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.
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 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…?
I do mine on the stove over med heat and then add the chocolate after the butter starts to melt.
heat a saucepan of water and place a heat proof bowl on top with the chocolate and butter in. just need to stir it over the heat
You can melt it over the stove in a bowl that is heat proof. Put in over a saucepan with some water in it. Don’t let the water boil too vigorously and don’t let the water or steam get into the chocolate and butter bowl.
Hi Angela. You can melt them on the stove over medium low heat.
Thank you Annabell
You can also use water bath 😊 I used it yesterday and it worked perfectly
you can use it on the pan, just dont make it too hot, allow it to cool for some time. max – 15mins
You could always place a bowl over simmering water in a pot (don’t let the bowl touch the water) and melt gently this way. Best wishes!
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.
Hi Nagi! How big are the eggs used here? Thanks!
Hi! Such a great recipe I’ve been doubling it! Just wondering if you double this recipe does that change the cooking time?
Why do my brownies not get the crunchy too?
Oh my gosh, Nagi! I made the gluten free brownies last week and didn’t think they could be beaten but these brownies are amazing!!! So fudgey and chocolatey and dangerously good! Very very dangerous…
Fantastic easy recipe! First made these using milk chocolate and have since made them using dark chocolate, equally amazing.
Have made these brownies many times now and love them. My daughter and I have done many experiments with length of time cooked, how we store them, whether to warm them or not and serve with different accompaniments. All experiments have been successful! It just depends what you fancy.
I made this for my friends and we loved them. I topped the brownies with ice cream and blackberry drizzle. Not a crumb was left.
Thank you for adding images to the timing, this helps immensely when family chimes in wanting gooey but not too gooey😍
Hi Nagi and Dozer!!
I am 10 years old and making these easy brownies for the second time, they are soooo good and my brother ate more than I did last time so I will hide them from him! 🤣💞
These brownies are wonderful. Nice and chocolaty and super moist. Yum!!!
Hello, Nagi-san.
Your ingredient lists are great (love that you recommend one type of product over another, with an explanatory note as to why), and your step-by-step instructions are easy to follow (even for total novices like me!).
One suggestion: would you please consider having a list of accoutrements (equipment to the uninitiated), so that we can have everything at hand prior to starting – and not have to go digging around in a cupboard or drawer for an essential item at the most inopportune time?!
Many thanks!
Hi,
How deep was your brownie pan? Trying to determine how I should adjust my cooking time for a 1.5cm deep pan
Oh my goodness, this is the best out of the very few good recipes for I have found.
I now know who I can trust with a reliable recipe for all my baked goods. Thank you❤️
Amazing brownies, had it with vanilla ice cream!