I’ve been loyal to this brownie recipe for decades and have no intention of changing it! It’s super easy, super chocolatey and super fudgy. I firmly believe the best brownies must be made with both cocoa and melted chocolate, and butter instead of oil. Bonus: it’s a simple one-bowl, hand mixed recipe!
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 and fudgy in the middle? 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! (This is optional though, and I don’t add the extra chocolate for everyday brownies 🙂 ).
How to make 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 extra chocolate chunks if you’re using it. 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!).
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)
- 1 1/4 cups dark chocolate chips or melts/discs (US: semi-sweet chocolate) (Note 1)
- 1 cup loosely packed brown sugar
- 3 large eggs , lightly beaten (fridge cold or room temp is fine)
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup plain flour (all-purpose flour)
- 1/4 cup cocoa powder , sifted
- Pinch of salt
OPTIONAL EXTRA CHOCOLATE ADD-INS
- 180g / 6oz (1 cup) dark chocolate chips, or block/bar chopped into chunks (OPTIONAL!) (US: semi-sweet chocolate) (Note 2)
Instructions
ABBREVIATED RECIPE
- Melt choc and butter, mix in sugar and vanilla, then eggs. Stir in flour, cocoa and salt, bake in lined 20cm/8" pan at 180°C/350°F (160°C fan) for 28 minutes. Cool before slicing.
FULL RECIPE
- Preheat oven to 180°C/350°F (160°C fan-forced). Spray a 20cm/8" square tin with oil or grease with butter. Line with baking paper/parchment paper with overhang (Note 3).
- Melt chocolate and butter – Place butter and chocolate chips in a heatproof bowl, microwave in 30 second bursts (takes me 1m 30 sec) until melted. Stir until smooth.
- Sugar and eggs – Add sugar and vanilla, mix, then add eggs and mix well until smooth and molten.
- Dry ingredients – 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).
- Rest for 10 minutes before lifting out of the pan (they are fragile when hot). Allow to cool for at least 20 minutes before cutting. For really neat slices, refrigerate for 30 minutes, or even overnight, but always eat at room temp for fudgy perfection!
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?
Perfect as always. Step 8 the hardest by far 😂
step 8 is for sure the hardest!
These taste delicious but were completely undercooked at the 28 minute mark – cooked at 160 degrees and left in the tin for another 10 minutes but when I took it out of the tin it oozed everywhere! Should I cook at 180 instead?
My kids love making this, and it’s spot on every time. We’ve made it so many times we’ve tried all the different consistency. Fudgy moist is ultimate favourite.
Another amazing recipe Nagi!! Yum, my whole family loves this and it is gone quick smart! My daughter makes this herself all the time. I’ve changed to this now as our default brownie recipe! It’s better than our old favourite!! Thanks again, you’re the best Nagi!!❤❤
1. If I double the recipe and make 18 (measurements come out even) should I use a 9 inch x 13 inch pan? 2. If I don’t have chocolate bar, can I substitute more chocolate chips?
I made this brownie this morning Oh My Goodness Nagi I had to stop myself from eating more than one piece of this fudgey delight. I made two single batches both turning out different but still perfect. ( not too sweet) This recipe is a definite keeper
Mine didn’t turn out well, it was cake-y. I followed the 28 minutes, I think it’s because of my oven, will re adjust the cooking time but it tasted fab. Will do it again! Thank you!
Correct, yes.
Best
Brownies
Ever.
If you haven’t made them yet, do it. NOW.
This is a great recipe, I served it with a scoop of cassis sorbet, highly recommended 👍
I made these for a colleague’s birthday celebration and they were an absolute hit! Easy to make and delicious too! This will be my new brownie recipe…
Your recipes raise my taste buds😍🥞🥧🍩🍪🎂🍫
THANK YOU 👍😊
These are the best, one bowl, easy – they are so good they should be illegal!
Nagi what an incredible gift you have. I love every single one of your recipes. They never fail me. And I love cooking. You explain everything so well and I am so thankful I found your recipes. These brownies turned out absolutely perfect. Thank you. And please give Dozer a big cuddle for me. No don’t he doesn’t like them please give him his favourite treat!!
First time I’ve ever made brownies in my life and these were rated 10/10 by my partner who regularly eats them 🎉
So easy and only 1 mixing bowl to wash up (the mess is usually what puts me off baking).
Not too sweet either – I used dark chocolate.
Thanks for the time putting this together🙏🏽
Made these this morning for work friends, they were easy to make and everyone loved them. Cooking from the devil was mentioned… I think this is a great compliment as they are deliciously evil.
Looks exactly like the pictures, but it tastes even better than described! Top quality butter and eggs improve the entire brownie experience plus the addition of premium grade gourmet chocolate. Perfect for a Christmas or birthday gift!
Oh my goodness….these are absolutely gorgeous!!! Have you a recipe for Blondies too? I could eat all of them….thanks so much! X
These have become my staple brownie recipe bc of ease & deliciousness!! Making them again right now. Love your book too, Nagi!
I was so excited for these as a chocolate lover but after checking them at the 30 minute mark, I can confidently say they aren’t done & the crackly top is nowhere to be seen. I’d giving them a few extra minutes to compensate for using a glass pan – but very sad about that crackly top.
5/5 again – this will be my baked xmas gifts along with the caramel slice this year – made it in one large pyrex and used aldi chocolate(devine) –