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?
I look forward to make this but I can’t find the Lindt dessert premium dark block? And what cocoa powder do you use?
Hi El, it’s optional – any block of dark chocolate will work fine here. I also use regular cocoa powder, any brand will be fine. N x
The most amazing brownies I’ve EVER tasted. Taste like they’ve come from a cake shop!
It’s the BEST!This recipe is perfect for any dessert or chocolate lover.👍👌
You are an angel! You have the most amazing recipes and they come out perfect every time! I always come back to your website its pretty much the only one I use haha!
Keeping cooking amazing food, because i know my little family love it xx
P.S these brownies were mouth watering
I make these all the time and they’re my fav! Im making them
For an afternoon tea hen party and would like to double the recipe should I double everything exactly?
Hi Danielle, if you have two pans you can double the ingredients exactly and cook as per the recipe! N x
Hi Nagi. I have a 7×7 inch baking tray. Shall I reduce the recipe or bake longer or in 2 batches?
Hi Salma, that’s fine, they will be slightly thicker, but cook as per the recipe. N x
Hi Nagi, I love all your recipes. I made your chocolate brownie recipe tonight & my brownie came out with a layer of oil on top. The oil disappeared after a few second though. Do you know why that happened? Thanks,
I want to half the batch would I then use 1 or 2 eggs?
Hi Sophie, you would use 1.5 eggs, crack them into a dish and weigh them, then whisk and measure out 1 1/2 in grams. N x
Hi Nagi. I did make this, so yummy. My daughter loves it. Can I use this recipe for chocolate cupcakes? Thanks.
Hi Lana, they don’t rise enough for cupcakes unfortunately, try this recipe: https://lean-target.today/best-easy-chocolate-cupcakes/%3C/a%3E N x
Nagi, I love your recipes. I have tried Mango Cheese cake, Apple crumble, strawberry cheese cake, apple cake, apple muffins and now these brownies… you are amazing!!! ♥️ Lots of love and well wishes.
Wow, amazing recipe. Looking forward to make this tommorow.
Enjoy Abigail!! N x
Fab recipe so easy and delish. I’ve made a second batch two days later as my family loved them so much. Thanks Nagi! We love your recipes
My kids made these tonight, so yummy!
Yes! So good and easy to make. Highly recommend 🙂
Hi Nagi, your recipe and pics look amazing! Is this recipe suitable to be made in Australia? Thanks, Bianca
Hi Bianca, I’m in Australia! It’s suitable to be made ANYWHERE! N x
Awesome!! Thanks for your reply! Looking forward to giving them a go!! 🙂
I’m not a huge fan of dark chocolate. Can I swap with semi sweet?
It will be too sweet in this recipe sorry! N x
Hi Nagi, I can’t wait to make this recipe. Is the cocoa supposed to be sweetened or unsweetened? Thanks!
Hi Christina, unsweetened here – N x
Tastes great Nagi, but I cooked to the 28min mark (160 fan forced oven) and the middle is totally raw. Like as in can’t pick it up off the paper.
Guess I should’ve left it in for another 5 mins? Top had set over though so thought it would be fine???
Hi Natalie, sounds like your oven may run slightly cool – you can always check with a skewer to make sure it’s just set before removing from the oven. – N x
I think you maybe right Nagi, I will remember the skewer trick you mentioned next time.
Thanks again for all the awesome recipes! Your page is the best x
I have this problem every time I try to bake cakes in my oven! Cooks around the edges and is always raw in the middle. Ugh!!
yummy & easy thankyou
Hi Nagi, I’m your follower and has tried a few of your savory recipes. thanks for the super easy recipe. I made some modification to your recipe to use up my ripe bananas and walnuts & reduced the sugar to just 4 tbsp. And baked for 43 mins as I’ve used a push pan. The result is super fudgy and still sweet. Thanks!