These chewy fudgy homemade brownies are made completely from scratch. You will never make a box mix again!
Everyone has a favorite brownie recipe and this is one is mine. No mixer, no strange ingredients, no box mix, just pure brownie love. And bonus! They’re made in 1 bowl.
Brownies Should Be 2 Things: Chewy and Fudgy
Chewy brownies have a dense structure, but still have a little crumb. Fudgy brownies are dense with a moist intensely chocolatey interior—somewhere between chocolate truffles and piece of fudge. I like my brownies so rich and dense that it tastes like frosting you can eat in bar form. How delicious does that sound?
How to Make 1 Bowl Homemade Brownies
Before making homemade brownies, it’s helpful to know the importance of each ingredient. I wasn’t able to develop this brownie recipe without a little practice and learning. There are 4 main ingredients in brownies—varying amounts of these ingredients will affect the texture of the finished product.
- Chocolate: Cocoa powder or solid chocolate are used in homemade brownies. If using all cocoa powder, you need more fat in the brownie batter because cocoa powder does not contain cocoa butter. My brownie recipe uses mostly solid chocolate with a little cocoa powder. Double the chocolate goodness! Semi-sweet chocolate is best, though milk chocolate would be great for a sweeter brownie. I don’t suggest using unsweetened or bittersweet chocolate unless you love deep, dark chocolate.
- Flour: Like I mention above, I prefer my brownies chewy and fudgy. The fudginess in this brownie recipe relates to the small amount of flour. More flour = a more cake-like brownie.
- Sugar: These homemade brownies use 3/4 cup of granulated sugar. I also add 1/4 cup of brown sugar, which enhances the moist texture. As long as you use 1 total cup of real sugar (no sugar substitutes!), then your brownies will turn out wonderfully. You can use 1 full cup of white granulated sugar instead. That version is just as fantastic and easier since you only need 1 type of sugar!
- Eggs: Eggs perform about 1 million functions in baking like binding, adding richness, tenderizing, providing structure and lift. My chewy fudgy brownies recipes uses 3 eggs, which give the brownies a tight crumb and melt-in-your-mouth texture.
If you’re an extreme chocolate lover (of course you are), add chocolate chips to the brownie batter and top the finished brownies with chocolate buttercream. Because… why not?
And if you want to take your homemade brownies a step further, try this brownie pie or caramel turtle brownie pie next!
More Homemade Recipes
- Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Vanilla Cupcakes
- Strawberry Cake
- Chocolate Cupcakes
- Brown Sugar Cinnamon Pop Tarts
Chewy Fudgy Homemade Brownies
- Prep Time: 25 minutes
- Cook Time: 35 minutes
- Total Time: 2 hours
- Yield: 16-20 brownies
- Category: Brownies
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Description
Chewy fudgy homemade brownies made completely from scratch. Try them with chocolate frosting and sprinkles on top! You will never make a box mix again, trust me.
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup (115g) salted or unsalted butter*
- two 4-ounce (226g) semi-sweet chocolate bars, coarsely chopped*
- 3/4 cup (150g) granulated sugar
- 1/4 cup (50g) packed light or dark brown sugar
- 3 large eggs
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup + 2 Tablespoons (79g) all-purpose flour (spooned & leveled)
- 2 Tablespoons (10g) unsweetened natural or dutch-process cocoa powder
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup (180g) semi-sweet chocolate chips
- optional: chocolate buttercream
Instructions
- Melt the butter and chopped chocolate in a medium saucepan on medium heat, stirring constantly. Or melt in a large microwave safe bowl in 20 second increments, stirring after each. Remove from the heat, pour in a large mixing bowl, then allow to slightly cool for 10 minutes.
- Adjust the oven rack to the lower third position and preheat oven to 350°F (177°C). Line the bottom and sides of a 9×9-inch square baking pan* with aluminum foil or parchment, leaving an overhang on all sides. Set aside.
- Whisk the granulated and brown sugars into the cooled chocolate/butter mixture. Add the eggs, one at a time, whisking until smooth after each addition. Whisk in the vanilla. Gently whisk in the flour, cocoa powder, and salt. Once combined, fold in the chocolate chips.
- Pour/spoon batter into the prepared baking pan and bake for 35-36 minutes or until the brownies begin to pull away from the edges of the pan. A toothpick inserted in the center should come out with only a few moist crumbs when the brownies are done. All ovens are different, so keep an eye on them after 30 minutes and use the toothpick test to see when yours are finished.
- Allow the brownies to cool completely in the pan set on a wire rack. Once cooled, lift the foil out of the pan using the overhang on the sides. Frost with chocolate buttercream, if desired. Cut into squares. For neat squares, I use a very sharp knife and wipe it clean with a paper towel after each cut.
- Unfrosted brownies stay fresh in an airtight container at room temperature for 1 week. Frosted brownies stay fresh in an airtight container at room temperature for 2 days or in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.
Notes
- Make Ahead & Freezing Instructions: For longer storage, these brownies (both frosted and unfrosted) freeze well for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator before serving.
- Special Tools (affiliate links): Medium Saucepan | 9×9-Inch Square Baking Pan | Glass Mixing Bowl | Whisk | Cooling Rack
- Butter: I love to use salted butter in these brownies! If using unsalted, no need to increase the salt in the recipe. The flavor difference between using salted vs unsalted butter in this recipe is very slight.
- Chocolate: Use real, quality chocolate. You can find the 4 ounce baking bars in the baking aisle. I like using Ghirardelli or Baker’s brand.
- Baking Pan: You can use an 11×7-inch baking pan instead. The bake time is about the same.
Keywords: homemade brownies, chewy brownies, fudgy brownies
I’m keeping this recipe. Change the semi-sweet to dark chcolate bars and chips. I also reduced the sweetness to fit my family’s taste buds. Tried to mix the sugar and eggs with a hand mixer for 5minutes before adding it to the chocolate mixture. The brownies came out glossy and crisp.
Thanks for sharing your recipes, Sally. You’ve been a great part of my homebaking journey
I like most recipes from Sally’s baking addiction- I often refer people to the site. But these brownies are not fudge-like. They are cake-like. I should have followed my instinct to reduce the eggs or find a different recipe since we really wanted FUDGE brownies.
★★★
I want to try this next week. I love a good fudgey chewy brownie and baking with kids is a great excuse to quench my sweet tooth. I’ve never attempted brownies before, I have two questions:
1. Can I use a Pyrex dish as I don’t have a brownie pan?
2. What should I expect the batter consistency to look like before pouring in the pan? (Runny like a cake, or thick like chocolate chip cookie, or somewhere in-between like a banana bread?)
Thanks
Hi Jalissa, you can use an oven-safe Pyrex dish of the same size. The batter will be a bit thicker than most cake batters, but not quite as thick as a cookie dough. It should still run easily out of the mixing bowl and into your pan. Hope you and your kids enjoy the brownies!
How would you say this recipe differs in taste/texture from the more recent Seriously Fudgy recipe? And are the added chocolate chips optional? Trying to decide one for a birthday.
Hi George, These are much chewier. The seriously fudgy homemade brownies are a little denser and fudgier, and make a larger batch in a 9×13 pan. Feel free to omit the chocolate chips in the batter if desired (but they add great taste and a little added texture!).
This was my first time making brownies from scratch. You’re right, I don’t think I can go back to the boxed mixes ever again. This recipe is just too easy and delicious! I used the Ghirardelli 60% cacao and dark chocolate chips and it was the right amount of sweetness for us. Thank you for sharing this recipe with us.
★★★★★
Is there a way to reduce the sweetness level? Would that just require cutting down the sugar? Also, any thoughts on using one of those “only corner piece” brownie pans and how that would affect baking time? Thank you!
Hi Michelle, you can try reducing the sugar, but keep in mind that it also plays a role in the texture and structure of baked goods, so the end product will be different. You could try using a darker chopped chocolate bar for a less sweet brownie. We haven’t tried one of those specific pans, but bake time should be about the same, maybe just a bit shorter. Keep a close eye on them and use a toothpick to test for doneness!
Do you not put baking powder in this recipe?
Hi Trish! For the most dense and chewy brownies, we don’t add baking powder.
Of all the brownie recipes out there (in books and online) this is my go-to- PERFECT brownies
★★★★★
Hi! This recipe looks delicious? Can you add walnuts to it? If so, at what point do you put them in?
Hi Kacey, sure can! Fold the walnuts into the batter before spreading into the baking pan. You can add anywhere from 1/2 cup to 1 cup, depending on how much you’d like.
This brownie recipe is superb. I just tried it for the first time with just one modification and it came out perfectly chocolatey and fudgy and chewy just as I love my brownies to be. I just added a teaspoon or less coffee granules to the butter and chocolate and melted all 3 together.
Everyone loved it.
Thanks Sally for this amazing recipe.
Love from Sri Lanka.
This recipe is fantastic. I’ve made it several times and each time the brownies have been perfect and delicious. Thank you so much for all of your recipes, you are truly a culinary godsend! 🙂
★★★★★