Fudgy Homemade Brownies from Scratch

Better than box-mix by a thousand miles, these easy homemade brownies from scratch are outrageously fudgy, chocolatey, and absolutely irresistible. Recipe includes a how-to video!

Course brownies, Dessert

Cuisine American

Prep Time 10

Cook Time 30

Total Time 40

Servings brownies

Calories 284kcal

Author Sam Merritt

Equipment

Ingredients

12 Tablespoons (170 g) unsalted butter cut into Tablespoon-sized pieces
4 oz (113 g) semisweet chocolate bar chopped into small pieces (or ⅔ cup semisweet chocolate chips)
½ cup (50 g) natural cocoa powder (unsweetened)
½ teaspoon instant coffee grounds optional
¾ cup (150 g) granulated 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 (127 g) semisweet chocolate chips

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350F (175C) and line a 9x9 baking pan¹ with parchment paper²
Combine butter and chopped chocolate in a large, microwave-safe bowl.
12 Tablespoons unsalted butter, 4 oz semisweet chocolate bar
Microwave in 25-second intervals, stirring well in between, until completely melted and smooth.
Immediately add cocoa powder and instant coffee (if using), stir well.
½ cup natural cocoa powder (unsweetened), ½ teaspoon instant coffee grounds
In a separate, medium-sized mixing bowl, combine sugars and eggs. Whisk vigorously, until well combined and lightened in color (at least 60 seconds of vigorous whisking, this ensures shiny, crackly tops! Feel free to use an electric mixer!).
¾ cup granulated sugar, ¾ cup light brown sugar, 2 large eggs + 1 large egg yolk
Stir in vanilla extract and salt.
1 teaspoon vanilla extract, ½ teaspoon salt
Drizzle chocolate mixture into egg mixture and stir until completely combined.
Add flour, stir until completely combined.
1 cup all-purpose flour
Stir in chocolate chips.
¾ cup semisweet chocolate chips
Spread into prepared 9x9 pan.
Bake in center rack of 350F (175C) oven 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 (they'll be messy and seem underdone otherwise).

Video

Notes

¹Using different pans

This recipe can also be made in a 13x9 pan, it will need to bake for about 16-18 minutes in a 13x9. 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 tightly covered or in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days.

Original recipe/a few changes!

I first published this recipe a few years ago. Since then, I slightly modified the technique (not the ingredients) to make it easier and to make the results slightly better. While we once mixed the batter in its entirety vigorously, we now make things easier on ourselves and make the tops even shinier/crinklier by vigorously whisking the eggs and sugar together, instead. This also removes the optional step of chilling the dough, which is no longer necessary (though you could do it if you wanted). I think this method is better (easier) and yields slightly shinier tops. If you're looking for the original recipe before I modified it, you can find the original method here, though I do think this new method is best (it went through about 20 rounds of testing).

Nutrition