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.
Laura Swamy
Can’t wait to try these! I only have dark brown sugar. Can I substitute that instead of using light brown sugar?
Sugar Spun Run
I am so excited for you to try this recipe too, Laura! Yes, you can substitute using dark brown sugar. The brownies will just have a deeper flavor, almost toffee-like. Enjoy! 🙂
Haswni
Hi dear, I tried it and the outcome was awesome. We just loved it. May I know how long I can keep this? And how to store it?
Sam
Hi Haswni! You can just store it at room temperature and wrap them so they don’t dry out. They should be good for about a week. 🙂
Paramesh
The brownie was fudgy and tasted good.
I just had one issue, the brownie did not come out of the parchment paper. I had to scrape the pieces and it was a bit messy. Did I do something wrong?
I assume granulated sugar means caster sugar,
Am I right?
Sam
Hi Paramesh! The sugar wouldn’t have been an issue here. It sounds like they may have just needed another minute or two in the oven. 🙂
Paramesh
I used a 13*9 inch pan and baked for 35 minutes instead of 18minutes as you mentioned in the recipe. I assume my brownie is more than well done. Could this be the reason it’s stuck to the parchment paper?
Sam
Hmm, it *could* be, but that is kind of strange, honestly, and I haven’t experienced this before. I’m wondering if it could be the brand of parchment, I just haven’t run into this issue before.
Stacey Estornel
Hi Paramesh!
Just wanted to chime in here that granulated sugar is the regular white sugar.
Caster sugar in the US is called powdered sugar. 🙂
I’m Greek American but have lived in the UK and have family there, and work in a British School in Spain, so have lots of experience with the different terminology.
Kind regards.
Sam, I’ve written before, your recipes are the best, thank you so much for sharing your knowledge and deliciousness!!
Sam
Thank you Stacey! 🙂
Paramesh
Thank you Stacey for explaining.
Will attempt the brownie again, and shall make sure I don’t overbake it.
L Lynch
Best ever!
Supriya Naidu
These were divine and so appreciated by everyone who tried them. They’ve definitely replaced my go to brownie recipe! I love the tip for the crinkly tops as well as the melted chocolate in the batter which is so much better than just cocoa powder. Thank you so much!
Sam
I am so glad everyone enjoyed them so much, Supriya! 🙂
Tiffany Wall
I don’t know how this recipe is anything other than 5 stars. Amazing, Sam! This brownie recipe is almost as good as your worst chocolate chip cookies recipe (my favorite). Thank you so much for sharing your hard work with me 😁
Sam
Thank you so much, Tiffany! I am so glad you enjoyed the brownies and the cookies so much! What’s next on your list to try?
Madhurima Basu
Hi , thanks a lot for this recipe. I baked them today and they are simply awesome. Not overtly sweet..just perfect..one of the best recipies I have tried.
Sam
I am so glad you enjoyed them so much, Madhurima! 🙂
Madhurima basu
Wanted to spend you the pics.. its there a way
Sam
I have a facebook group you can join to send me pictures. That’s really the easiest way. 🙂
Tanya
Hey. Is it ok if we skip the egg yolk and just add 2 full eggs?
Also please share some healthy recipes too. I mean recipes without all-purpose flour 🙂
Sam
Hi Tanya! I don’t recommend using 2 eggs. You should use the egg and the egg yolk. Unfortunately, healthy recipes aren’t my area of expertise. I do have a few savory recipes that don’t use flour. 🙂
Tanya
Hahaha. No worries. I shall try one of your savoury recipes too then 😊
Safa Basheer
I had a favourite brownie recipe. But this one has replaced it now. Tried it and loved it! Thanks for the recipe.
Sam
I am so glad you enjoyed it so much, Safa! 🙂
Nan
These really are the BEST brownies! super yummy and simple 🙂 Texture is AMAZING
Sam
I am so glad you enjoyed them so much! 🙂
Grace
No kidding when she says that thees are the best brownies ever! Thees are SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO… good! From now on this will be my go to brownie recipe! These are good beyond words! Thanks for sharing!
Sam
I am so glad you enjoyed them so much, Grace! 🙂
Anjie
Followed recipe exactly and really is the best brownie recipe! Yum!
Sam
I am so glad you enjoyed them so much! 🙂
nourhan
Do i let the butter and chocolate cool completely after I stick it in microwave? Thanks 🙂
Sam
There is no need to do that here, just melt the butter and chocolate together and keep on going. 🙂
Aiden
I only have dutch process cocoa will that be okay
Sam
Hi Aiden! I think it will still work here. 🙂
Anna
I just made these last night, they were perfectly fudgy AND cakey, and are packed with chocolate flavor!
Sam
I am so glad you enjoyed them so much, Anna! 🙂