie connoisseurs here. They really are so delicious. There are soooo many recipes out there but am definitely going to stick with your one 😋
A.S.T. says
Question: salted or unsalted butter. What’s the difference in baking? If I have unsalted and recipe using salted that’s ok right??
Josh says
If a recipe says salted butter do not use that recipe. You always want to be able to control your salt when baking or cooking.
Kimmy says
Omgosh!!!… I’m In love!!!♥️♥️♥️😎..
Deeeelectable recipe! I absolutely love melting the butter in the pan and then adding ingredients one by one…. perfecto! By far The best brownie I’ve made.. & it’s disappearing quickly… my hub LOVES IT!! Bravo!!!!
Linda says
These look really good! I’m an experienced baker so I hope they come out great! I wanted to comment amd say I love the cover of your cookbook!! So attractive and inviting! I might buy it just because of THAT!💕
Charles says
I didn’t follow recipe exactly. I substituted honey (300 g) in place of the white sugar. It was a lighter, more mild honey than clover honey. Still affected taste a bit. At the end of the day, however, very delicious. Not sure if it was the honey or stirring flour too much, but came out a bit more like cake and not fudgy, chewy. Certainly will try this one again, absolutely delicious and they do work with honey and I know a scoop of ice cream on top will be real nice.
Oliver Smith says
So you didn’t follow the recipe and then give the recipe a lower rating because of something you changed? Imagine….
Julia says
WOW!!! These look amazing!! Thank you for sharing with us! In glad I read the comments before I am to make them, so now I know what to look out for, what-to-do and what-not-to-do.. I’m excited and so is my fiance!! Pretty much the only difference is that my fiance is having me sub and use weed butter..?? Hope they turn out as delish as yours and everyone else’s!! I’ll come back and let ya know how they turned out..Wish me luck… I’M OFF TA BAKING!!!
Anna says
Hi I’m new to making edibles, how would I include the cannabutter into the recipe?
Malin Pho says
Perfect brownies! Have tried a couple other recipes and this is by far the best! Will be using this recipe for every batch from now on 🙂
Lynda says
Ive only ever made 1 batch of brownies in my 62yrs, but in the last few weeks I’ve made about 20 batches trying to perfect them to our liking. I thought I’d finally worked out my favourite recipe & method & then I discovered yours.
I was a bit sceptical as everyone claims there’s are the best ever brownies, but, O M G yours are near perfect to how I’ve been trying to get them.. Yum, Yum, Yum😊. I did tweak the ingredients a tiny bit, but mostly followed yours & your method & now I finally have my perfect recipe & method. The only changes I made was I added 1 extra egg yolk & whisked the eggs really fluffy before adding because I’ve read that helps with a crackly top, which it does, & I used 1cup white sugar with ½cup dark brown sugar. I cooked them in a brownie tin @ 160°C for 16mins exactly then gently removed them from the tin before they cooled. Im now in Brownie heaven, Thank you😊
Deedee says
I whisk my eggs before adding them as well!
Anastasia says
Whooooa, this is the best fudgy brownie recipe I’ve ever tried. So rich, moist inside. But crisp on the top. Plus, it’s so easy, we just need spoon.
Andrea says
These really are the best brownies I have ever made, hands down. Thank you for sharing this simple but truly fudgy, gooey good recipe 🙂 I used Hershey’s special dark cocoa and man, they are over the top!
Lu says
Hello. First time on your site. Brownies look amazing. My question is. How can I make these for a 13x 9 baking pan. I rarely ever use a smaller baking pan. Would it be alright to just double the recipe. Thanks in advance
Mr. Kitchen Magpie says
Yep just double the recipe and cook them for a little bit longer and it’ll work just fine!
Ebony says
These brownies were AMAZING yet super simple to make. Love it 💗
Marica Sottile says
What recipe did you use for the white frosting on your brownies?
Ty says
I love making these easy and delicious brownies!!!
Liv says
Most amazing, delectable brownies ever!! Absolute favourite recipe and have already made them four times!
After looking for the perfect chewy brownie recipe for years with no luck this is just perfect!! 💖
Rachel says
Might be my favorite brownie recipe ever. I used dark chocolate chips and only baked for 25 minutes. They were perfect!
Alana says
Amazing brownies! The perfect consistency and level of sweetness. It’s a good thing I made 2 pans. I used some chocolate chips and crushed up a mint chocolate bar and mixed that in. I’m already ready to make these again. I will try to share more of them this time, maybe.
Kuda M says
Great recipe so easy and delicious. For the sugar I used 1 cup instead of the 1 1/2 cups which was just perfect for me
Mr. Kitchen Magpie says
Glad you liked it!
Pappitha says
Can we make without eggs.
Hope-Ann Argent says
Hi Karlynn, I’ve been following you for a couple of years now. I’ve cooked your soups which my children love and baked many of your cookies. We love them all and all easy to follow instructions. I know I can always count on you for something that EVERYONE will love. THANK YOU