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.
Debra Black
You did not use baking pwdr…or baking soda…is there a reason?
Sam
It’s not needed for these brownies and I omit it to make these dense and fudgy 🙂
sharon
These were delicious and really easy to make.
Leslie B
Thank you for this delicious recipe!! I realized after the fact that my pan was 8×8 and not 9×9- no wonder it seemed to take longer to bake! What time would you recommend for this size? Thanks again – planning to make again this weekend.
Sam
So glad you enjoyed it so much! Hmm it’s hard to say how long as I haven’t baked it in an 8×8 pan, as you witnessed it will definitely take more time but I’m not positive how much (plus it would depend on whether the pan is metal or glass — glass would take even longer), so I would do the toothpick test every 5 minutes after the initial 35 minutes until you come out with moist crumbs. I hope that helps!
Chris
Made these for Valentines Day for my hubby. Absolutely fantastic…the best brownie recipe I’ve ever tried (and I’ve tried many!) So moist and chocolatey and rich tasting…definitely recommend this recipe…thanks for sharing it!
Anne
I made these yesterday and they were amazing! Didn’t eat them all though. Wanted to eat the rest today and it was rock solid. Tried reheating to no avail. These are best eaten right away.
Matthew Tafoya
I just made them with salted butter and omitted the salt hope it works out in the oven now
Teresa
His did it with out without salt? Hoping to try these today.
Martha
I’m preparing to make your Brownies today and I’m wondering since I will be using a glass 9 x 13 baking dish, should I reduce the oven temp to 325 instead of 350 or leave it the same?
Sam
I’m sorry I’m just now seeing this comment, I’d leave the oven temperature the same, it *may* need to bake a bit longer though in the glass so just keep an eye on it 🙂
Heather
I want to make these, like, NOW, but I only have salted butter on hand. Should I halve the added salt, or omit altogether if using salted butter?
Sam
Hi, I’d recommend just omitting the salt but if you half it to 1/4 teaspoon that would probably be just fine, too! Just don’t use the full 1/2 teaspoon called for. I hope you love them!
Karen Wurzel
Would it be possible to break up refrigerated chocolate chip cookie dough on top of the brownie mixture? If so, should I push the chunks of dough slightly into the mix? Any changes to cooking time or temp?
Sam
I’m not sure exactly how long it would need to bake and it’s hard to be sure without having tried it myself, but I *think* that would work. I’d push the dough into the brownies.
Chris
I am debating on making these tonight, but I have a question! I don’t have a 9×9 pan at the moment (our Pyrex broke) but I do have a muffin/cupcake tin. How would you suggest adjusting baking times if I use the muffin/cupcake tin? 😮
Sam
I’m not sure exactly how long, but it will definitely need to be reduced, with a mini muffin tin I’d think it would take about 18 minutes, I haven’t tried with a regular-sized muffin tin so I would keep an eye on them after 18 minutes.
Chris
I made a small change to the recipe but I am making them now. I added a little almond extract and used a spash of fresh brewed coffee instead of instant. They smell Devine cooking! I’ll let you know how they turned out!
Chris
20 minutes and they were baked to perfection! Delicious too! Adding this recipe to my book!
Maryam Nasir
Hello Sam,
I intend to make these brownies tomorrow. Now if I don’t use semi-sweet chocolate chips and use the regular sweet ones, how much sugar should I reduce? And which one?
Thanks!
Sam
I’m sorry but I’m not sure, I haven’t experimented with different chocolates and am not sure how it would work out with reduced sugar. Sorry!
Katie H
Do you think you could use a stand mixer for all the stirring? I know you said you can’t over mix these, but would the mixer be too much?
Sam
I think a stand mixer would be fine 🙂
Holly
Sounds delish and can’t wait to try these out! Can the extra chocolate chips at the end be omitted? Do they melt into the batter and can you tell they’re in the brownie like you can tell they’re in chocolate chip cookies? Don’t get me wrong, I love chocolate, but I love batter more. (I like fewer chocolate chips in my cookies 😱 I know.) Or could peanut butter chips could be use to fill the void?
Sam
You can definitely leave them out completely! They will re-solidify in the batter so you would taste them/be able to tell they are there like in cookies, so feel free to leave out (or substitute with peanut butter chips, either would be fine!).
I used to be like that about chocolate chip cookies (once the chips weren’t melty anymore I used to pick them out!) so I totally understand!
Jakki
This recipe looks fantastic! I can’t wait to try it 😀 Quick question though – As my partner is anaphylactic to dairy I tend to sub out butter for margarine in every recipe I try that calls for butter – do you think I’d need to make any major changes to this recipe for that to work out? (So far I’ve managed to burn the edges and undercook the centre in every set of brownies I try to make – my partner suggests that it could be because margarine has a lower melting point?… though I’d be more inclined to believe that it’s because I’m using a 10.5 x 6.5 x 1.2 tray)
Sam
Hi Jakki! I don’t think that margarine would be a problem in this recipe so I think you should be fine. I ‘d love to hear how they turn out for you, though!
Nina
Made these last minute for my RDA debrief over coffee and doubled the recipe to save some for my kids, so I had to use what was to hand. Substituted 2/3 of the unmelted chocolate chips with bitter-sweet choc chips and used soft brown sugar, but reduced it by 2/3 (because it looked like there was an appalling amount of sugar going in). They came out really nicely, even though I didn’t have time for them to cool completely. Very fudgey and extremely chocolatey! They were still very sweet.
My enthusiastic 14 year old advertises them as ‘To die for’ and I had several complimentary comments from the RDA folks, too. Thanks for the recipe
Sam
I’m so glad to hear they were such a hit! Also, your comment about “an appalling amount of sugar” made me laugh out loud… that phrase pretty much summarizes my life (but seriously, I need help)! 😂
Thank you for commenting, Nina!! 🙂