Does the world really need another brownie recipe? Yes, because these are the richest, most decadent homemade brownies you’ll ever try. The best part is that you don’t need a mixer and they’re made in only 1 bowl!
We’re doing it. A big 9×13-inch pan of homemade brownies is on the table tonight.
If you google “homemade brownies” there are 1000s of search results. (I don’t recommend doing this if you’re hungry.) I threw my homemade frosted brownies recipe into the running back in 2014. They’re chewy, dense, and easy. But lately I’ve been craving something new; a different brownie option to toss into the mix. Because that’s the best part about baking: you can constantly experiment like a mad butter-loving scientist. And, if you think about it, we can never have enough recipes combining butter, sugar, and chocolate.
Let’s Bake 1 Bowl Homemade Brownies
These brownies are lot like my 9-inch square pan of chewy fudgy frosted brownies, but there’s a couple minor changes to yield a larger batch. We’re using all the same ingredients:
- Chocolate: Use real chocolate and cocoa powder. You can make brownies with either or both, and I prefer both. What’s interesting is that cocoa powder has more pure chocolate flavor because it is not diluted with milk and sugar—so the resulting brownies are always fabulously rich. Though natural cocoa powder can be used, I suggest a dutch process cocoa powder for a deeper, smoother chocolate flavor. This brownie recipe does not* rely on chemical leaveners so either works. If a recipe does, that’s when it’s important to remember the difference between Dutch-process vs. natural cocoa powder.
- Butter: For flavor, of course!
- Sugar: There are 2 cups of sugar in this pan of brownies. It sounds like a lot, but recipes calling for mostly unsweetened cocoa powder do not contain the extra sugar from recipes calling for semi-sweet or milk chocolate. Also, sugar does much more than sweeten brownies. It liquifies as they bake, creating a softer center.
- Eggs: Eggs are one of the main ingredients in brownies. Just as they do in my beloved flourless chocolate cake recipe, eggs bind, add richness, tenderize, and provide structure here. This brownie recipe uses 3 eggs, which give the brownies a tight crumb and fudgy texture.
- Flour: The cocoa powder takes the place of some flour, so you’ll only need 1 cup in this brownie recipe. The more flour in brownies, the cakier they will taste. We want dense and fudgy brownies, so use as little flour as possible.
Why is there no baking powder or baking soda in these brownies? Adding baking powder or baking soda lifts brownies up and creates a cakier result. But today, we all want a brownie so dense and fudgy that it’s basically 1 step up from eating pure chocolate.
You’ll get a taste of how dense these brownies are when you’re mixing up the batter. It’s so thick and so fudgy. Seriously fudgy.
How to Tell When Brownies are Done Baking
This can be tricky, so here’s how to determine when these brownies are done. Turn the timer to 30 minutes as soon as the brownies go into the oven. Once you begin to smell that captivating scent of chocolate permeate through the kitchen, check the brownies. Even if this is at the 25 minute mark. Use a toothpick, stick it into the center, and pull it out. The brownies need more time if there is wet batter on the toothpick. If there are a few moist crumbs on the toothpick, the brownies are done. You don’t want a clean toothpick! (That’s an odd sentence, but you get me!)
How to Get Shiny Crackly Tops in Brownies
The secret is in the sugar! Melt the butter and 2 ounces of chocolate first, then quickly whisk in the sugar while it’s all still warm. Whisking the sugar into warm butter helps the sugar migrate to the top of the batter as the brownies bake thus creating that signature shiny and crackly top we all love!
Here’s the real question: are you a center person or an edge person? Save me the corners please. ♥
More Homemade Recipes
- Soft Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Chocolate Cupcakes & Chocolate Cake
- Vanilla Cupcakes
- Rice Krispie Treats
- Chocolate Lava Cakes
- Soft-Baked M&M Cookie Bars
Seriously Fudgy Homemade Brownies
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 30 minutes
- Total Time: 3 hours
- Yield: 18 large brownies
- Category: Brownies
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Description
These are the richest, most decadent homemade brownies you’ll ever try. You only need a few basic ingredients, 1 bowl, and they’re done baking in 30 minutes!
Ingredients
- 3/4 cup (12 Tbsp; 170g) unsalted butter
- 4-ounce (113g) semi-sweet chocolate bar, coarsely chopped and divided*
- 2 cups (400g) granulated sugar*
- 3 large eggs, at room temperature
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- 1 cup (82g) unsweetened natural or dutch-process cocoa powder*
- 1 cup (125g) all-purpose flour (spooned & leveled)
- 1 teaspoon salt
- optional: 1 and 1/4 cups (225g) semi-sweet chocolate chips
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (177°C) and grease a 9×13-inch pan or line with aluminum foil or parchment paper, leaving an overhang on the sides to lift the finished brownies out (makes cutting easier!). Set aside.
- In a microwave-safe bowl, combine the butter and half (2 ounces/57g) of the chopped chocolate. Melt in 30-second increments, whisking after each, until completely smooth. Whisk in the sugar until completely combined, then whisk in the eggs and vanilla. The batter will be light brown and look a bit dull.
- Add the cocoa powder, flour, salt, remaining 2 ounces/57g chopped chocolate, and the chocolate chips. Fold it all together with a silicone spatula or wooden spoon. Batter will be very thick. Spread evenly into prepared pan.
- Bake for 30 minutes, then test the brownies with a toothpick. Insert it into the center of the pan. If it comes out with wet batter, the brownies are not done. If there are only a few moist crumbs, the brownies are done. Keep checking every 2 minutes until you have moist crumbs. Brownies typically take 31–32 minutes in my oven.
- Remove from the oven and place on a wire rack to cool completely in the pan before cutting into squares.
- Cover and store leftover brownies at room temperature for up to 1 week.
Notes
- Make Ahead Instructions: Brownies freeze well up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator then bring to room temperature before serving.
- Special Tools (affiliate links): 9×13-inch Baking Pan (Metal or Glass) | Glass Mixing Bowl | Whisk | Silicone Spatula or Wooden Spoon | Cooling Rack
- Chocolate Bars: Chocolate bars are typically sold in 4 ounce bars. 2 ounces will be melted down and 2 ounces will be chopped up and folded into the batter with the chocolate chips. I suggest Ghirardelli, Baker’s brand, or Lindt.
- Sugar: Try the recipe with 1/2 cup (100g) light brown sugar and 1 and 1/2 cups (300g) of granulated sugar. Absolutely delicious! I wrote the recipe with 2 cups of granulated sugar to make it easier for most.
- Cocoa Powder: You can use either natural or dutch-process cocoa powder. I prefer dutch-process for a smoother flavor.
Delicious
I LOVE all your recipes. I swear!!
These brownies are fantastic! Out of curiosity and boredom during lockdown, I tried this recipe (representing American brownies) and the Guardian’s perfect brownie recipe (representing British brownies), divided the amount of the batter by 3 for both and baked them side by side in two mini molds. The British brownies were very good, they tasted like a dense chocolate cake. Yours were like a punch to the face (in a good way!), a double hit of cocoa and sugar! The texture was perfect, super fudgy inside and chewy outside almost like caramel candy. I guess the large quantity of sugar creates this texture. I’m glad I didn’t reduce the sugar but I did use 70% dark chocolate instead of semisweet for a less sweet brownie. My partner and I (Finnish and French respectively so no skin in the game) were unanimous in declaring the victory of the USA in this brownie battle!
These sound wonderful!!! Before I make them, can someone clarify the “Optional: 1 and 1/4 cups (225g) semi-sweet chocolate chips” is in addition to the 2oz of semisweet coarsely
chopped chocolate bar??
Thanks in advance:)
Hi Mart-Anne, Yes it’s in addition! Think of how we add chocolate chips to cookies – here you have the option to add chocolate chips to these brownies 🙂
Stop looking for brownie recipes and make these now!! They were the best brownies I’ve ever had. No frosting needed. Thank you for creating yet another masterpiece!!! You make 2020 so much sweeter 🙂
Could I add 1 tsp (guessing at the amount) of peppermint oil to these brownies to make them peppermint brownies? I saw the recipe for brownies with the mint frosting here, but don’t really want frosted brownies. If I added peppermint oil, would I reduce or omit the 2 tsp vanilla?
Hi Katy, peppermint oil is very potent, so I recommend using only 1/2 teaspoon. For strong flavor, maybe 3/4 teaspoon. No need to reduce the vanilla. Just add it with the vanilla.
The batter seems very thick, other batters I have seen are pourable unlike this one. Could you tell me the difference between the two types of brownie batters, ones that are thick and ones that are pourable? Thanks
Yes, this batter is supposed to be very thick! The thick batter produces brownies that are super dense and fudgy.
I would prefer to follow the recipe as is of course, but as I dont have chocolate on hand, I wondered if the chocolate can be omitted and the brownies still turn out well – is this possible? Thanks
Hi Mercy, We don’t recommend leaving the chocolate out of this recipe. You may wish to look at our page of Brownies and Bars and perhaps another bar or blondie recipe would work for you.
Spectacular, fudgy brownies with a beautiful shiny top. Followed the directions exactly as written (including the variation that substitutes light brown sugar for some of the granulated sugar) and “invested” in top quality ingredients — Droste Dutch processed cocoa, Baker’s semi sweet chocolate, 61% cacao chocolate chips and chopped pecans. I didn’t have a metal pan the proper size so I used glass and lowered the oven temp 25 degrees and they took about 32 minutes. This will now be the only brownie recipe I use — yum, yum, yum!
Hi Sally! I’ve been using your recipe for almost every occasion and they loved it! Can I use this recipe to make some brownie (chips) brittle? Like thin brownies? Hoping fro your answer. Thank you.
Hi Francese, We have never tested this recipe that way but let us know if you give it a try!
I’ve Made these brownies for the third time now in a row and I must say I’m really in love with the recipe, they’re so ooey and yummy wow. The first time I tried making it I didn’t use chocolate bars and the second time I used chocolate but I only used 1 cup of sugar, which turned out okay but not sweet for my liking, so I redid it again yesterday with the full ingredients but added sesame seeds and raisins and my family loves it wow. Thank you so much for this. I’ve always loved your recipes but never made a comment, you’re a star and you need to be told. Thanks once again.
The taste was really good! Probably the best recipe for brownies that i have personal tried making. I just wished i could have gotten a more crispy top.
Hi Sally!
Just wondering if I could add walnuts to this recipe? Would reducing the amount of chocolate chips for chopped walnuts work?
Thanks!
Definitely! You can either replace the chocolate chips or add additional nuts. (About 1 cup.)
I made these yesterday and I really enjoyed how they came out. I used 1.5 cups of white sugar and 1/4 cup light brown sugar (so slightly less total sugar than the recipe calls for), and added 1 teaspoon instant espresso. I love how chocolately these brownies are. They cooked about 35 minutes. I will make them again. Thanks!
Hi Sally!
I was wondering, how can I adjust the recipe so I can cook these brownies in a 8×8 inch pan?
Thank you!
Hi Alisa, You can try cutting the recipe in half to bake in an 8X8 pan. I’m unsure of the exact bake time but they will begin to pull away from the edges of the pan and a toothpick inserted in the center should come out with only a few moist crumbs when the brownies are done.
I love this recipe! I’m wondering if I can add a cream cheese swirl on top? Will these brownies have the structure to support it? What changes would I need to make, if any?
Also want to say I’m an avid baker and this is my go-to website for recipes!
Hi Karmela, We have many different flavors of swirl brownies! For plain cheesecake swirl you can use this recipe for Mint Chocolate Chip Cheesecake Brownies and leave the peppermint extract and food coloring out of the swirl 🙂
Tried this recipe and it’s perfect . I made it with one cup of sugar instead of 2 and it didn’t make much difference . It was absolutely delicious . Can I make the same recipe with whole wheat instead of flour ?
Love, love, love this recipe. My family and literally every friend I take these brownies to just raves that they are the best they’ve ever had. Definitely taste the difference with using brown sugar. Thank you again for yet another amazing recipe!
Made this and it was the best fudgy brownies yet so far! Everybody loved it so delicious! Can’t get enough of it ❤️
Anw, Ms. Sally i have a question though, can I use an 8×8 square pan instead? Do I have to halve the batter in 2 or just pour everything on one 8×8 square pan? Hope you’ll help me on this one thanks and God bless! ☺️
Hi Anne, You can try cutting the recipe in half to bake in an 8X8 pan. I’m unsure of the exact bake time but they will begin to pull away from the edges of the pan and a toothpick inserted in the center should come out with only a few moist crumbs when the brownies are done.
these are amazing thank you sally!
As an Asian I prefer desserts to be less sweet. I used 120g of sugar and it came out amazing! Thank you Sally for so many wonderful recipes!
Hi, Sally! Can i replace the butter with the same amount of coconut oil? Thank you!
Hi Chev! Yes, that should work. Enjoy!
Hi Sally, I absolutely love your recipe,the brownies taste delicious. But I wanted to bake some sugar free and gluten free brownies. Could you please provide me with a recipe for both brownies.
Easy to follow with fantastic results
I made this recipe for work and they were gone instantly! Everyone loved them. I tweaked the recipe a bit because I just didn’t feel like chopping the chocolate this morning. I used nestle semi sweet chocolate chips and added nestle sea salt caramel filled baking truffles. My sweet fans loved them!
Hi Sally!
First let me say I absolutely love all your recipes! I want to make brownies for my daughter’s teacher as a back to school treat—all I have is milk chocolate though, will that work as a sub for semi sweet?! Thanks!
Hi Cristi, thank you so much for your kind words! Yes, milk chocolate works great in these brownies- they’ll be a little sweeter than if you had used semisweet chocolate, but still very delicious. I hope your daughter’s teacher loves them!
way too much cocoa powder, makes the brownies very dense (not fudgey) and bitter.
did not like it at all
hey Sally. i have a few questions. first, could i use callebaut or cadbury dairy milk chocolate for melting and as chocolate chips.
second, how do i prevent the edges of brownie to not get crispy and hard while also making sure that the brownie is not raw
Hi Sabicah, You can use milk chocolate for a sweeter brownie. For the edges of your brownies to remain soft first make sure you are using the right size pan. A pan that is too small will result in thicker brownies which takes longer to bake in the center drying out the edges. For brownies we also reach for a metal pan instead of glass, and line the pan with parchment paper instead of spraying with non stick spray. You can also cover your pan with foil part way through the bake time if you notice that your edges are baking faster than the center. I hope this helps!
These are really very good and for a confessed chocoholic, I am shocked to say that they are too bitter for me. Maybe I would rather add milk chocolate chips to round out the flavor? Or maybe I should use dutch processed cocoa instead of unsweetened cocoa? The chewy consistency is right on. I will try these again with some tweaks to see if they’ve improved.
Hi Erin, Dutch-process does have a smoother flavor so you can definitely try that instead. And milk chocolate chips would be sweeter. We hope you love them this way!
Hi Sally, I was wondering do you have to use chocolate chips in this recipe or can you skip that part. Thanks!
Hi Olivia, You can leave them out without making any other changes. Enjoy!
This recipe is excellent it turned out amazing every time . I melted all the chocolate and used dark chocolate instead and added dark chocolate chips and walnuts and it turned out fine