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.
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Brilliant recipe. Makes amazing brownies every time. A form favourite in our house.
I’ve made this brownie several times now and it always turns out so good even though I always just use eating chocolate. Brought some to work this time and everyone loved it. Confirmed best ever 🙂
Best brownie recipe I’ve ever made. Delicious result, easy to make, I added in 100g peanut butter and 100g chocolate chips in the first step and still amazing!
They are so good
The best brownie recipe ever. makes the most delicious brownies. Thank you For sharing.
Have made this 3 times in the last week with the kids. This is now our go to recipe.
I make them on my own and I’m 11. they are amazing also super easy
USER ERROR? Made these yesterday for my family in an 8x8x2, ONLY CHANGED THE DARK CHOCOLATE CHIPS TO SEMI SWEET, cooked until the center was giving me ‘super fudgey’ on the toothpick, then left it in a few more minutes and took it out. i knew something looked wrong but chalked it to my inexperience with baking, but when i went to cut into a few hours later, it was raw. preheated to 350° and threw it in for 10 minutes, still raw, put it in another 10 minutes and there was oil sizzling inside my dish, so 20 extra minutes at 350°, still was not giving me a clean cut or crinkly top, so at that point i was like “what’s the worst that could happen” and threw it in at 375° for 10 minutes and at that point i was giving up, i don’t know what i did to have to add 20 extra minutes plus 10 at 375°, the only possible thing is switching dark chocolate chips for semi sweet. where did i go wrong?
Hi! I followed the recipe exactly except for the chocolate chips which I subbed out for chopped peanuts- the result was spongy and lost its sweetness? If anyone has any idea what happened please let me know!
Literally every time I have made this, people want the recipe! Happy to send them your way, Nagi, you are my go-to for all recipes now 😊
Very chocolatey and fudgey, quick and easy recipe. Simple to follow
All I can say is, these are the best Brownies ever. I have made them before and never made a comment. Thank you Nagi for the best ever recipes.
I made this for fathers day!! My dad really enjoyed your a big insperation Nagi!! <3 Hopefully I can get your cookbook one day! Hopefully Nagi see's this.
So delicious and forgiving. I forgot to add eggs, so halfway pouring batter into the pan, I realised! So, batter out again, mixing in the eggs! Still tastes like baked heaven!
By far the best recipe I tried! A bit short but I guess I should put a bit more. BUT, it was soft and moist inside and crunchy on top
this brownie recipe turn out perfect reconmaed 100%
I cannot believe how easy this was and the result was mindblowing! I cannot get proper fudgy brownies where i live (Budapest!!) and i am so thankful for this recipe. I might reduce the amount of flour next time as mine rose more than Nagi’s.
Did you use self raising/rising flour? That would definitely cause them to rise more in the oven. If so, switch to plain/all purpose flour x
Delicious recipe! it was so fudgy, will make it again.
What a great recipe! The top was crispy, the brownie has a fudgy texture. It’s perfect with a coffee but would be a real indulgence served with vanilla ice cream.
Next time I’ll add some chopped walnuts.
These are addictive!
I actually veganized the recipe by subbing the three eggs with 9 tablespoons of aquafaba (chickpea brine) whisked with 3 teaspoons of McKenzie’s Egg Replacer powder, and the butter with Nuttelex ‘Buttery’. For the (melted) chocolate I used Pana Organic dark baking chocolate, and for the chocolate chunks I used Lindt 70% Smooth Blend.
Everything turned out perfectly, and they were demolished by both vegans and non-vegans! Definitely my go-to brownie recipe now 🙂