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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By far the best recipe I tried! A bit short but I guess I should put a bit more. BUT, it was soft and moist inside and crunchy on top
this brownie recipe turn out perfect reconmaed 100%
I cannot believe how easy this was and the result was mindblowing! I cannot get proper fudgy brownies where i live (Budapest!!) and i am so thankful for this recipe. I might reduce the amount of flour next time as mine rose more than Nagi’s.
Did you use self raising/rising flour? That would definitely cause them to rise more in the oven. If so, switch to plain/all purpose flour x
Delicious recipe! it was so fudgy, will make it again.
What a great recipe! The top was crispy, the brownie has a fudgy texture. It’s perfect with a coffee but would be a real indulgence served with vanilla ice cream.
Next time I’ll add some chopped walnuts.
These are addictive!
I actually veganized the recipe by subbing the three eggs with 9 tablespoons of aquafaba (chickpea brine) whisked with 3 teaspoons of McKenzie’s Egg Replacer powder, and the butter with Nuttelex ‘Buttery’. For the (melted) chocolate I used Pana Organic dark baking chocolate, and for the chocolate chunks I used Lindt 70% Smooth Blend.
Everything turned out perfectly, and they were demolished by both vegans and non-vegans! Definitely my go-to brownie recipe now 🙂
I guess you meant a tin pan seriously. I baked it in glass and cooking time was doubled.😔
Love this recipe. I have tried other recipes but always failed but I have nailed this one, she keeps nagging me to make more 🙂 Thank you x
This was sooo good and crunchy at the top soft in the middle
Nice
Not sure what I did wrong, I only baked for 24 minutes, but my brownies came out cake like, and can taste the eggs- almost like an omelette.
can you use gluten free flour Bob’s red mill GF all purpose flour) in place of the all purpose?
Hi Nagi, I’ve made several of your recipes and loved them, but I made your Easy Chocolate Brownies and they looked all bubbly on top with heaps of butter lying around the edges. This was absorbed when cold, but the brownies are very greasy and not pleasant to eat. I checked the amount of butter and all ingredients, which were correct. What did I do wrong? I cooked it for 28 mins at 180C.
So deliciously good that I went over my Glucose Tolerance Level. Had to hit that treadmill for a good hour to bring it back down!😩
The best brownies ever! I sub in walnuts instead of chopped chocolate for the fun texture.
…I did try to make these with besan flour (for protein) and it did NOT work I do not recommend this substitution, lesson learned! 😂😂
stuck to recipe exactly, added baking milk chocolate chips before placing in oven.
sensational !!
Still scrumptious after 4 days
I salute your self control
The perfect brownie recipe!! I always thought brownies are tricky to bake, but this was was as simple as it can get. Delicious fudgy moist brownies that just make you fell like an ace baker. Thanks Nagu for all these simple recipes!
These turned out amazing. Definitely recommend trying this recipe <3
Hiya, any way I can get a crunchier top without affecting the gooey-ness?
Delicious brownies and so easy to make, will definitely make these again.
Love the recipe. Amazing fudgy brownies. However everytime I make them instead of getting that nice crackle on top mine has lots of bubbles after baking it. Have played with the temp, baking time, diff pans, using a whisk and a spatula but always same results. Bubble instead of a nice crackle on top. Any ideas on why this happens? And what can I do to fix it?
Delicious! I made this recipe gluten free by adding gf plain flour instead of regular flour and I didn’t need to make any other changes. They turned out just like the picture 😊
Have you tried slamming the tray a few times to bring out air in the mixture before baking?
I see your Chocolate brownie recipe has no baking powder or baking soda is this correct?
Also not sure if the recipe says 9 does that mean it makes 9 pieces or 16 pieces. Usually a brownie recipe makes 16 squares.
I loved this recipe i made it for my daughters birthday party the cake was bearly touched everyone was munching on the brownies
I’ve been feeling a bit down lately due to illness and I thought I’d cheer myself up with some delicious brownies. I didn’t realise that reading the comments would cheer me up more than the chocolate hit! I can’t stop laughing at this comment. Is it just me?! Maybe I’ve had too much sugar.