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.
All things Brownies
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Life of Dozer
Dozer hates being hugged. Don’t know why. I mean, what dog doesn’t like their face being squished like this in a chokehold grip?
Hey, after life 30 min there was sooo much liquid all around it. I left it longer thinking is going to go away but it did not, the brownie was done tho, however I do not understand why was it this much liquid (must be the butter probably). Do you have any idea why this would happen?
Coconut oil substitution warning!
I used 1 stick of butter and then substituted the 3/4 stick of butter for coconut oil. Apparently those don’t work as an equal substitute, as they were too greasy and didn’t set up as well as they should have.
LOVE THIS RECIPE! All Nagis recipes are amazing tbh. I always go to her page first for ANYTHING I am looking to make.
Fantastic and super delicious! Instructions so easy to follow too. Nagi is the best.
is it possible to put these into cupcake tin to make individual portions?
Made these Brownies – Superb!
Every time I go to find a recipe, I seem to end up at your site! Just so beautifully presented – Thankyou!
I just tried this recipe and was very excited for rich, delicious brownies, but was really disappointed when they came out burnt. I found out it was because the Celsius to Fahrenheit ratio is incorrect. Just wanted to point this out.
Great brownie recipe. Instructions are so helpful. I’ve altered things here and there to use up ingredients I had – always gooey, delicious and very popular!
Best homemade brownies ever!
How thick the layer should be? when pouring the mix on the pan
Hi, I’m wondering isn’t 200gm butter a lot if only 75gm of flour is to be added? Will the brownie not taste very buttery?
Seriously, these are amazing. I sub in GF flour to make them gluten free.
I’m a brownie fiend and these are my absolute go to. Rich, chocolatey and freaking delicious. I add raspberries- because what’s a brownie without raspberries really. They get cooked, sliced and then straight to the freezer and I just pull one out when I need a brownie fix 🥳🥳
Can I use chocolate compound instead of chocolate chips ?
So good and fudgey 10/10 recommend baked out perfect 🙂
No fail recipe, made 3 times, family love it!
OMG I just pulled it out of the oven and WOW this is a keeper! I just tried it and mmmmmmm yummy! thanks so much!
It’s my second time making this recipe. They are so fudgy and chocolatey. It’s a winner in my home. Thanks Nagi, I love your recipes! 😋🥰
I don’t know what I’ve done wrong, the brownies looked great before going in the oven but they have been in the oven now for almost an hour and they’re still liquid 😰
I made 3 batches of this today for a church youth group dinner. Not a single piece was left over. Great recipe and I see myself coming back to it many times in the future!!