Better than box-mix by a thousand miles, these easy homemade brownies from scratch are made in one bowl and are supremely chocolaty, fudgy, and entirely addictive. This might just be the best brownie recipe in the world!
The Best Brownie Recipe (Seriously!)
If I were asked to sum up the past two weeks or so of my life in a single word, it would be Brownies. In a sentence: OMG, somebody help me, I am drowning in brownies.
There’s been a lot of testing. I made six batches of brownies in a single night, none of them perfect. I think I made nearly 20 batches in a single weekend.
I was on a mission, because I wanted to give you a fudgy brownie recipe, a chewy brownie recipe, a one-bowl brownie recipe from scratch. It needed to be easy, and it needed to be chocolaty. Is there anything else I can italicize?
And finally, after lots of stress, lots of Pandora-soundtracked baking sessions and collective hours of Leia pouting that I wouldn’t play tug with her, the ultimate easy, one bowl brownies from scratch have arrived.
A Recipe Worth Making Again & Again
I originally shared this recipe with you a few years ago, and since then it’s received rave five star reviews and more fan mail than just about any other recipe on my site (except maybe my worst chocolate chip cookies). And I get it, they’re that good.
With a thin, delicate, slightly crinkly meringue-esque crackle-top that gives way to a decadently rich, chewy, moist brownie center. Brownies so insanely chocolatey, they are a chocoholic’s dream.
Today I’m re-sharing this recipe with some updated photos and a video as well as tips and tricks. At its core, this is a no-frills, easy brownie recipe that really needs little introduction or explanation, but if you’re like me and love nerding out about nitty gritty recipe details, read on.
So What Makes these the BEST Brownies From Scratch?
Intense Chocolate Flavor — These brownies are made with melted chocolate (either chips or a chocolate bar) and cocoa powder, which are blended together in such a way to bring out the richest, chocolatiest flavor possible.
We’re also adding a sprinkle of instant coffee which will not make these brownies taste like coffee, but will enhance that chocolate flavor even more. And I haven’t even mentioned yet that we’re tossing in even more chocolate (chips) before all is said and done.
Two Types of Sugar — Many brownie recipes stick to white granulated sugar only. Here, we’re using a blend of granulated and brown sugar. The molasses in the brown sugar helps to not only enrich the flavor of the brownies, but also to make them more moist and chewy than they would be otherwise.
An Extra Egg Yolk — While egg whites often add airiness and levity to our baked goods, yolks help to make them more tender and richer. Since we want dense, chewy brownies, we’re tossing in an extra yolk to help with the texture, but leaving out the egg white, which could make these brownies more cakey rather than chewy.
Tips for Making the Best Brownies
Melt Chocolate and Butter Gradually. When melting your butter and chocolate together, make sure to heat in brief spurts (about 15-20 second intervals) stirring well in between. Heating everything at once for a long period of time 1) increases the chance that the butter will explode all over your microwave 😫and 2) makes it more likely that your chocolate will get too hot and will seize (/it’ll be grainy and won’t be usable). Go slowly and stir often!
Add Cocoa Powder While Butter and Chocolate are Warm. Immediately after melting together butter and chocolate, stir in your cocoa powder. Combining the cocoa powder with the warm butter and chocolate encourages the cocoa to “bloom” (I talk about blooming cocoa powder more in my chocolate cake recipe). This infuses your brownie batter with an intensely rich chocolate flavor that you wouldn’t achieve by simply sifting cocoa into your flour.
Stir Your Eggs Really, Really Well. This helps to encourage those delicate, crackly brownie tops. With a lot of my recipes (like my muffin recipes) I recommend mixing cautiously and slowly. No need to worry about over-mixing when it comes to brownies!
Chilling — An Optional Step. I know a lot of my cookie recipes call for chilling, but have you ever chilled your brownie batter? During my brownie-recipe-research, I spotted a few suggestions to chill the batter before baking. Fudgier brownies, crinklier tops, richer taste, and more were promised by simply chilling the brownie batter in the fridge.
Bon Appetit suggests refrigerating for at least an hour and up to 24 hours, but I hardly have the patience for that. However, I did find that 15 minutes in the fridge seemed to yield extra fudgy brownies with shinier, cracklier tops, so I’ve included chilling as an optional step in the brownie recipe below.
OK and just one more thing!
Slightly under-bake your brownies. Just ever so slightly, just enough that there are still some moist crumbs on your toothpick when you test the brownies. Normally we look for a clean toothpick when baking, now we’re looking one with moist crumbs (but not liquid batter). We want chewy, moist brownies, so just slightly under-baked is perfect. Plus, your brownies will continue to cook slightly as they cool out of the oven.
This is truly the easiest, ultimate, best brownie recipe. And I really think you are going to love it. Enjoy!
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Let’s bake together! Check out my how to make Brownies video at the bottom of the recipe! If you enjoy watching, make sure to subscribe to my YouTube channel!
The Best Brownie Recipe
Ingredients
- 12 Tablespoons unsalted butter cut into Tablespoon-sized pieces (170g)
- 1/2 cup semisweet chocolate chips (100g) or you may use a 4 oz semisweet baking bar, chopped
- 1/2 cup natural cocoa powder (unsweetened) (50g)
- 1/2 teaspoon instant coffee grounds optional
- 3/4 cup sugar (150g)
- 3/4 cup light brown sugar firmly packed (150g)
- 2 large eggs + 1 large egg yolk
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup all-purpose flour (125g)
- 3/4 cup semisweet chocolate chips (150g)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350F and line a 9x9 baking pan¹ with parchment paper²
- Combine butter and 1/2 cup (100g) semisweet chocolate chips in a large, microwave-safe bowl.
- Microwave for 30 seconds. Stir well, microwave for another 15 seconds and then stir well again. Repeat for 15 seconds until chocolate and butter are completely melted and well-combined.
- Add cocoa powder and instant coffee (if using), stir well.
- Add sugars, stir until completely combined.
- Add eggs, one at a time. After each addition, stir well, and then stir another 30 seconds (the better you stir your batter, the cracklier your brownie tops will be).
- Stir in vanilla extract.
- Sprinkle salt over batter and stir.
- Add flour, stir until completely combined. You cannot overmix this batter, make sure it is mixed very well.
- Stir in chocolate chips.
- Spread into prepared 9x9 or 13x9 pan.
- Optional, for crackle-topped brownies: Place pan with batter in refrigerator for 15-30 minutes to chill (you can skip this step if you don't have the patience to wait).
- Remove from refrigerator and bake on 350F (177C) for 30-35 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in center comes out slightly fudgy, but not wet with batter.
- Allow to cool before cutting and serving.
Video
Notes
Can I Add Nuts to this Brownie Recipe?
You may add chopped nuts to this recipe if you would like. Stir up to 3/4 cup of nuts in at the end with the chocolate chips (you may leave out the chocolate chips if you prefer). Pecans and/or walnuts make great additions!Nutrition
Treat yourself to a FREE E-BOOK!
I originally shared this Brownie Recipe 02/01/2017. Photos updated and video added 08/14/2019. Original photos below:
Stephanie says
October 5, 2019 at 11:36 amHi. I’m going to try this recipe. Can an 8×8 pan be used instead of the two sizes listed?
Sam says
October 5, 2019 at 6:40 pmAbsolutely, just keep in mind that the brownies will probably need to cook a bit longer. I hope you love them, Stephanie! 🙂
Stephanie says
October 6, 2019 at 9:32 amI made these in my 8×8. I added chopped pecans and drizzled some chocolate glaze on top when they cooled. They’re delicious! Thank you for the excellent recipe and thank you for answering my question!
Sugar Spun Run says
October 6, 2019 at 4:05 pmThank you, Stephanie! I am so glad that they turned out well and you enjoyed the brownies. 🙂
Kate says
September 20, 2019 at 7:55 pmHello.
Love the recipe but. It didn’t get a “crackle” top. Did I do something wrong ?
Thank you
Sam says
September 21, 2019 at 4:06 pmHmm, as long as they still taste good I would say you probably didn’t do anything wrong, but they usually do crackle for me. You could let the batter sit in the refrigerator a bit longer and see if that helps!
Kim says
September 11, 2019 at 2:52 pmIn the brownie recipe you video it looked as if you used 3 whole eggs? Also my batter did not pour out it was thick. I had to dump in and smooth out more like fudge. The are in fridge now. I will let you know how turned out.
Sugar Spun Run says
September 11, 2019 at 7:12 pmHello, Kim! The brownie recipe calls for 2 whole eggs and 1 egg yolk. The batter is very thick, so what you’re experiencing is normal. They should bake fine. Let me know how they turn out! Enjoy! 🙂
Megan says
September 10, 2019 at 3:25 pmI am either going to be making these today or tomorrow, and was wondering would adding caramel chips work? I have some left over from when I added them to your coconut cookies and being that I just made those recently, I want to change things up and not do another cookie. And I do love caramel!
Sugar Spun Run says
September 10, 2019 at 4:02 pmHello, Megan! They should work fine in your brownies. Let me know how it turns out! Enjoy! 🙂
Ellis D Padilla says
September 6, 2019 at 2:28 pmI made twice the amount, had to use a combo of bittersweet chocolate & semisweet & regular coffee. The brownies were a hit st the office, not too sweet, crunchy & fudgy. Thanks
Sugar Spun Run says
September 6, 2019 at 2:30 pmI am so happy that everyone enjoyed the brownies, Ellis! Thanks for the feedback. 🙂
Sheena says
September 5, 2019 at 8:14 amI’m wanting to make this in a sheet pan tonight as I need to make several. How should I adjust the cook time or any other adjustments?
Sheena says
September 5, 2019 at 8:16 am*I intend to double the recipe.
Nicole says
September 1, 2019 at 9:54 pmHoly Yum! 8 months pregnant and craving brownies, these hit the spot! When I started to read your recipe I was ecstatic that 1) I had all the ingredients and 2) you included instant coffee (which I think should be in every chocolate recipe).
I only had a 13×9 metal dish and it did take about an additional 6 minutes from recommenced time.
How am I not going to eat all of these tonight!
Sam says
September 2, 2019 at 5:41 pmThank you so much, Nicole! I am so glad you enjoyed the brownies so much! I know how that craving feeling goes. Some times you just HAVE to have brownies!! 🙂
Sonda says
September 1, 2019 at 2:47 pmWhat if I only have salted butter????
Sam says
September 1, 2019 at 4:59 pmHi Sonda! If you only have salted butter, you will want to increase the amount of salt you add to 3/4 teaspoon. Enjoy! 🙂
Sharon says
September 10, 2019 at 9:37 pmIncrease measured salt if using salted butter??
Sugar Spun Run says
September 11, 2019 at 7:31 amHello Sharon, If you’re using salted butter, I would decrease or eliminate the additional salt from the recipe. I hope that you enjoy the brownies. 🙂
Thomas says
August 31, 2019 at 10:51 pmThis really is the best brownie recipe!! I’ve always relied on boxes because 9 times out of ten they are the better. But I WILL NEVER BUY A BOX AGAIN!!! Sometimes I add peanut butter chips in too …. shhhh …
Sam says
September 1, 2019 at 5:04 pmThank you so much, Thomas! I am so glad you enjoyed the brownies so much. There’s nothing wrong with a little peanut butter and chocolate combination. 🙂
Maggie says
August 31, 2019 at 1:20 pmOne word comment!
Perfect!
Sam says
August 31, 2019 at 7:19 pmI’m so glad you enjoyed the brownies, Maggie! Thank you so much for commenting!
sarinya says
August 21, 2019 at 12:13 pmI just made these, and it turned out perfect!. Thank you so much! for all very helpful details. 🙂
Sugar Spun Run says
August 21, 2019 at 12:27 pmYou are so very welcome, Sarinya! I am so happy you enjoyed the brownies! 🙂
April says
August 22, 2019 at 11:55 amI don’t even know where to begin! I have up on making chocolate chip cookies and brownies because they never seemed to come out right. I have been a big fan of Allrecipes because the users feedback helped with the flaws in the recipes. But even then I have not been able to find good recipes for these 2 things. Until now. I am so glad I have found Sugar Run Spun. I have made the absolute best tasting /picture perfect cookies and brownies thanks to this site and no corrections were needed! The Worst Chocolate Chip Cookies and this brownie recipe are my ‘go-to’ recipes from now on! Thank you! It has never been ‘easier’. 🙂 I didn’t have a 9×9 so I had to use a metal 13×9 and it def took longer than 18 min but I just continued to bake in 3 min intervals until the toothpick came out crumbly – but it was worth the wait! (I know there’s a lot of variables with cook time). And I have read a trick to use a plastic knife for cutting and it keeps the brownies picture perfect. I have also tried the biscuits recipe from here and it is also my ‘go-to’ recipe! Great job!
Sugar Spun Run says
August 22, 2019 at 3:39 pmApril, thank you so much for your kind words! I am honored that you have chosen my cookie and brownie recipes as your “go-to’s.” I am so glad that you’ve had success with both. I try to make it easy, simple and delicious. Thank you for your support. Stay tuned… more recipes to come! 🙂
Rachel G says
August 21, 2019 at 1:16 amCan I eliminate the chocolate chips? I forgot them when I went to the grocery store!!
Sugar Spun Run says
August 21, 2019 at 5:58 amHello, Rachel! Yes you can! 🙂
Melissa Vargas says
August 21, 2019 at 3:42 pmI like more cake like brownies…how should I change them?
Thank you.
Melis
Sugar Spun Run says
August 22, 2019 at 3:30 pmHello, Melissa! Unfortunately, I don’t have recommendations to make them more cake-like, as these brownies come out more on the fudgy side.
Raz Sey says
August 27, 2019 at 12:44 amUsing 3 eggs instead of 2 +yolks! More cake like!
Cassidy says
August 20, 2019 at 12:33 pmGreat recipe! Made these last night and they turned out perfect 😊
Sugar Spun Run says
August 20, 2019 at 12:39 pmHooray! I am so happy you loved the brownies, Cassidy! 🙂
Esther says
August 19, 2019 at 2:34 pmWould making these brownies in a 9×13 pan, affect the amount for the ingredients?
Sugar Spun Run says
August 19, 2019 at 2:47 pmHello, Esther! Yes, this recipe can also be made in a 13×9 pan, it will need to bake for about 16-18 minutes in a 13×9. Let me know how your brownies turn out! 🙂
Jerreka Hawkins says
August 19, 2019 at 8:55 amHello Sam, I’m getting to make these brownies today. And I’ll give you a update on them later.😊
Sugar Spun Run says
August 19, 2019 at 11:27 amI can not wait to hear how they turn out!