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.
All things Brownies
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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?
Super easy to make and extremely yummy! 10/10
My cat feels exactly the same as Dozer does about hugs. She’s gotten more used to them over the years, and tolerates them better now, but after a few seconds, it’s “OK, Mom, enough!” and squirms away.
For someone that never had the confidence to bake, I’ve made this half dozen times and it IS super easy and beyond delicious. (Same goes for the easy lemon slice recipe). (Took me a while to master the art of paper lining the tin, then watched the vid and got it in a cinch!)
I have never really been a great baker but these brownies come out great everytime. I usually substitute half the butter for avocado oil but have done full butter as per the recipe and it works beautifully. Thanks Nagi!
I didn’t have enough brown sugar used some white sugar to make the correct amount same with dark chocolate used baking milk chocolate absolutely delicious thank you Nagi for the recipe
The only brownie recipe I have ever used! Love these so much and always comes out great. I go a little extra and also add white choc chips in addition to the other recommended add ins (shh) and never had any issues with batter consistency.
i made these and left them in the fridge over night when i woke up my brothers ate half of the brownies in the pan
Took me 1 hour not 10 mins
Liar. 🤥
I was late for my TikTok live audience
boo hoo
I followed the ingredients, and instructions step by step and somehow when i pulled it out of the oven it wasnt cooked, was cake texture and there was about a cup of oil/butter sitting on top of the brownie?? it didn’t cook and i do not recommend using this recipe
sooo good and moist i cooked for 35 minutes as i tried 24 and 30 but wasnt cooked enough for me
I have made many chocolate brownies recipes over the years but this one was delicious, I will be definitely using this recipe again.
verry goooooooooooooooooooooooooooood very gooey just how i like it.
This is the worst brownies i have ever made, all the butter was boiling in the oven and the brownies were soft and full of butter when they came out. The whole house was full of a butter smell. Brownies were like rubber and were dripping with butter. Do not recommend to anyone.
Best brownies I have ever eaten. I added chopped walnuts to mine instead of extra chocolate. I had to bake them considerably longer than specified. They were still chocolate soup at 24 minutes. I just kept adding 10 minutes until I was happy with the consistency.
Just made these because I fancied a treat I melted the butter and chocolate over a pan of water and then off the heat added the rest of the ingredients I also added a couple of spoons of espresso powder they were delicious and so easy to make these will definitely be a favourite in my recipe book
I have made these brownies now a few times and they are amazing, thanks for the recipe. I was thinking of trying the same recipe but in a cupcake tray, do you think this will work? I assume a shorter bake time
Oh and I wonder if I needed to cook mine longer as I’d used some Milk chocolate as well as dark – it’s what I had left over from making different truffles at Christmas as gifts!
I really enjoy cooking for others but I only tend to cook savory foods and buy a dessert. I thought I’d cook a dessert for a change when family visited today, seeing as I’m currently on maternity leave so income is tight and this was a cheaper option than buying a dessert! And I’m very glad I did! It was a massive hit – I’d served it with vanilla ice-cream and blueberries. Everyone had seconds. Other than needing to cook it for a little longer, it was a triumph! Thank you very much for sharing this recipe along with the great hints and tips.
Oh! Also: do you use cocoa processed with alkali or “natural” cocoa powder?
Oh man I want to make this! My mom doesn’t like super sweet things, but she wants brownies for Mother’s Day. Your recipe looks perfect, but I don’t know what “dark chocolate chips /baking chocolate chips” are. Baking chocolate is typically unsweetened (at least in the US). Is that what you mean? If not, what is the % chocolate of your dark chocolate chips? I’ve seen chips with 68%, 75%, 80% and unspecified “dark chocolate” chips, but I don’t love that brand. And now that I think of it, I don’t know the difference between “eating” chocolate chips and “baking” chocolate chips aren’t chocolate chips always for baking? I mean, if you’re me, you probably eat a few while you’re baking, but is there some distinction among chocolate chips that I should look out for? Thank you!
I used milk choc chips. Don’t know if this helps.