What makes a good brownie? Using both cocoa AND melted chocolate, and butter instead of oil. What makes the BEST chocolate brownies in the world? Adding in a generous amount of dark chocolate chunks. Fudgy, as gooey as you want, and very, very chocolatey, this homemade brownie recipe is incredibly easy, made in one bowl, and incredibly forgiving!
Choose how gooey you want them, just follow the bake times and my “toothpick smearing” test. Brownies can be frozen for up to 3 months, but nothing quite compares to when they’re freshly made, and still slightly warm….
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, fudgy in the middle and the signature paper thin crackly top? 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!
Making 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 let’s-pretend-it’s-optional chocolate chunks. 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!).
Reduce cook time by 2 minutes if you opt not to use the extra chocolate stir ins.
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)
- 200 g / 1 1/4 cups dark chocolate chips (7 oz) (Note 1)
- 1 cup (175g) brown sugar , loosely packed
- 3 eggs , lightly beaten
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup (75g) plain flour
- 1/4 cup (30g) cocoa powder
- Pinch of salt
- 180g/6oz dark chocolate block/bar (optional) , chopped into chunks rather than shards, (bittersweet or semi-sweet, cooking chocolate) (Note 2)
Alternative stir in
- 1.5 cups roughly chopped walnuts (or other nuts)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 180°C/350°F (160°C fan forced).
- Spray a 20cm/8" square tin with oil and line with baking/parchment paper with overhang (Note 2).
- Place butter and chocolate chips in a heatproof bowl, microwave in 30 second bursts (takes me 1m 30 sec) until melted. Stir until smooth.
- Add sugar and vanilla, mix, then add eggs and mix well until smooth and molten.
- 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).
- If you didn't use the extra chocolate for stirring in, reduce cook time by 2 minutes.
- Rest for 10 minutes before lifting out of the pan. Allow to cool for at least 20 minutes before cutting. Store in an airtight container for 4 days (bet they don't last that long!) or freeze for 3 months.
Recipe Notes:
Nutrition Information:
Originally published August 2016. Updated with new photos and brand new video in 2020.
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Really easy to make and delicious! Turned out to be ‘fudgy-moist’, and with the crinkly top, but had to bake it for 40 minutes though. Thanks for the toothpick tips and pics, Nagi, they were really helpful for working out when it was cooked.
Only had 120g cooking chocolate (45%) in the cupboard so used 80g of dark eating chocolate (70%) to make up the 200g and it worked really well. Added walnuts too.
This is the best brownie recipe I’ve tried!
The flavour of these was very nice however they are far too mushy (Even after 35 minutes in the oven and 30 minutes resting) I think this recipe could use less butter as they soak through a paper towel.
Keen to try again with a few adjustments 🙂
Hi R, that doesn’t sound right at all, did you follow the measurements correctly? Could there be a problem with your oven as they should definitely not be much after 35 minutes!! N x
Hi love d brownies the way it has turned out
Can I substitute white sugar instead of brown.
Hi Rijutha, you can although it’s the brown sugar that keeps these brownies super moist and fudgey. N x
These were lovely but even though I did it for the minimum time mine were still not fudgy but more cakey which was disappointing. I will try less time next time. I wonder if adding frozen raspberries might be a nice addition?
Sorry you had issues here Rachel – how long did you bake for? Maybe your oven runs slightly hotter here. Raspberries would be great in this recipe too! N x
I think my oven must run hotter! 24 minutes only and did add the extra chocolate. Less time or lower oven temp next time?
Another amazing recipe, thanks Nagi. Soooo good! I added a cup of raspberries to the mix and it was absolutely delicious. Making again this weekend for a friend’s birthday.
Hello, I’m excited to make these brownies but have a question about the freezing of them? Once frozen, do they have to be fully defrosted before you eat them or can you heat them whilst frozen?
Hi Amina, you could gently heat in the microwave 🙂 N x
Tried this recipe tasted great but they were so greasy too much butter very disappointed
I agree. Too much butter
Made this tonight. So delicious! A real hit. And so easy, too. I think this will now be my go-to brownie recipe.
Thank you.
Hi there! I’ve been wow-ing my family with your dishes for a while now and none of them have let me down. My brownies came out fantastically gooey, but unfortunately without the paper-like layer on top:( It was more of a cakey top and I’m trying to figure out where I went wrong. Could it have been because I used a tray that was a few inches bigger?
It’d be wonderful if you could get back to me on this
Thankyou! xx
If you use a bigger tin for the same quantity of mixture you normally reduce the baking time slightly as there is a greater surface area. If you didn’t reduce it you may have slightly over baked it. If you go for a smaller tin you usually have to increase the time slightly. Like you, I have used lots of Nagi’s wonderful recipes over and over again. Don;t know how I would manage without her and Nigella for inspiration. I have made these brownies so many times I have lost count and they never disappoint. i alway have to make 2 batches at a time as they disappear so fast.
I used a pyrex dish today to make these brownies, did some Googling which told me to decrease the temperature by 25 degrees F so I did that and they turned out perfect!
That’s great to hear Amy! N x
OMG!!! I was known as the “brownie queen” these are a game changer!!! Everyone said theyd never ever eaten a brownie like this,they were simply incredible.Wont ever use another recipe again.Baked for 30 mins and looked exactly like they did in your photo. Perfection!!!!!
Wahoo that’s great to hear Louise!!! N x
Hi Nagi, awesome recipe, these came out great! Only one problem with the cooking time. Didn’t have a brownie tin so used a square pyrex dish, probably twice as deep as a brownie tin. The brownies took about 45mins to set, after 28mins the mix was setting around the edges but still raw in the middle. Using a new fan assisted oven (and preheated) so temp should have been okay. Could it have been using a pyrex dish that made it take longer?
Easy recipe that works so well. Loved it and my guests were impressed x
We made this and my 4 kids LOVED it!! Only sorry I don’t seem to be able to upload the photo of them enjoying it. 🙂 Thanks, Nagi!
Hi, Nagi!
What would you recommend as ratio if I want to use more cocoa powder than chocolate chips?
Hey Nagi, I was wondering….
If I use a block of milk chocolate as a substitute for chocolate chips, can I still add the additional choco-chunks?
If I can, then I have one more problem. My additional chunks are made of milk chocolate too, not dark chocolate. Will it make the brownies too sweet? Do I need to reduce the sugar then? Also, I have to use white sugar as I don’t have any brown at home.
Please do reply soon, I’m dying to try out your brownies. They look just divine!
Hi Sidra, it’s changing the whole recipe using white sugar and milk chocolate – it will be really sweet unfortunately doing it this way! N x
Hey Nagi, I was wondering……
If I use a block of milk chocolate as a substitute for chocolate chips, can I still add the additional choco-chunks?
If I can, then I have one more problem, my additional chunks are made of milk chocolate too, not dark chocolate. Will it make the brownies too sweet? Do I need to reduce the sugar then? Also, I have to use white sugar as I don’t have any brown at home.
Please do reply soon. I’m dying to try your brownies, they look just divine!
hello, i am liking your recipes very much. can you suggest a substitute for eggs in this recipe
Hi Neetika, I haven’t tried with an egg substitute in this recipe sorry! N x
Can’t wait to bake it, I have been looking at few others… but yours was written simply clearer and easier.
Will let you know if the result.?
You’ll love them Ellie! N x