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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Amazing recipe! I used milk chocolate chips and white chocolate chips as an alternative to the original recipe. I added the white chocolate on top, and to make the full 200gs of chocolate. Would recommend 1000%. Only thing is the batter may seem gooey, but it will harden.
I absolutely love this fail proof recipe. I cook mine for 22 minutes, let them cool in the tin and then let them set in the fridge overnight. Perfect, fudgy brownies.
Love your recipes and all that you do! Just having some trouble with the brownie recipe. Can’t seem to get it cooked in the middle. Tried cooking it for longer but then the edges start to burn. I’ll keep trying but any tips you could give me please??
I’ve made these brownies many times over… yummy…..my favourite brownie recipe…. nice with added pecans
Hi there, can you use light brown sugar here? Or does it have to be regular brown sugar please?
I’m always trying new recipes..and these brownies are delicious..thankyou..
Brilliant recipe. Makes amazing brownies every time. A form favourite in our house.
I’ve made this brownie several times now and it always turns out so good even though I always just use eating chocolate. Brought some to work this time and everyone loved it. Confirmed best ever 🙂
Best brownie recipe I’ve ever made. Delicious result, easy to make, I added in 100g peanut butter and 100g chocolate chips in the first step and still amazing!
They are so good
The best brownie recipe ever. makes the most delicious brownies. Thank you For sharing.
Have made this 3 times in the last week with the kids. This is now our go to recipe.
I make them on my own and I’m 11. they are amazing also super easy
USER ERROR? Made these yesterday for my family in an 8x8x2, ONLY CHANGED THE DARK CHOCOLATE CHIPS TO SEMI SWEET, cooked until the center was giving me ‘super fudgey’ on the toothpick, then left it in a few more minutes and took it out. i knew something looked wrong but chalked it to my inexperience with baking, but when i went to cut into a few hours later, it was raw. preheated to 350° and threw it in for 10 minutes, still raw, put it in another 10 minutes and there was oil sizzling inside my dish, so 20 extra minutes at 350°, still was not giving me a clean cut or crinkly top, so at that point i was like “what’s the worst that could happen” and threw it in at 375° for 10 minutes and at that point i was giving up, i don’t know what i did to have to add 20 extra minutes plus 10 at 375°, the only possible thing is switching dark chocolate chips for semi sweet. where did i go wrong?
Hi! I followed the recipe exactly except for the chocolate chips which I subbed out for chopped peanuts- the result was spongy and lost its sweetness? If anyone has any idea what happened please let me know!
Literally every time I have made this, people want the recipe! Happy to send them your way, Nagi, you are my go-to for all recipes now 😊
Very chocolatey and fudgey, quick and easy recipe. Simple to follow
All I can say is, these are the best Brownies ever. I have made them before and never made a comment. Thank you Nagi for the best ever recipes.
I made this for fathers day!! My dad really enjoyed your a big insperation Nagi!! <3 Hopefully I can get your cookbook one day! Hopefully Nagi see's this.
So delicious and forgiving. I forgot to add eggs, so halfway pouring batter into the pan, I realised! So, batter out again, mixing in the eggs! Still tastes like baked heaven!