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 just made this recipe today and the brownies have turned out amazingly delicious and perfect! The recipe is easy to follow and my husband said they are the best brownies he’s ever eaten! haha Thanks for a great, easy to follow recipe!
You’re so welcome Jess! N x
These are delish! We love them. Thanks!
You’re so welcome Ted! N x
Hi Nagi, baked this twice and both times came out delicious! Can I simply double the ingredients for a bigger batch?
Hi Gwen, not sure how it would go cooking as the edges would cook through and dry out before the centre – but definitely doable in 2 separate pans 🙂 N x
Hi Nagi! I’ve always absolutely loved your recipes and all that I’ve tried so far has never failed so far.
I tried making the brownies over the weekend and a very weird thing happened which has left me puzzled.
When the brownies were baking in the oven, the whole mixture became a bubbling pool of oil.
As I don’t own a microwave, I melted the butter & choclate on the stove top with very low flame. Could that have been the cause of my failure?
Hi C! I’ve only had that happen to me once and it’s because I didn’t mix the batter properly. What’s happened is that the fat has split from the batter. When that happens, you end up with a crispy top instead of the paper thin flakes, right?? Lesson I learned when I was lazy with the mixing! Still ok inside?? 🙂 N x
Inside became rather dense almost cakey. But still tastes amazing 🙂
Amazing I loved them. Also used this as a last minute birthday present for a friend
And food is the BEST present (especially chocolate food…) N x
Hi Nagi! Your recipes are our go to all the time! Never fails! Thank you! I wonder if you can also make chocolate crinkles? There’s a lot of recipes out there but I’m looking for a technique that will give us a soft and fudgy inside and nice looking crinkle and crunchy top. 😊
Ohh yum! In the mean time – try these: https://lean-target.today/brownie-cookie-sandwich-peanut-butter-frosting/%3C/a%3E N x
Can’t wait to try out this recipe but am not able to get any cocoa powder… any substitute that you could recommend? Thanks!
HI Miche, sorry you need the cocoa powder for this one – N x
We have tried it twice now, the first time the butter and the chocolate chips didn’t combine and the final product turned into goop – good tasting but no squares available, we mooshed into a Tupperware sandwich container where it finally solidified. We wondered if maybe us trying to replace the eggs might have been part of the issue (Mom is allergic).
We tried the second time tonight, followed the recipe to the letter. It looked great, it mixed well, we put it in the oven for 28 minutes – and it came out with the center swimming. We left it in a few minutes and then pulled it and waited the times indicated – and the center stayed wet (and there was butter dripping everywhere! I had to eventually switch it to a plate and nuke it in the microwave for 2min to get it to set. What did we do wrong?? ☹️
Hi Desiree, not too sure if the egg replacement affected the batter (sounds like it did) but the second attempt makes think you have a problem with your oven thermostat! N x
Looks amazing and can’t wait to try these
I hope you do Emily, you’ll love them! N x
This looks amazing! Do you know if I can I use only egg whites, without the yolk? I have 4 left-over egg whites from cooking a carbonara and I really want to put them to good use. Thanks!
I haven’t tried just with the whites sorry – what about Pavlova or mousse Janice!!
This is the brownie I’ve been searching for all my life! It’s like a fudgy brownie pudding combination and so sinfully rich. Super easy to make. I baked the minimum time as I have a convection oven and it was perfect for that gooey but done. So so yummy!
I’m so glad you loved them Frances! N x
Hi Nagi,
Can i use superfine wheat flour instead of plain flour?
Hi Lili, I imagine that would work fine! N x
These are amazing! From one chocoholic to another, thank you.
Excellent Margy!!! N x
Oh Nagi, this is everything a brownie should be. Crisp on the top, moist and fudgey on the inside. Made it late at night after I had a serious case of brownie deficiency. Happy to say I’m cured. 29 mins is my magic number.
Wahoo, that’s great Felicia!! Don’t forget the ice cream on top 😉
These are genuinely fantastic brownies. Just perfect. And so easy. I love that you give different cook times. Everyone loved them.
Wahoo, that’s great to hear Alexa! N x
Hello, Nagi, I found your blog when I was in Australia visiting my daughter who lives in Sydney and my three grandchildren. I was looking for a baked panko crusted chicken tender recipe to make for them. They loved it!
I want to try the easy chocolate brownie recipe next. I am in lock down in San Antonio, Texas when I should be visiting Australia. So I am cooking a lot. I am looking forward to trying as many of your recipes as I can. Thank you!
I hope you try it and love it Nancy!! N x
Oh my..amazing
Will never buy box mix again.
No way! Homemade is so much better! N x
Hi Nagi, I’ve loved so many of your recipes but I just tried this with flaxseed egg substitute (because of an egg allergy) and it doesnt seem to have baked very well. Lots of butter bubbling during baking left me with tons of holes on top of my brownies. Any idea what could be used as a better substitute?
Taste was very good but the brownie was very crumbly and did not hold together
Hi Kimmie, sorry it didn’t work out – I haven’t tried with any egg substitutes sorry! N x
Hi kimmie,
I know I’m not Nagi but a good substitute would be self-raising flour! Eggs help the brownie to rise, so instead of plain flour use self raising, but double the amount, so do 1 cup self raising 🙂
Hey Nagi, I was just wondering if I could use white sugar instead as I ran out of brown
Hi Reet, I prefer brown as it is what keeps them moist – however if you need to use white, just use the same weight of sugar in its place. N x
Would the reciepe need to be adjusted for high altitude? I am at 5,000 feet. thanks
Hi Stacy, possibly, I can’t test it though. Would love to know if it works! N x
I tried and I don’t think it was altitude, I may have got the butter too hot. They did not set up right. Not thick enough. Did not sink but spongy. Had good taste so may try again.