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.
Heather Ridley
I made this recipe with my infused butter and omg I love it so much!!!!
Perfect mix of crunch and chewy. Absolutely beautiful.
Sam
I’m so glad you enjoyed them so much, Heather! 🙂
Cynthia
I’m going to make this brownie recipe FOREVER!!!!! These are sooo good! Thank you for make the best recipes.
Sam
I’m so glad you enjoyed them so much, Cynthia! 🙂
Miral
Hello I have not tried this recipe yet because i would like to make an eggless Brownie. What would you recommend to use instead of eggs?
Thank you.
Sam
Hmmm the eggs are really important for the crackly top so I haven’t tried any substitutions to know how it would work. 🙁
Ele
How long should I bake if using a 8×8 aluminum baking pan?
Sam
Hi Ele! They will just take a few minutes longer. Just be sure to keep an eye on them. 🙂
Ele
Thanks! Baked them yesterday and had to bake them an extra 10 min. Came out moist and delicious, just like all your other recipes.
Sam
I’m so glad you enjoyed them! 🙂
Tricia
I’ve been using this recipe for about three years now, and it so good that I’ve become know for them. People call them Tricia-Brownies (I’m Tricia.) and I get requests for them all the time. I’ve used nuts, mint chocolate pieces, peanut butter chips, even MilkyWay pieces. Thank you for this!
Sam
🤣 I’m so glad everyone enjoys the “Tricia-brownies” so much! 🙂
Amy Grasso
Oops . . . I just realized the instant coffee is optional. Nevermind!
Amy
Is the instant coffee necessary? I have everything else. I’m excited to try this recipe – everything else I’ve made of yours, I love (especially the pizza crust!).
noya Maples
Once again I use one of your recipes and it a hit. I bake my mom the brownies and they look so good. Can’t wait for her to try them.
Sam
I hope she loves them! 🙂
Emily
I am eagerly looking forward to trying this recipe. I have a personal brownie bite pan. Do you think this will work with the bite size brownies too?
Sam
Hi Emily! That should work just fine. 🙂
Thess
I dont have a microwave to melt the butter and chocolates. How do i go about the melting using stove top? Thanks
Sam
Hi Thes! Just keep the stovetop heat on low/medium-low and melt slowly, stirring constantly. Enjoy!
alvina
hello sam love you recipies and these brownies alot. iwas just wondering does the brown sudar make them chewy??
Sam
Hi Alvina! The brown sugar is not the only reason for the chewiness but yes it is a contributing factor 🙂 Thank you for using my recipes!
Riley
Help!!! I accidentally added double the amount of sugar! I halved the recipe, but forgot to halve the sugar (both brown and white.) My dough is curently in the fridge and much thicker than the one in the video. I cannot dilute the batter because I am out of flour and eggs (and currently quarantined) any tips on how to save it? If I do nothing what will happen other than it being overly sweet? will it affect the texture?
Thanks so much!
Sam
Hi Riley! I’m not sure how it’s going to turn out. They will probably turn out extra fudgy and extra sweet. They may also be a little crumbly. Honestly, I would bake them and see how they turn out. 🙂
marlene harkcom
Will using milk chocolate chips effect the recipe?
Sam
Just the flavor. 🙂
Princy
Hello from India.. I totally love your recipes. I love cooking and your measurements match my cooking and tastes perfectly. But we are pure vegetarian family. May I request.. if you can just add one tip in your recipes.. to make it egless. Like this brownie recipe..
Sam
Unfortunately I don’t have any advice on making this eggless, but hopefully someone else will be able to chime in. 🙂
Rachel
I have lost 145 pounds in the last 15 months. But these are the one thing I literally crave every weekend. I think I probably make these at least once a month and honestly can eat the whole pan myself. They’re amazing! I add walnuts. They’re great for ice cream sundaes 🤤🤤🤤
Sam
Wow! Congratulations, that’s quite a feat! Thank you for sharing, and for using my recipe, I’m glad it’s been such a hit for you! 🙂
Wendy
Can I use milk chocolate chips instead of semi sweet? That’s all I have at the moment.
Sam
Hi Wendy! Milk chocolate will work, it will just change the flavor of the brownies. 🙂
Naina Taneja
Hey! I can’t find unsweetened choco chips around here. Any changes I’d have to make to the recipe? I cut down on the sugar used.
Sam
Hi Naina! I use semi-sweet chocolate chips here. 🙂
ANNA
Really delicious. I used a glass baking thing and you were right. I had to bake for 20min longer! Good you commented it. Thank you
Sam
I’m so glad you enjoyed them, Anna! 🙂
Faria
Hey Sam, Can butter be substituted with olive oil? If yes then how much substitute will be required in this recipe.
Thanks!
Sam
Hi Faria! I wouldn’t recommend substituting oil here, unfortunately 🙁
Donna
I want to make these but I only have salted butter. Could I use it and just cut in half the salt called for in the recipe??
Sam
Hi Donna! That will work just fine. 🙂