What makes a good brownie? Using both cocoa AND melted chocolate, and butter instead of oil. What makes the BEST chocolate brownies in the world? Adding in a generous amount of dark chocolate chunks. Fudgy, as gooey as you want, and very, very chocolatey, this homemade brownie recipe is incredibly easy, made in one bowl, and incredibly forgiving!
Choose how gooey you want them, just follow the bake times and my “toothpick smearing” test. Brownies can be frozen for up to 3 months, but nothing quite compares to when they’re freshly made, and still slightly warm….
Homemade Chocolate Brownies
These homemade brownies are every chocoholics dream come true.
Need a chocolate fix urgently? These will be in the oven in 15 minutes flat (if not faster).
Hate washing up? Just one bowl to deal with here.
Like your brownies outrageously chocolatey, fudgy in the middle and the signature paper thin crackly top? This one delivers in spades.
Not such a confident cook? This recipe is astonishingly forgiving. Even if you overcook them, they might look cakey, but they still have that rich, fudgy mouthfeel. There’s just not enough flour in these to make them dry and overcooked!
And look ↓↓↓ Super fudgy yet you can actually pick it up, rather than scooping up gloops of raw batter!
And that crinkly top we all know and love!
What makes a good brownie
The secret to a really great brownie is using both melted chocolate AND cocoa powder, plus butter instead of oil (because butter has way better flavour than oil). The combination of these plus minimal flour, just enough to make a barely-set batter, and brown sugar rather than white (for extra moisture and chewiness) is what will deliver that perfect rich, fudgy brownie you’ve been dreaming about.
And to make a killer brownie, stir through a generous amount of chocolate chunks. Not only will you get little pockets of gooey chocolate, it also makes the brownie extra fudgy because some of the chocolate melds in with the batter as it bakes!
Making homemade brownies
These dreamy brownies start by melting chocolate and butter together before whisking in eggs and vanilla. Then just mix in flour and coco powder, and lastly stir in the let’s-pretend-it’s-optional chocolate chunks. Scrape into lined pan and bake!
How to tell when brownies are done
Stick a toothpick in the centre of the brownie, hold it for 2 seconds, then take it out.
super gooey – if there is a lot of smear on it (24 minutes bake time)
moist and fudgy (my favourite) – if the toothpick gets a brown strain and has some smear on it (28 minutes)
cakey (but still fudgy mouthfeel) – toothpick is clean with just a few crumbs (32 minutes). But still really moist (because this recipe only has 1/2 cup of flour in it, impossible not to be moist!).
Reduce cook time by 2 minutes if you opt not to use the extra chocolate stir ins.
Fudgy, gooey brownies
The brownies in the photos and video are what I call “fudgy moist”. As in – super fudgy but not just a gloop of uncooked batter. You can pick it up with your hands rather than eating it with a spoon.
I have more elaborate brownies in my repertoire – such as these Outrageous Nutella Brownies (which certainly live up to their name!) and these Salted Caramel Stuffed Brownies (the caramel filling is creamy and set, like a soft fudge).
But this classic Chocolate Brownies recipe is the one I make most of the time. It’s my go-to because it’s everything I want in a brownie made with minimal fuss. The essential ingredients to make it super chocolatey, lovely and moist, and no unnecessary extras.
The other thing is that my brownie is sweet, but not tooth-achingly sweet. There are some brownie recipes out there that use almost double the sugar I do and they are far too sweet for me. The sugar in this recipe is just the right amount of sweet for me. No one has ever complained about my brownies not being sweet enough, that’s for sure! – Nagi x
Watch how to make it
Hungry for more? Subscribe to my newsletter and follow along on Facebook, Pinterest and Instagram for all of the latest updates.
Easy Chocolate Brownies
Ingredients
- 200g / 14 tbsp unsalted butter (1 3/4 US sticks)
- 200 g / 1 1/4 cups dark chocolate chips (7 oz) (Note 1)
- 1 cup (175g) brown sugar , loosely packed
- 3 eggs , lightly beaten
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup (75g) plain flour
- 1/4 cup (30g) cocoa powder
- Pinch of salt
- 180g/6oz dark chocolate block/bar (optional) , chopped into chunks rather than shards, (bittersweet or semi-sweet, cooking chocolate) (Note 2)
Alternative stir in
- 1.5 cups roughly chopped walnuts (or other nuts)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 180°C/350°F (160°C fan forced).
- Spray a 20cm/8″ square tin with oil and line with baking/parchment paper with overhang (Note 2).
- Place butter and chocolate chips in a heatproof bowl, microwave in 30 second bursts (takes me 1m 30 sec) until melted. Stir until smooth.
- Add sugar and vanilla, mix, then add eggs and mix well until smooth and molten.
- Add flour, cocoa and salt and stir until smooth. Stir in chopped chocolate, pour into pan.
- Bake 24 minutes for really gooey in the centre, 28 minutes for fudgey but still very moist (my favourie, shown in video & photos), 32 minutes for moist fudge-cake-like. (See in post for toothpick testphotos).
- If you didn't use the extra chocolate for stirring in, reduce cook time by 2 minutes.
- Rest for 10 minutes before lifting out of the pan. Allow to cool for at least 20 minutes before cutting. Store in an airtight container for 4 days (bet they don't last that long!) or freeze for 3 months.
Recipe Notes:
Nutrition Information:
Originally published August 2016. Updated with new photos and brand new video in 2020.
All things Brownies
And more irresistible bars and slices
Life of Dozer
Dozer hates being hugged. Don’t know why. I mean, what dog doesn’t like their face being squished like this in a chokehold grip?
OMG these are absolutely delicious. Highly recommend!
Hi Nagi! Can’t wait to try this recipe. I have a question though. Any idea how I would adjust the recipe to fit an 11x7x1.5 inch baking pan? Thanks!
Oh Nagi……..Absolutely Sensational!!!!
My daughter couldn’t have been any happier with her birthday brownies!
You are just fabulous!! 😊
Can we make these brownies eggless
These are the fudgiest brownies I’ve ever had. 29 -30 minutes and still gooey in the middle. As easy to make as a mix and so much better.
These brownies are decadently sweet and have deep chocolatey flavor that hits several notes at once because of the three sources of chocolate.
I used half dark and half milk chocolate chunks. Added a bit of espresso powder with the vanilla. These will be my go-to brownies from now on. Want to try them with walnuts added next time.
I LOVE these brownies. Baked for over 50 years and find this is my go to.
I wonder if this could be made gluten free successfully? Sub flour for almond flour, or coconut flour or other??? Would like to make this for Passover!
Thank you in advance.
Wow! Made these for the staff room at work and colleagues raved about them! Just the right ratio of chocolate, sugar, fussiness, crunchy top. Winner, and they were so easy!
is it possible to put these into cupcake tin to make individual portions?
No fail recipe, made 3 times, family love it!
It’s my second time making this recipe. They are so fudgy and chocolatey. It’s a winner in my home. Thanks Nagi, I love your recipes! 😋🥰
I made 3 batches of this today for a church youth group dinner. Not a single piece was left over. Great recipe and I see myself coming back to it many times in the future!!
These are hands down the best brownies I’ve EVER had. So fudgey and delicious, and they worked great when I substituted gluten-free flour.
Super yummy definitely recommend
Made these in the airfryer and they turned out great! Top was probably a little crunchier than I’d have liked but totally acceptable. They are better in the oven, but in an emergency (like promising to provide brownies and then remembering the oven fix-it fella isn’t coming till next week!!) the air fryer was good.
Just made these after craving brownies for a week and they’re delicious! So fudgy, the 28mins was perfect! I used milk chocolate for the entire thing but wouldn’t add in the chunks next time as it’s already so rich!
great recipe, I had never made brownies before, these turned out great so so good! Was worried about how liquid the mixture was but the end result was perfect. I baked them for 28 mins
That is sooooo good. I love it when you cook it for 28 minutes, it taste so good.
Another fantastic recipe from Nagi. This brownie recipe has been voted the best we have made by the family. So good.
Oh my. I just made your brownies, Nagi. What a fantastic recipe. The only change I made was to use GF flour and it worked perfectly….cooked for 28 minutes. I will only use this recipe from now on. Thank you so much for everything you do. I make your recipes all the time and I’ve never been disappointed.
Extremely rich, indulgent and heavinly! Thank you so much for such an incredible recipe. Hard to mess up, despite me adding the flour and coco in first! I used 75g of dark brown sugar and 100g of light brown sugar and it’s delicious. Thank you from London! Sx