Better than box-mix by a thousand miles, these easy brownies from scratch are made in just one bowl! They’re outrageously fudgy, chocolatey, and absolutely irresistible. Recipe includes a how-to video!
Never Buy a Box-Mix Again
Toss the box-mixes (and their artificial flavors and whatnot) and scrap any other brownie recipe you may have saved, today I’m introducing you to your new favorite. This is an easy recipe for one bowl, ridiculously fudgy, chocolate-chip-stuffed, brownies from scratch.
I shared this recipe years ago and it’s one of my personal favorites on the blog, a classic right up there with my “worst” chocolate chip cookies. It’s been used over and over again here as base of many of my other recipes (most deliciously, my cheesecake brownies) and is perfect for beginner and advanced bakers alike.
At its core, this is really a no-frills, easy brownie recipe that really needs little introduction, but if you’re like me and love nerding out about nitty gritty recipe details, please read on (otherwise, hit that big “Jump to Recipe” button overhead!
Why You’ll Love This Brownie Recipe:
- Easy! Comes together in just one bowl in 10 minutes. Minimal mess & no mixer needed!
- Intense chocolate flavor. True chocolate lovers will enjoy the rich, fudgy decadence of these brownies coupled with the added chocolate chips!
- Shiny, crackly tops. While this may merely be an aesthetic issue, everyone loves those shiny meringue-like tops and this recipe delivers!
- True brownie texture. They’re moist, dense and chewy, no cakey brownies here!
Ingredients
We won’t go over every ingredient in detail (who has the time when there are brownies to be made!), but I think you should know what it is that truly makes these the best brownies from scratch. The ingredients are common enough, but there are a few extras mixed in, along with a bit of technique… (more on that later). Let’s dig in.
- Sugar. A blend of granulated and brown sugar is the way to go in almost every recipe, honestly, but especially here. The subtle molasses-ness of the brown sugar rounds out the flavor of the chocolate and adds extra chew to our brownies!
- Eggs… plus an extra yolk! While egg whites are important here and help account for the meringue-like crackly top (coupled with the above sugar), adding a whole extra egg, yolk and call, would make these brownies cakey. Adding an extra egg yolk enriches the brownies and makes them more tender and fudgy!
- Chocolate. When I make brownies from scratch I don’t mess around. For a truly intense chocolate flavor, we build the brownies on a base of melted chocolate and butter and then toss in some cocoa powder while the mixture is still warm (to help bloom it, as we do in my chocolate cake). This gives us the richest, chocolatiest (I’m being told this isn’t a word, but you know what I mean!) results possible. Oh, and then we toss in some chocolate chips at the end, too!
- Instant coffee. If you prefer chocolate that’s a bit on the darker side, this is a must-add. Just half a teaspoon of instant coffee granules enhances the chocolate flavor, particularly the more bitter flavors that you’ll find in dark chocolate.
Sam’s Tip: Chocolate chips work just fine here, but when I have baking bars on hand I much prefer to use them instead (for melting with the butter). Use semisweet baking bars, or, if you like a darker chocolate, use 60% cacao instead!
How to Make Brownies from Scratch
- Melt together butter and chocolate chips (or chopped chocolate bar). I recently shared in my post on how to melt chocolate in the microwave that it’s critical you heat the mixture slowly and in short increments, stirring well in-between. That applies here as well!
- Stir in the cocoa and instant coffee right away, while the mixture is still warm.
- Stir in the sugars and then the eggs. Add the eggs one at a time and stir vigorously after each addition. Is it a bit of an arm workout, sure, but it’s worth it for those crackly tops!
- Add the vanilla and salt and, finally, flour. Stir very well, then stir in some chocolate chips, spread into a 9″ pan and bake until a toothpick comes out fudgy.
Just one bowl and 10 minutes and you’ll truly have the best brownies from scratch… or really just the best brownies, period.
Tips for Perfect Brownies
- Melt the butter and chocolate slowly. I touched on this above, but it’s worth reiterating. Heat the butter and chocolate in 15-20ish second increments and stir well in between. If your mixture becomes gritty or grainy, it’s been heated too quickly or for too long and will need to be tossed.
- Stir the eggs very well. This step helps to encourage those delicate meringue-like crackly tops. With many of my recipes (like my muffins) I encourage mixing gently and slowly, but there’s no need to worry about over-mixing here.
- Chill the dough… or don’t. This one’s optional, but it’s a step I used to use consistently when making brownies from scratch. Chilling the dough in the refrigerator for as little as 30 minutes or for as long as overnight can give you a fudgier brownie with a cracklier surface. This is a tip I learned long ago from Bon Appetit. I wanted to include this because I used to always chill my brownies before baking, but recently I’ve been skipping this step to save time, and honestly no one has noticed a difference.
- Don’t over-bake. This will yield dry, tough brownies. Always better to slightly under-bake rather than over-bake. Your toothpick should yield fudgy crumbs (not wet batter, and make sure you didn’t accidentally spear a chocolate chip with your toothpick!). A completely clean toothpick indicates brownies that may be over-done.
FAQ
An extra egg yolk, a bit of brown sugar, real melted chocolate, a bit less flour than you might expect, and no baking powder or baking soda all contribute to the rich fudginess of these brownies. If your brownies turn out cakey after following my recipe, it may be that your flour was accidentally over-measured.
After lots and lots of testing, I can definitively say that butter yields the best flavor, the best crackly tops, and the best texture. While there’s a case to be made for substituting a small bit of the butter with some oil and most box-mixes do best with oil, I recommend using all butter when making brownies from scratch (and even recommend this in my homemade brownie mix).
Unfortunately, a straight substitution of the chocolate called for with white chocolate yields results that are too sweet and a bit oily. This is due to the ingredients that make up white chocolate. However, I do have a white chocolate brownie recipe that I recommend you try instead, or for a chocolate-less version try my blondies!
This is truly the easiest, ultimate, best brownie recipe. And I really think you are going to love it.
Enjoy!
Let’s bake together! I’ll be walking you through all the steps in my written recipe and video below! If you try this recipe, be sure to tag me on Instagram, and you can also find me on YouTube and Facebook
Brownies from Scratch
Ingredients
- 12 Tablespoons (170 g) unsalted butter cut into Tablespoon-sized pieces
- ½ cup (100 g) semisweet chocolate chips or you may use a 4 oz semisweet baking bar, chopped
- ½ cup (50 g) natural cocoa powder (unsweetened)
- ½ teaspoon instant coffee grounds optional
- ¾ cup (150 g) sugar
- ¾ cup (150 g) light brown sugar firmly packed
- 2 large eggs + 1 large egg yolk
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 cup (125 g) all-purpose flour
- ¾ cup (150 g) semisweet chocolate chips
Recommended Equipment
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350F and line a 9×9 baking pan¹ with parchment paper²
- Combine butter and ½ cup (100g) semisweet chocolate chips in a large, microwave-safe bowl.12 Tablespoons (170 g) unsalted butter, ½ cup (100 g) semisweet chocolate chips
- 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.½ cup (50 g) natural cocoa powder (unsweetened), ½ teaspoon instant coffee grounds
- Add sugars, stir until completely combined.¾ cup (150 g) light brown sugar, ¾ cup (150 g) sugar
- 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).2 large eggs + 1 large egg yolk
- Stir in vanilla extract and salt.1 teaspoon vanilla extract, ½ teaspoon salt
- Add flour, stir until completely combined. You cannot overmix this batter, make sure it is mixed very well.1 cup (125 g) all-purpose flour
- Stir in chocolate chips.¾ cup (150 g) semisweet chocolate chips
- Spread into prepared 9×9 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.
Notes
¹Using different pans
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. I used a metal baking pan for this recipe, if you opt to use a glass dish keep in mind that the brownies may need to bake for longer.²Greasing the pan
Alternatively you may lightly grease the pan with butter — the parchment paper is a little wiggly when you’re trying to spread your batter into it, but I prefer it for ease of cleanup.Adding nuts
You may add chopped nuts to this recipe if you would like. Stir up to ¾ 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!Storing
Store brownies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days.Nutrition
Nutritional information is based on third-party calculations and should be considered an estimate only. Actual nutritional content will vary based upon brands used, measuring methods, cooking method, portion sizes, and more.
I originally shared these brownies from scratch on 02/01/2017. Recipe remains the same, but I’ve updated some of the photos and added a video and tried to make the post itself more informative.
JosieR
Hi, Sam– This is a wonderful recipe for homemade brownies. I am making them for my husband’s Men’s Club at our church tomorrow night–I made them once before for friends and I knew that this was the recipe I wanted to use for the Men’s Club. Thank you for all the great recipes and ideas!
Sugar Spun Run
Thank you so much for using my recipe again, Josie! I hope that they are a hit at the men’s club! 🙂
BW
I followed this recipe exactly as the recipe states and they came out good. BUT. The notes say if you bake in a glass dish the time should be 16-18 minutes. I checked after 20 and it wasn’t even warm yet. 10 more minutes: was soup then. 10 more minutes: beginning to fill out the pan but no way close to being done. I turned the heat up to 400F and did another 24 mins (checking 3 times at 8-minute intervals) and they finally set up and cooked. So in a glass 13×9 pan, total cooking time was 40 mins at 350F and 24 mins at 400F and they were still so gooey and runny it was more like lava cake than brownies, even after cooling on a rack for 30 mins. The best part is that crispy crust. Yum! The recipe is also sickeningly sweet. Next time I will probably cut the sugar by at least half, but that’s just me. If you like your treats so sweet it hurts, you will probably like this as is. I also butter the pan before placing parchment paper in so it isn’t as “wiggly”. I don’t know why, but my batter looked nothing like the video, it was very thick and didn’t pour out at all– more like a thick ball of dough I had to scrape out with a spatula and spread around. They have great flavor. The coffee adds a delicious flavor note and with the recipe so cloyingly sweet it really needs that subtle bitter note for balance. I also used salted butter so did not add any extra salt and that was fine. Will definitely make again but will adjust sweetness and cooking time & temperature so we don’t have to wait more than two hours for brownies between chilling time, cooking time, and cooling time. May try again without chocolate chips because they are so gooey already it just seemed like overkill. YMMV
Sam
Hi BW! I think you mis-read, the recipe actually states the brownies will need to bake longer in a glass dish. The 16-18 minutes is if you are baking in a 9×13 pan. If you are using a glass 9×13 pan they may need more time than the 16-18 indicated, but only a few minutes and definitely not over an hour. If you were using a 9×13 glass pan, something was definitely wrong if it took 64 minutes total. Between your description of the amount of time it needed to bake, the lava cake consistency, and the fact that your batter looked nothing like mine makes me think that something must have been mis-measured, I am wondering if maybe the chocolate was? It might be worth trying again. I really hope that helps and am happy to troubleshoot further.
BW
The note stating that a glass 9×13 pan takes longer than 16-18 minutes is why I didn’t check them the first time until 20 mins had passed. That’s four minutes past the low estimate so I thought it’d be a good place to start checking. But they took forever. And if I hadn’t turned up to 400F they might not have cooked at all. When following recipes, I always employ the mise-en-place method, so everything is laid out in order before I ever even begin. That way I don’t miss ingredients and I can see exactly where I am in a recipe at every step. So I know I got everything together in order in the right proportions, and I know I followed the steps. I measured with cups but weighed the chocolate chips in grams. They were still really tasty and the crust was excellent. I have never commented on any recipe before posting this but felt I needed to since the oven time was so drastically different. I wonder if my fridge is cooler than yours and it slowed them down that much more by chilling?
Sam
I am very glad you still enjoyed them! Even if they’d been chilled overnight it still shouldn’t have taken that long for them to bake. I’m really not sure what might have happened, but that’s not typical.
Lauren E
Hey Sam,
Can I use the same baking bar I used for the lava cakes? 60% Ghirardelli? Or do you think that will be too bitter?
Sugar Spun Run
Hi, Lauren! I think that 60% Ghiradelli will be fine. Keep me posted on how they turn out. 🙂
Dzeni
Hi Sam, love your recipes. I was wondering how much should I increase ingredients for pan size 21×15 (55x40cm)? Ty
Sugar Spun Run
Hi, Dzeni! It really depends on how thick you’d like your brownies. If doubled, this would fit a 9″ x 13″ pan perfectly. I have not baked it in a 21″ x 15″ pan myself, so my best guess would be to triple the recipe. Since I have not tried it myself, I can not provide you an exact bake time so I recommend that you keep an eye on it. Keep me posted on how your brownies turn out and what worked well. 🙂
Sandy
What brand pan is your favorite for baking these (Amazon?) and what other recipes do you use it for? Ok for lasagna or casseroles?
Sam
Hi Sandy! I prefer to use glass Pyrex dishes for lasagna or casseroles, for these brownies I usually use a Chicago Metallics 9″ metal baking pan, though I also like Oxo and Wilton. I hope that helps!
Cathi Koenig
Hi, I haven’t used this recipe yet but have added coffee before and it
amazingly enriches chocolate ! Can’t wait to try these !
(But I will lessen the sugar a bit)
Thanks !
Sugar Spun Run
Coffee makes such a difference. I hope that you enjoy the brownies when you do try it, Cathi! 🙂
Ashley
Could I use a milk chocolate baking bar instead of semi sweet? Thanks in advance!
Sugar Spun Run
Hi, Ashley! That will be fine. I hope that you enjoy them. 🙂
Jessy
I doubt anyone will read this today but I am bringing to a superbowl party later; should I chill after baking before using cookie cutters? Thanks!
Sugar Spun Run
Hi, Jessy! Chilled or room temperature brownies will be easier to cut using a cookie cutter. I hope that everyone loves them at your super bowl party! 🙂
Colleen
You were right I just made these brownies tonight and they are pet gooey Crinkled top Chocolate brownies!!🙂👍 .Ive tried many recipes but by far these are the best! I followed the directions exactly and these are perfectThank You for sharing!! ❤️❤️❤️.
Sugar Spun Run
Thank you so much, Colleen! I am so happy that the brownies turned out perfectly and that you enjoyed them. 🙂
Michelle
Am I refrigerate the batter overnight? And should I cover with plastic wrap?
Sugar Spun Run
You should be safe to store the brownie batter overnight as long as it is covered, Michelle. I hope that you enjoy them! 🙂
Diana De Vecchi
My batter was very thick, is this how it’s suppose to be? Thank you
Sugar Spun Run
Hi, Diana! Yes, the brownie batter is pretty thick. On the recipe post itself, you can watch the video to get a good idea of just how thick it is so you can compare it to yours. I hope that this helps! Let me know how they turn out! 🙂
Diana
You were right, they were the best brownies ever!! My family loved them!! Thank you😊
Sugar Spun Run
That is wonderful, Diana! I am so glad that everyone loved them! Thank you for trying my recipe. 🙂
Marcia
Is the bottom supossed to be firm?
Sam
Hi Marcia! I’m not sure exactly what you mean, the texture is pretty much the same throughout. The brownies should be firm enough to hold, but their texture is pretty fudgy and chewy.
Donna L Coleman
👏👏👏Yay…thank 😘you…walking into the kitchen now 🚶♀️🥄😋💗
Sugar Spun Run
I hope that you enjoy the brownies, Donna! Let me know how they turn out. 🙂
Donna L Coleman
Can I use salted butter?
Sugar Spun Run
Hi, Donna! Yes, you can. If you do, you just want to omit the additional salt listed on the recipe. I hope you enjoy the brownies. 🙂
Jennifer P
I made these because your biscuit recipe is by far the easiest & the best I’ve ever had or made HANDS DOWN!!!! They were so amazing!!! I didn’t have enough chocolate chips so I omitted the 3/4 cup & I used some cold brew I had instead of instant. I didn’t have enough brown sugar so I used tourmaline. My batter was not nearly as runny as yours I think because I added the flour in portions because I’m really messy & or because I added my eggs cold. Idk… I also added marshmallows that I needed to get rid of. But I’m telling you these still turned out MARVELOUS!!!!!! I can’t wait to make them the right way!!! I’ll # you on my instagram tomorrow when I post them!!!
Sam
I’m so happy you enjoyed the brownies, Jennifer! Love the addition of the marshmallows (and thank you for sharing your other substitutions, too!). I’ll look for them on Instagram, thank you so much for commenting, and Happy New Year!! 🙂