Homemade Fudgy Brownies

Name: Homemade Fudgy Brownies
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 25 min
Total time: 55 min
Ingredients: 2 sticks (1 cup) butter; 1 cup white granulated sugar; 1 cup brown sugar (firmly packed); 4 eggs (at room temperature); 1 tbsp pure vanilla extract; 1 cup flour (spooned and leveled into the measuring cup for best results); 1 cup unsweetened cocoa (spooned and leveled into the measuring cup for best results); 1 tsp sea salt; 1 & 1/2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips (reserve 1/4 cup of this for the topping)

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Homemade Fudgy Brownies are super chocolaty, dense and gooey, and incredibly drool-worthy. This perfected from scratch recipe uses a combination of cocoa powder and semi-sweet chocolate chips to deliver a rich and decadent, deep chocolate flavor.

This is the crowd-pleasing, easy brownies recipe you've been searching for!

These from scratch brownies are one of the easiest desserts you can make. Only two bowls are needed and no mixer is required. Once you get it right, you'll never think twice about buying store bought or box mixes again.

That's because this recipe makes a big batch (when you make an irresistibly fudgy, super chocolaty indulgence, you want a lot of it, right?). Plus the rich chocolate flavor and gooey dense consistency are second to none.

If you're able to share them (and honestly, that can be really hard), you can never go wrong showing up to any gathering with a pan of these super fudgy brownies--you're sure to bring the pan home empty!

They are also the perfect compliment to any holiday dessert table, or any weeknight dinner table.

Because we all need a little fudgy comfort from time to time--and this easy brownies recipe is here to help😉.

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🥘Ingredients
🔪Instructions
🥣Substitutions
📖Variations
🍽Equipment
🍶Storage
💭Top tip
🗨️FAQ
🥄Related
🍴Pairing
📋Recipe
💬 Comments

🥘Ingredients

butter- for a rich base
white & brown sugar- both sugars are used for flavor depth
eggs- use at room temperature for easier mixing
pure vanilla extract- for best flavor, stick with pure
flour- spooned and leveled into the measuring cup for best results
unsweetened cocoa- I use Hershey's
sea salt- this has fine granules that dissolve easily
semi-sweet chocolate chips- choose name brand; semi-sweet is my preferred for this recipe

See recipe card for quantities.

🔪Instructions

Step 1: Melt the butter; mix in sugars. Add eggs and vanilla; stir until just combined.

Step 2: In a separate bowl, whisk all the dry ingredients together.

Step 3: Add the dry ingredients to the wet bowl; stir until just combined. Stir in chocolate chips (reserve ¼ cup for next step).

Step 4: Place brownie batter in a 13x9 metal pan lined with parchment paper. Gently press reserved chips on top; bake until almost set.

Hint: A heavy duty, light to medium light colored metal pan is best for brownies. They will bake more evenly and will get slightly crisp around the edges.

🥣Substitutions

Chocolate - you can use chocolate chunks instead of chocolate chips
Chocolate part two - swap the unsweetened cocoa powder for Dutch-process cocoa powder

📖Variations

With nuts - stir in 1 cup of crushed walnuts or pecans when you stir in the chocolate chips
Expresso - add 1 teaspoon instant coffee or expresso to the dry ingredients bowl
Mint chocolate - add 1 teaspoon mint extract to the batter; top the brownies with crushed Andes mints

See Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Bars for another tasty treat that feeds a crowd!

🍽Equipment

13x9 metal pan, lined with parchment paper or well greased
large, microwave safe bowl
medium mixing bowl
whisks
measuring cups & spoons
sturdy mixing spoon
scraping spatula

🍶Storage

Store homemade fudgy brownies in an airtight container and keep unrefrigerated for up to 1 week (but I bet they don't last that long!). If the brownies are cut into squares, wrap them in plastic wrap first to avoid drying.

You can freeze individual squares or the entire pan (divided into two half batches) for up to 3 months. Wrap in freezer safe packaging and defrost overnight in the fridge.

💭Top tip

Knowing when brownies are done baking can be a little tricky. You don't want to underbake them, and you definitely don't want to overbake them.

Since ovens vary, start checking on the brownies around the 22 minute mark. Bake the brownies until they are just set to the touch.

The brownies are typically done between 25-27 minutes. Keep in mind that the more you open the oven door, the longer they will take to bake. They will also continue to bake in the pan once removed from the oven.

🗨️FAQ

What makes brownies fudgy?

Butter, plenty of eggs, and limited flour. We also don't use any leavening agents in this recipe (baking soda or baking powder). The brownies should be almost done baking when removed from the oven. Allow them to cool in the pan for about 15 minutes to further bake and firm up before removing.

What not to do when baking brownies?

The number one thing to avoid is using cold eggs, which causes the batter to slightly firm before it bakes. Use room temperature eggs (have them sit out for 30 minutes) for best results. You can also have the eggs sit in warm water for about 5 minutes (only do this if you don't have time to have them come to room temperature naturally).

Can you overmix brownies?

You definitely can. The more you mix, the more gluten will be released into the batter, which will make the brownies chewy. That's why I recommend using two mixing bowls, one for wet ingredients and one for dry. Incorporate the two types of ingredients separately, and when you bring them together, stir until just combined.

🥄Related

Looking for other recipes like this? Try these:

🍴Pairing

These are my favorite desserts to serve with Homemade Fudgy Brownies:

📋Recipe