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.
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Need a chocolate fix urgently? These will be in the oven in 15 minutes flat (if not faster).
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Hate washing up? Just one bowl to deal with here.
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Like your brownies outrageously chocolatey, fudgy in the middle and the signature paper thin crackly top? This one delivers in spades.
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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.
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super gooey – if there is a lot of smear on it (24 minutes bake time)
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moist and fudgy (my favourite) – if the toothpick gets a brown strain and has some smear on it (28 minutes)
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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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1. If I double the recipe and make 18 (measurements come out even) should I use a 9 inch x 13 inch pan? 2. If I don’t have chocolate bar, can I substitute more chocolate chips?
I made this brownie this morning Oh My Goodness Nagi I had to stop myself from eating more than one piece of this fudgey delight. I made two single batches both turning out different but still perfect. ( not too sweet) This recipe is a definite keeper
Mine didn’t turn out well, it was cake-y. I followed the 28 minutes, I think it’s because of my oven, will re adjust the cooking time but it tasted fab. Will do it again! Thank you!
Correct, yes.
Best
Brownies
Ever.
If you haven’t made them yet, do it. NOW.
I made these for a colleague’s birthday celebration and they were an absolute hit! Easy to make and delicious too! This will be my new brownie recipe…
Your recipes raise my taste buds😍🥞🥧🍩🍪🎂🍫
THANK YOU 👍😊
First time I’ve ever made brownies in my life and these were rated 10/10 by my partner who regularly eats them 🎉
So easy and only 1 mixing bowl to wash up (the mess is usually what puts me off baking).
Not too sweet either – I used dark chocolate.
Thanks for the time putting this together🙏🏽
Made these this morning for work friends, they were easy to make and everyone loved them. Cooking from the devil was mentioned… I think this is a great compliment as they are deliciously evil.
Looks exactly like the pictures, but it tastes even better than described! Top quality butter and eggs improve the entire brownie experience plus the addition of premium grade gourmet chocolate. Perfect for a Christmas or birthday gift!
Oh my goodness….these are absolutely gorgeous!!! Have you a recipe for Blondies too? I could eat all of them….thanks so much! X
These have become my staple brownie recipe bc of ease & deliciousness!! Making them again right now. Love your book too, Nagi!
I was so excited for these as a chocolate lover but after checking them at the 30 minute mark, I can confidently say they aren’t done & the crackly top is nowhere to be seen. I’d giving them a few extra minutes to compensate for using a glass pan – but very sad about that crackly top.
5/5 again – this will be my baked xmas gifts along with the caramel slice this year – made it in one large pyrex and used aldi chocolate(devine) –
Hi there,
I’ve got an unusual problem making these brownies. It looks like the butter has split, and it’s been getting worse every minute. Basically I’ve got a big lump of brownie dough sitting in a pool of butter. Where did I go wrong, I followed the recipe to the letter :/
Made this tonight with almond meal instead of flour ( that’s all we had) added caramilk chips and cooked for 28 minutes
Perfect!!
BEST BROWNIES EVER! Almost ate the whole batch to myself lol. Super gooey and fudgey. Absolutely amazing when still warm. So easy to make too. Didn’t last more than an hour in our household.
Needed a chocolate fix. Made this 3 times in as many weeks, deliciously fudgy and moist but I can’t get the “crinkly” top. Could it be because I melt my butter and chocolate in a double saucepan? Been sharing with my neighbours and they love it as do I?
So delicious! Made this today for our Mother’s Day lunch, served with berries and cream, so gooey and yummy 😀
I have been trying a variety of chocolate brownie recipes over the last few weeks, testing on my nieces & nephews. Finally – a hit, thumbs up all round and request to make these & Nutella version for family function this weekend. I’m trying a white version of frozen proteinella – they’re in the oven now. Will let know 😋
Omg!!! Made these for my husbands birthday! Followed the recipe and baked them for 28 minutes. They were literally just like the picture. They are a cross between fudge and a brownie. They are so good I had to freeze them so I couldn’t eat more than I should! I will be making these again!