My homemade brownies from scratch are fudgy, decadent, so chocolatey and the batter can be made in just minutes! This has been a fan-favorite for over 8 years and will have you ditching the box-mixes for good. Recipe includes a how-to video and lots of tips for shiny, crackly brownie tops!
Brownies From Scratch
I first shared this homemade brownie recipe years ago and it’s remained one of my personal favorites ever since, a classic right up there with my chocolate chip cookies and easy apple pie. It’s served as the base of many of my other brownie recipes on my site (perhaps most deliciously, my cheesecake brownies) and is perfect for beginners and advanced bakers alike.
At its core, this is really a no-frills, easy brownie recipe that really needs little introduction, but if you’re like me and love nerding out about nitty gritty recipe details, please read on (otherwise, hit that big “Jump to Recipe” button overhead)!
Why You Should Try THIS Brownie Recipe:
- Intense chocolate flavor. Melted chocolate, cocoa powder, and added chocolate chips put these brownies over the top. Add a pinch of instant coffee or espresso powder to the batter for an even more decadent chocolate experience.
- Shiny, crackly tops. While it may seem like just aesthetics, shiny and crackly tops are something that I personally love about brownies and that I wanted my own version to have. I spent years cracking the code on this and am very happy to share what I’ve found with you (it’s all about mixing the eggs and sugar… more on this below!).
- Easy, for when you need a chocolate fix in a hurry! My homemade brownies come together in just 10 minutes. Minimal mess & no mixer needed.
- Perfected recipe (true brownie texture!). This recipe was carefully (and repeatedly) tested to yield brownies that are dense, fudgy, and super chocolatey with the aforementioned shiny, crackly tops. I must’ve baked 100 different batches before landing on this version.
Ingredients for Homemade Brownies
We won’t go over every ingredient in detail (who has the time when there are brownies to be made!), but I think you should know what it is that truly makes these the best brownie recipe. The ingredients are common enough, but there are a few extras mixed in, along with a bit of technique… (more on that later).
Let’s dig in.
- Sugar. A blend of granulated and brown sugar is the way to go in almost every recipe, honestly, but especially here. The subtle molasses-ness of the brown sugar rounds out the flavor of the chocolate and adds extra chew to our brownies!
- Eggs… plus an extra yolk! The egg whites play a critical role in giving you brownies with a shiny, crackly top. When coupled with the sugar and whipped, you’ll be able to achieve exactly that boxed-brownie look. An extra yolk enriches the batter and makes the brownies even more tender and fudgy.
- Chocolate. For intensely chocolatey homemade brownies we build the batter on a base of melted chocolate and butter and then toss in some cocoa powder while the mixture is still warm (to help bloom it, as we do in my chocolate cake). Chocolate chips work in a pinch, but baking bars are best. Use semisweet baking bars, or, if you like a darker chocolate, use 60% cacao instead! Then, at the end, I do recommend mixing in some chocolate chips for an extra punch of chocolate.
- Instant coffee. If you’re someone who prefers dark chocolate, you’ll want to add this. It adds depth and enhances the chocolate flavor, particularly the more bitter flavors that you’ll find in dark chocolate. You can make things even more intense by swapping this with espresso powder, or if you’re not a fan feel free to omit it.
Sam’s Tip: These brownies were specifically and carefully designed to be dense and fudgy, and not cakey. However, if you like a lighter brownie you can stir in a quarter teaspoon of baking powder with the flour.
How to Make Brownies from Scratch
Whisk the eggs and sugar
I’ll usually melt my chocolate and butter together first (do this in intervals, stirring in between, just like when melting chocolate in the microwave). Then set this aside and combine your eggs and sugar and stir vigorously. Whisking together the eggs and sugar almost as if you were making meringue is critical to creating those shiny, crackly tops that you’ll see at the end!
The vigorous whisking can be an arm workout, but can absolutely be done by hand (usually takes me 60 seconds or so). You could alternatively use an electric mixer for this step!
Once the eggs are well-mixed, stir in your vanilla extract and salt.
Add the melted chocolate
Stir the melted chocolate into the batter. Everything should be thoroughly combined, but you don’t have to worry about whisking aggressively or vigorously, like you did with the eggs and sugar.
Finish the brownie batter & bake
Add the flour, followed by the chocolate chips. Once again, the batter just needs to be uniformly combined, no need to go crazy with mixing here! Once everything is combined, scrape your brownie batter into a 9×9″ baking pan, smooth it into an even layer (add a few more chocolate chips on top if you’d like, for good measure!) and bake!
SAM’S TIP: I recommend baking your brownies in a metal pan, as glass pans can take longer.
Frequently Asked Questions
An extra egg yolk, a bit of brown sugar, real melted chocolate, a bit less flour than you might expect, and no baking powder or baking soda all contribute to the rich fudginess of these brownies. If your brownies turn out cakey after following my recipe, it may be that your flour was accidentally over-measured.
After years of making homemade brownies from scratch, I can tell you with confidence the secret is following a good recipe. Use one that recommends vigorously whisking the eggs and sugar, enriches the batter with melted chocolate, and for good measure adds a pinch of instant coffee or espresso. Obviously I’m biased, but my recipe really does crack the code for perfect brownies, and I’m excited for you to try it.
Unfortunately, a straight substitution of the chocolate called for with white chocolate yields results that are too sweet and a bit oily. However, I do have a white chocolate brownie recipe that I recommend you try instead, or for a chocolate-less version try my blondies!
More Chocolate Desserts
This is truly the easiest, ultimate, best homemade brownie recipe. And I really think you are going to love it.
Enjoy!
Let’s bake together! I’ll be walking you through all the steps in my written recipe and video below! If you try this recipe, be sure to tag me on Instagram, and you can also find me on YouTube and Facebook
Fudgy Homemade Brownies from Scratch
Ingredients
- 12 Tablespoons (170 g) unsalted butter cut into Tablespoon-sized pieces
- 4 oz (113 g) semisweet chocolate bar chopped into small pieces
- ½ cup (50 g) natural cocoa powder (unsweetened)
- ½ teaspoon instant coffee grounds optional
- ¾ cup (150 g) granulated sugar
- ¾ cup (150 g) light brown sugar firmly packed
- 2 large eggs + 1 large egg yolk
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 cup (125 g) all-purpose flour
- ¾ cup (127 g) semisweet chocolate chips
Recommended Equipment
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350F (175C) and line a 9×9 baking pan¹ with parchment paper²
- Combine butter and chopped chocolate in a large, microwave-safe bowl.12 Tablespoons (170 g) unsalted butter, 4 oz (113 g) semisweet chocolate bar
- Microwave in 25-second intervals, stirring well in between, until completely melted and smooth.
- Immediately add cocoa powder and instant coffee (if using), stir well.½ cup (50 g) natural cocoa powder (unsweetened), ½ teaspoon instant coffee grounds
- In a separate, medium-sized mixing bowl, combine sugars and eggs. Whisk vigorously, until well combined and lightened in color (at least 60 seconds of vigorous whisking, this ensures shiny, crackly tops! Feel free to use an electric mixer!).¾ cup (150 g) granulated sugar, ¾ cup (150 g) light brown sugar, 2 large eggs + 1 large egg yolk
- Stir in vanilla extract and salt.1 teaspoon vanilla extract, ½ teaspoon salt
- Drizzle chocolate mixture into egg mixture and stir until completely combined.
- Add flour, stir until completely combined.1 cup (125 g) all-purpose flour
- Stir in chocolate chips.¾ cup (127 g) semisweet chocolate chips
- Spread into prepared 9×9 pan.
- Bake in center rack of 350F (175C) oven for 30-35 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in center comes out slightly fudgy, but not wet with batter.
- Allow to cool before cutting and serving (they'll be messy and seem underdone otherwise).
Notes
Nutrition
Nutritional information is based on third-party calculations and should be considered an estimate only. Actual nutritional content will vary based upon brands used, measuring methods, cooking method, portion sizes, and more.
I originally shared this brownie recipe on 02/01/2017. I’ve made small changes to the recipe to make the tops crackly (changed the step for beating the eggs well instead of mixing the batter well as a whole), and I’ve updated some of the photos and added a video and tried to make the post itself more informative.
Savannah
I made these the other day and WOW they are absolutely DELICIOUS. Best brownie recipe I’ve found 100% ❤️
Sugar Spun Run
Thank you so much, Savannah! I am so glad that you enjoyed them! 🙂
Gayatri
Really amazing. Yummiest brownie I have eaten (after the nutella brownie).
Made it with whole wheat flour and it still came out super soft.
Sugar Spun Run
I am so glad that you enjoyed them, Gayatri! Thank you for trying my recipe and for commenting. 🙂
Ashley
Hi Sam, I’ve made this recipe once before and they turned out perfectly. The last two times I’ve made this recipe the batter seemed a little thicker… did I do something wrong? Thanks!
Sugar Spun Run
Hi, Ashley! If the batter seems thicker… it sounds like there might be an inconsistency on how you are measuring your flour. This is the most common mistake in baking so I have created a guide on how to measure properly that you can use as a reference next time. I hope that you find this helpful. 🙂
Ashley
Hello again, So the first time I made this recipe I used the cups instead of measuring ingredients by scale and the recipe turned out great. But these last two times I used a scale to measure out ingredients which gave me the outcome of having a more thicker batter. I’ve checked some sites like King Arthur Flour for ingredient measurements in grams and I may be incorrect but it seems like some of the measurements converted to grams are slightly off in the recipe. Like for a 1/2 cup of cocoa it says 43g and for a cup of AP flour is says 120 grams on the site whereas in the recipe above it says 50g for cocoa powder and 125g for AP flour. Could this be why my batter is different? Sorry this is so long and if I’m mistaken! Thank you for your time reading this! 🙂
Sam
Hi Ashley! You should follow the weights listed in my recipe. I have standardized these measurements for my site. If you check several sites you will see that there are a lot of different weights for a cup of flour but they won’t always be exactly the same. This can happen from the way the measurements are made in the original weighing of the ingredients. While the differences typically are very minor in some cases they can change your recipe a lot. I hope this helps! 🙂
Kim in CO
Hands down best brownies ever. Spoken from a generally mediocre and novice Baker. So easy to make and they turn out every time. Finding this site has ignited a love for baking in this time of crazy.
Thanks for sharing! Cheers!
Sugar Spun Run
I am so glad that you enjoyed them, Kim! Thank you so much for trying my recipe. 🙂
Tami Clifton
I made these last night. Mainly because I liked the idea of one bowl! Definitely quick and easy with very little mess. I didn’t have enough semi sweet chips for the batter so I used about half semi sweet and half milk chocolate. Putting the instant coffee granules in the warm butter/chocolate definitely made a difference. I added a handful of caramel bits to the batter and poured some melted caramel candy with toasted pecans over the top. I also put the batter in the refrigerator for 30 minutes. Thanks for this recipe! I will be making it again soon.
Sugar Spun Run
I am so glad that this recipe yielded little mess and was quick, Tami. I am happy to hear that you enjoyed it. I appreciate the feedback. Thanks for trying my recipe. 🙂
Helen
Definitely the best brownie recipe. I followed the directions exactly and put in refrigerator for 15 minutes. Simple instructions to follow. Excellent fudge flavor!
I have been going to your recipe search before anyone else’s. I have enjoyed everything I tried.
Sugar Spun Run
Thank you so much, Helen! I am so glad that you have enjoyed this recipe and have become a fan of my site. I greatly appreciate the feedback! 🙂
Michelle VanderPol
Would I have to take this recipe by 11/2 to make a 9×13?
Sugar Spun Run
Hi, Michelle! This recipe can also be made in a 13×9 pan, it will need to bake for about 16-18 minutes. I used a metal baking pan for this recipe, if you opt to use a glass dish keep in mind that the brownies may need to bake for longer. Enjoy!
Lindsay
Hi – could I poke some mini chocolate eggs (Cadbury’s mini eggs) into the top of these to turn them into an Easter tray bake?
If so, at what stage of the process would you recommend doing that?
Thanks Sam!
Lindsay x
Sam
Absolutely! I’d probably do it just before putting the brownies in the oven, the candy shells may crack a bit but this would probably work best. Love that idea for Easter!
Rachel
So my sister has been harassing me to make brownies specifically from ‘the sugar run girl’ according to her (the bar is high). I got all the ingredients but forgot the chocolate chips and I didn’t have any baking chocolate at home. I subbed the cocoa butter in place of the chocolate chips and hoped for the best. The brownies came out fudy and chocolatey and they are amazing as usual.
My mother doesn’t know how to bake and Sam your recipes are the closest thing I have to a ‘mummy who knows how to bake’. Thank you for sharing your recipes! Can’t wait to try the ‘depression cake’.
Sugar Spun Run
I am so glad that you enjoyed them, Rachel! Thank you so much for trying my recipe. I can’t wait to hear what you think of the crazy cake. 🙂
Jessy
These were even great with only the 4 pats of butter I had on hand.
Sugar Spun Run
I am so glad that you enjoyed the brownies and they turned out well, Jessy! Thanks for commenting. 🙂
Cindy
Hi! These brownies were awesome! I’ve been making the fudgy brownies on the Ghirardelli website and I do love how simple and chocolatey that recipe is. But this one… is a great balance of fudginess and chocolatiness with just enough spring to the brownie without being too cakey (I prefer fudgy brownies over cakey ones). And that crackly top… just perfection. I have tried several of your recipes now. Love your banana muffins recipes. Made them last year and they are always a hit. Friends request that I make them all the time. Just tried your pop tarts recipe also. Also delicious! Can’t wait to try more!
Sugar Spun Run
Thank you so much for visiting my site and trying so many of my recipes, Cindy! I am so glad that you have enjoyed them all. Thanks for commenting. I can’t wait to hear what you try next! 🙂
Juan315
These were the best brownies ive ever tasted! They are better than box mix which is insane because of Ghiradelli’s standards! Will Make Again😀👍👍
Sugar Spun Run
I am so glad that this recipe exceeded your expectations, Juan! Thank you so much for trying my recipe and for commenting. I am so glad that you loved the brownies! 🙂
Juan315
Can i replace the instant coffee with black coffee? I only have maxwell house
Sugar Spun Run
Hi, Juan! Others have used a splash of freshly brewed coffee instead of instant and had success. I hope that you enjoy the brownies too! 🙂
Juan315
How long would i bake these in an 8×8 pan
Sugar Spun Run
Hi, Juan! I have not tried it in an 8×8 pan personally so I would reccomend keeping an eye on while it bakes. I would start checking at the 30-35 minute mark. You will know when they are done when you insert a toothpick in the center and it comes out slightly fudgy, but not wet with batter. Enjoy! 🙂
Andres512
How long will these take to bake in an 8×8 pan
Sugar Spun Run
Hi, Andreas! I am not certain about the exact bake time. I would start checking at the 30-35 minute mark. You will know when they are done when you insert a toothpick in the center and it comes out slightly fudgy, but not wet with batter. Enjoy! 🙂