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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Shikha Krishna says
Nagi, I love your recipes. I have tried Mango Cheese cake, Apple crumble, strawberry cheese cake, apple cake, apple muffins and now these brownies… you are amazing!!! ♥️ Lots of love and well wishes.
Abigail Wenderson says
Wow, amazing recipe. Looking forward to make this tommorow.
Nagi says
Enjoy Abigail!! N x
Simone Louise says
Fab recipe so easy and delish. I’ve made a second batch two days later as my family loved them so much. Thanks Nagi! We love your recipes
Amy Morgan says
My kids made these tonight, so yummy!
Mia says
Yes! So good and easy to make. Highly recommend 🙂
Bianca says
Hi Nagi, your recipe and pics look amazing! Is this recipe suitable to be made in Australia? Thanks, Bianca
Nagi says
Hi Bianca, I’m in Australia! It’s suitable to be made ANYWHERE! N x
Bianca says
Awesome!! Thanks for your reply! Looking forward to giving them a go!! 🙂
Nav says
I’m not a huge fan of dark chocolate. Can I swap with semi sweet?
Nagi says
It will be too sweet in this recipe sorry! N x
Christina W says
Hi Nagi, I can’t wait to make this recipe. Is the cocoa supposed to be sweetened or unsweetened? Thanks!
Nagi says
Hi Christina, unsweetened here – N x
Natalie says
Tastes great Nagi, but I cooked to the 28min mark (160 fan forced oven) and the middle is totally raw. Like as in can’t pick it up off the paper.
Guess I should’ve left it in for another 5 mins? Top had set over though so thought it would be fine???
Hannah says
I have this problem every time I try to bake cakes in my oven! Cooks around the edges and is always raw in the middle. Ugh!!
Nagi says
Hi Natalie, sounds like your oven may run slightly cool – you can always check with a skewer to make sure it’s just set before removing from the oven. – N x
Natalie says
I think you maybe right Nagi, I will remember the skewer trick you mentioned next time.
Thanks again for all the awesome recipes! Your page is the best x
AJ dickens says
yummy & easy thankyou
Lyn L. says
Hi Nagi, I’m your follower and has tried a few of your savory recipes. thanks for the super easy recipe. I made some modification to your recipe to use up my ripe bananas and walnuts & reduced the sugar to just 4 tbsp. And baked for 43 mins as I’ve used a push pan. The result is super fudgy and still sweet. Thanks!
Sarah says
Nagi… I am very mad at you for making such an EASY DELICIOUS brownie recipe. I am a dessert lover and chocoholic. I have tried many brownie recipes and love them all but this one…..its over the top amazing. I froze half thinking I would save for later chocolate cravings…ended up eating them all within a week.
Nagi says
Sorry not sorry Sarah! 😂 I’m so happy you love it! N x
Lynne says
Hi Nagi. Great recipe but….as a Canadian growing up on brownies…real brownies always have chopped walnuts in them.
Nagi says
Hi Lynne, you can definitely add nuts if you like! N x
Nikita says
Hi Nagi! I made last night and my family loved it. Your recipes are such a hit that I I have stopped bothering with trying recipes from other blogs now! I had a problem with baking in general. The bottom of my cakes and brownies always have a bitter aftertaste. How do you think I could sort this out?
Nagi says
Hi Nikita, I’m not sure why the bottom would taste bitter – are they burnt on the bottom? What kind of oven setting are you using? N x
Zo says
Made this today, only had half a block of chocolate though so I just used that (melted with the butter), and threw in a handful of chopped crystallized ginger for good measure. Still turned out great, so good I think we’ll eat it all tonight! Lol
Melissa Foster says
Very easy to put all ingredients in one bowl. Cooked it to fudgy moist. Added white choc chips and substituted coconut sugar for the brown sugar as that’s what I had on the pantry
Nagi says
That’s great to hear Melissa!! N x
Stella says
I made this for my Dad after school.It took me like 10 minutes and tasted DELISH .It was perfect.Try this.
-Stella age 12
Imelda says
I baked it few times, using half recipe and changed brown with coconut sugar. It’s so yummy. Thanks Nagi
Nagi says
That’s great to know Imelda!! N x
Kat says
Hi Nagi, I dont have an 8inch square baking tin at this point and I am intending to use two bread loaf tin instead. Will i need to change the temperature and timing?
Nagi says
Hi Kat, you will need to bake slightly less but I haven’t tried so I can’t give you an exact time. You may just need to keep an eye on it! N x
Kat says
I did that and it turned out great! super yummy, esp when topped with a scoop of ice cream 🙂 Love your recipes!
Kat says
Hi Nagi, this recipe looks fantastic and I’m raring to try! Just wondering how i should vary the temperature and timing if i’m using 2 bread loaf tins instead of 8 inch cake tin. Should it be any different?