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?
I baked it for 21 mins and it came out great. Fudgy and moist. The sugar is reduced to 1/2 cup but it’s still too sweet for me. Perhaps my chocolate chips are also too sweet. I didn’t have enough chocolate chips, only used less than a cup and top up with some Lindt chocolate. Also reduced the butter but realized that the batter was too thick and also added back some butter. Turned out just great. Will make this again with adjustments to sugar level. Maybe will reduce to just 1/4 cup. Thanks Nagi!
I am American by birth and have been making brownies with bitter chocolate for 65 years, roughly! But your recipe is the best! I didn’t add extra chocolate and did add walnuts.
Hi Nagi
What do you do if you dont have a microwave?
Thanks
Can anyone help me about what to do if you dont have a microwave to melt butter and chocolate…?
Hi Angela. You can melt them on the stove over medium low heat.
Thank you Annabell
This recipe is delicious and very easy to make. Stays fresh for a while afterwards too
Delicious! I did not add the extra chocolate and they were perfect. Husband and kids polished them off in 2 days!
Thanks Nagi for another excellent recipe 🙂
Nagi! You absolute star, I’m making a brownie stack for my wedding in January using this incredible recipe.. I need to make 7 or 8, possibly 10 to fit on my stand and look divine to feed my 150 guests. How do you think these would go frozen for a week or two? Or do you think I might be better asking a few solid peeps to cook a couple for us? Wedding on the Saturday, was going to cook and store in an airtight container on the Wednesday before if doing fresh but 10 is a lot in one day.. . BTW your book is apparently on its way to me 😱 I got my preorder notification yesterday!!!!
Could you change the chocolate to caramilk or white chocolate?
I am doing exactly this for a trial run this week, I’m making them for my wedding stack! I’ve already made one with violet crumble added and it was delicious
These are absolutely the easiest tastiest brownies I’ve ever had. Usually I could take or leave a brownie but not this time, I’m obsessed. Once again you’ve proven why I keep coming back to your site. Thanks Nagi. Btw I can’t wait for your book to come out.