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
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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.
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Hello! Wanted to ask if I planned to do this on a 9×9 pan, should I double the ingredients? 😀 thank you!
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!
Amazing recipe. Super easy. Cooking time far too long in my opinion. 16 minutes and then let sit in tray to settle after cooking gives the perfect texture. Any longer in the oven and the brownies are too dry.
OMW! These are the best brownies I’ve ever tasted in my whole life! And I’m 60+ 😅. Thank you ever so much for your recipes. I baked mine for 28 minutes too. Greetings from Madeira Island, Portugal
Easy to make and moist. I added macadamia nuts to mine instead of choc bits. I will definately make it again
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.
Oh noooo mine came out cake like. I stired in all the ingredients but my son came in and started stirring more. I bet we pushed more air into the batter. I baked for 28 minutes but they came our dry and cakey. I’m so bummed. To be honest I can never bake a good brownies. Your recipe was fabulous 👌 I loved how quick it was. I’ll just have to try try it again. I do love all your recipes. 🥰
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.
Absolutely amazing and super easy to make! Went with the walnuts. Added a splash of leftover black drip coffee which made it even better according to my 11yo daughter 😀 Drizzled melted Lindt 80% over the top and some walnut crumbs.
I love your recipes!!
Yumo, so delicious and just the right fudginess that I like. Had it with vanilla icecream while it was still warm. And this morning with my cup of coffee, still tastes amazing. This will be my go to brownie recipe from now on. Thank you for sharing 😊
The recipe is amazing thank you
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
This brownie was supposed to be fudgy instead it had the texture of a scrub daddy do not recommend.
What brand do you normally use for dark chocolate chips?
Can you please tell me what brown sugar is best for this brownie?
Hi, if I double the recipe and use a 9″×11″ pan, what would the cook time be?
I used truffle-like chocolate, and it turned out great. I am 11, and this is my 1st time making brownies by myself.My brother liked the smell so much, and I am so glad I can make it now.
I just made them and refrigerated them for a few hours. These are the fudgy brownies I’ve been looking for.
the perfect brownie recipe and my husband loved it so much!!! i just discovered this last week and here I am making my 2nd batch now 🥰 definitely my go-to recipe.
One of the best cakes
This was truly the BEST brownie recipe I have ever tried. So easy to make, if you follow the steps it turns out exactly as promised. So pleased, my family loved it too. Definitely my new go to recipe for brownies