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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Wow Nagi, this is an awesome recipe, they turned out absolutely perfect hot for dessert with ice cream, and then cold the next day they were even better if that is possible! Thank you 🙂
Great but a little too sweet for me , I’ll have to add more like 3/4 cup sugar and bake at 18o degrees rather than 160degrees!
made this today for guests and it was a big hit! Fabulous recipe and so yummy and not too sweet.
I am happy that you enjoyed it Aysha! N x
Oh wow! Made these this morning, put half the batter in the tin, then scoops of my home made caramel sauce then the rest of the batter on top. These are beyond good, I can’t tell you. I don’t like brownies, or rich sweet things, I like a nice butter cake or Madeira, but everyone else loves brownies and these are, beyond a shadow of a doubt, the best I have ever made. They could make a Brownie lover out of me🙂. Every recipe I make from your website is fabulous. I love your details and no faffing about,as we would say in Northern Ireland. I also love, that like me, you adore your pup. Thank you for doing all the hard work do we don’t have to Nagi.
These are the best brownies I have ever made. So fudgy and perfect. My pan was to big and I was so desperate to make them that I Mcguvered my pan to accommodate the 8” dish requirements. Another Nagi recipe to add to my repertoire! Thank you! 🥰
Wow, one of the best brownie I have made.
Added 1/4cup of mixed walnut and choc chip. It is so rich.
Baked it at 170 fan forced for about 25-27 mins. It was perfect and gooey when cooled down and the kitchen smells amazing.
This recipe is a keeper, thank you
Amazing brownie but unfortunately my oven doesn’t cook through. Maybe next time I should try it at 180 degree and not 160. I cooked for an extra 10min hoping it would cook through but it is still batter consistency 😣
Yes April, try the higher temp – every oven is different! N x
Can I make the dough ahead and put it in the fridge until I’m ready to bake it?
I followed your recipe exactly as written, down to the toothpick test! These were the BEST brownies ever! For my oven, cooked 27 minutes and they were so delicious! As with all of your recipes, easy to follow, great videos and ALWAYS good. Looking forward to that cookbook!
This is the only brownie I will ever make! I sub mine with gf flour and still tastes amazing
OH. MY. GAWD. If I could choose my last meal, this would be it. Best brownie I’ve ever eaten! My husband begs me not to bake it, as we finish this within 2 days. We every eat it for breakfast. Don’t judge
What’s to judge??!! Brownies for brekkie is perfectly normal in my house! N x
Hi Nagi,
Just to let you know that this is the 3rd time this week a made your brownie recipe, it is so good my kids liked so much even my work mates loved it. I started making your brownie recipe on Wednesday, I made another one yesterday so I bring it to work and today my kids ask me again to make it so I did.
Best brownies ever! Made them so many times and they are always delicious. Thanks for your fantastic recipes Nagi you are my go to for any recipe x
Thanks Renee! N x
It’s 10pm and I’m anxiously waiting the last 15mins until I can take the tray out of the oven.
I’ve made this recipe more times than I’m willing to admit, it needs to come with a warning!
The brownies were a big hit. Thank you for sharing your recipe!
These were amazing!!! But I didn’t get the crackle top – cooked for 27 mins. If I pull them out sooner, will it crackle on top?
I’m the most popular person at work today, having brought some of these in with me! I folded through about 3/4 punnet of fresh raspberries as well, which elevated these to the next level. Thanks Nagi!
I rarely leave comments, but having used this recipe for a while now i feel compelled to proclaim them THE best brownie around!
Thank youuuuu 😁🙏
Do i double the recipe if I wanted to bake it in a 9×13 pan? Thank you.
YUM! This is the curling gooooood. 8 dud use the extra chocolate. It made a great desert warmed with a scoop of icecream. Thanks Nagi.