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.
Jamie
I made these today and they turned out perfect! When I was making these, I thought, I wonder how many chocolate chips you keep on hand for all of your recipes?!
Sam
Hi Jamie! I am so glad you enjoyed the brownies so much. I typically have a wholllleee lot of chocolate chips on hand. You never know when you are going to need to baker yourself something right? 🙂
Teresa
I just made these with a little variation 😁 I didn’t have chocolate chips so I used white chocolate chips! I also added chopped pecans and Heath bits! Yes I have a sweet tooth 🙄 they were delicious!!!
Sam
I a so glad you enjoyed the brownies, Teresa! 🙂
Amanda
Just got these out of the oven and can’t wait to try them! I had sweet mint infused sugar and homemade mint extract. I exchanged these for the sugar and vanilla (doubling the extract). The batter had a light minty taste. The dough was amazing!
Sam
I am so glad you enjoyed the brownies, Amanda! 🙂
Lisa
Hi Sam!! This brownie recipe looks AWESOME, and I’d love to use this instead of chocolate cake in a layered ice cream cake! Will they be too moist to cut horisontally into multiple layers?
Sam
I think if you refrigerate the brownies first so you should be able to cut them horizontally. I hope that helps!
Karen
Hi!
Wondering if I could substitute the butter with maybe 1/2 cup of oil but I’m not sure if that would work well? Thoughts on this?
Sam
I wouldn’t recommend it for this recipe, sorry!
Patricia Staniforth
Just a quick couple of questions:
can i use these brownies as a base for a chocolate cake?
How long in advance can i make them?
Thanks!
Sam
Hi Patricia! I’m not quite sure what you mean by a base for a cake here. This recipe would certainly need some alterations to work as a cake. They will be good for at least a week at room temperature in an air tight container. 🙂
Daisy
I plan on making these brownies tonight..I just have one question about the butter I dont have unsalted butter is it okay to use salted butter and just skip the part where it says to add the salt?
Sam
Hi Daisy. You are correct. You can use salted butter and leave out the salt. Enjoy! 🙂
Breah
I love them best
Sam
Thank you so much, Breah! I am glad you enjoyed the brownies! 🙂
Angel Martin
Make these constantly. Perfect easy recipe, best brownies my husband and I have ever eaten. I like my brownies a little bitter so I double the instant coffee. Lol. That’s my only tweak.
Sam
I am so glad you enjoy the brownies so much, Angel! 🙂
Kelly
Best brownie recipe! The texture and consistency is perfect. Never buying a boxed brownie mix again. Thank you.
Sam
I am so glad you enjoyed the brownies, Kelly! Homemade is always better. 🙂
LilyB
Sam this brownie were delicious, I made them for an event and they were GONE GONE, my party was a success. thank you for sharing you recipe
Sam
I am so glad everyone enjoyed them, Lily! 🙂
Lynn Petersen
Hi Sam,
This is the best recipe ever because I have never been able to make brownies come out right! Thank you, thank you, thank you! The directions were clear and easy to follow. Now I have another recipe in my repertoire! 😉
Sam
Thank you so much, Lynn! 🙂 I’m glad you enjoyed them. 🙂
Trudy
I have a question about the sugar ingredient. Is the recipe using two different shade of sugar?
Sam
Hi Trudy! Yes you need granulated sugar as well as brown sugar in this recipe. 🙂
Mary Claire
These are amazing! My daughter has really gotten into baking lately and she made these today. They were so easy and the whole family loved them. My daughter said, “These are the best brownies I’ve ever had” and we have baked a lot of different brownies! Thank you for another tried and true recipe!
Sam
I am so glad everyone enjoyed them, Mary! 🙂
Devika Sen
Can the recipe be halved? Also why are we adding cocoa as well as chocolate?
Sam
Yes, if you have a pan small enough (or don’t mind thin brownies, just make sure to reduce the baking time accordingly). These are really chocolatey fudgy brownies, you need both for the full experience 🙂
Heather Killeen
Holy cow. I am a brownie fanatic, and I’ve tried MANY recipes, but yours is by far the richest, most decadent, intensely chocolatey brownies EVER. Perfect for heating and topping with vanilla ice cream (my only use for vanilla!)…I made a 9×9 pan, and it actually lasted for more than 1 and a half days in our house, which is miraculous, and a testament to how rich and satisfying these brownies are.
THANK YOU!
***Heather
Sam
I am so glad you enjoyed the brownies, Heather! 🙂
debbie Lurvey
I would like to make them but can I double it for a 9×13 I
never make brownies in that small size pan you should make the recipe so you can use a bigger pan for big families
Sam
Hi Debbie! Check the notes, it includes instructions for a 9×13. I come from a family of 8 and this recipe has worked pretty well for us 😉