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
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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.
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I need simple chocolate brownie recipe
Hi there,
I’ve got an unusual problem making these brownies. It looks like the butter has split, and it’s been getting worse every minute. Basically I’ve got a big lump of brownie dough sitting in a pool of butter. Where did I go wrong, I followed the recipe to the letter :/
Made this tonight with almond meal instead of flour ( that’s all we had) added caramilk chips and cooked for 28 minutes
Perfect!!
Hey,
Absolutely loved this recipe! They turned out so good, fudgy and dark chocolate-y and not too sweet.
I was wondering if I were to add protein powder to them, how much should i add and how do I alter the recipe to incorporate that?
BEST BROWNIES EVER! Almost ate the whole batch to myself lol. Super gooey and fudgey. Absolutely amazing when still warm. So easy to make too. Didn’t last more than an hour in our household.
Why was my comment from yesterday deleted? I simply asked a question to help me master the recipe? Your suggestion is to post any comments and then allow others to comment. Thanks for your help
Help please folks, not sure what I’m doing wrong but I can’t get this recipe to work with the suggested cooking times. At 28 minutes on 160 fan forced the mixture is still really gooey and runny. I’m cooking in a pyrex oven dish not an oven tin, could this be the problem?
Will it set more once out of the oven also?
Any tips /advice would be greatly appreciated.
Many thanks home cookies..x
Needed a chocolate fix. Made this 3 times in as many weeks, deliciously fudgy and moist but I can’t get the “crinkly” top. Could it be because I melt my butter and chocolate in a double saucepan? Been sharing with my neighbours and they love it as do I?
I had this problem every time until I tried using smaller eggs! 80g eggs are too big for this I think
look nice and great
I bake quite often but this was my first time making brownies, and wow this is going straight into my recipe book!! I made the batch for someone else’s birthday gift, but couldn’t resist stealing one and oh boy, I can’t wait until the next time I make them so I can just eat them all myself
So delicious! Made this today for our Mother’s Day lunch, served with berries and cream, so gooey and yummy 😀
I have been trying a variety of chocolate brownie recipes over the last few weeks, testing on my nieces & nephews. Finally – a hit, thumbs up all round and request to make these & Nutella version for family function this weekend. I’m trying a white version of frozen proteinella – they’re in the oven now. Will let know 😋
The best ever brownie recipe!!Have tried out several recipes the last couple of months and have to say this one is a keeper!!!!!I also stuck to the 28 min baking and they came out as described!!!
These brownies look so good. What size eggs did you use?
Omg!!! Made these for my husbands birthday! Followed the recipe and baked them for 28 minutes. They were literally just like the picture. They are a cross between fudge and a brownie. They are so good I had to freeze them so I couldn’t eat more than I should! I will be making these again!
Best brownie ever!!! Always with walnuts! 😋😋😋
Sensational! The texture!. The flavour!
Soooo good!
Just made following this recipe and it is a keeper for sure! Thanks for sharing it.
These brownies were perfect!
I used Gluten Free flour (1:1 substitute) and it worked perfectly, which is no easy feat!
Didn’t have to cook longer, and didn’t need to use more flour.
I did the 28 min version, and they were beautiful. They held together, but were just that fudgy moist texture you want.
My food tester (fiance) gave them a solid “OMG they’re so good!”.
Thanks Nagi!
Incredible! Sticking to the recipe, these brownies are the best we have ever made and eaten, thank you, Nagi. Luckily, I made a double batch last week as my 18 year old was having a group of uni mates to stay; they all ate a batch and agreed they were the best brownies they had ever eaten too! We have made so many brownie recipes over the years but this one blows the others out of the water and they will make part of the 19th birthday cake this week. Inspired to try many more of your recipes now! Thank you.