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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Life of Dozer
Dozer hates being hugged. Don’t know why. I mean, what dog doesn’t like their face being squished like this in a chokehold grip?
My nunu popped and its black now 🙁
Made these twice now, not many left after 1 hour, really morish great warm with fresh cream,
Thank you! I made it and it was delicious, I baked it for 24 minutes and it was fudgy and creamy.
First time making brownies without any help and these were a hit! You can basically melt anything you want in them not just chocolate chunks. HIGHLY RECCOMEND
Made it today and it’s the best. Will keep it as my go-to brownie recipe. Yum! Thanks Nagi!
Wow! Made these for the staff room at work and colleagues raved about them! Just the right ratio of chocolate, sugar, fussiness, crunchy top. Winner, and they were so easy!
Insanely good! Followed recipe by the book and came out perfect. Crowd pleasing!
I can’t wait to try this recipe but I only have a 9 x 9 brownie tin. Should I increase the recipe?
Made these brownies recently and they are super tasty!! Perfect ratio of firmness and fudge-ness in the middle.
Best brownie recipe we have used. Perfect amount of fudginess. Served them warm with ice cream and raspberries- soooo delicious
This is perfectly Delicious. Not to sweet. I did make it gf and it still turned out perfect.
I was dubious when they said they were the best brownies ever. But they were 100% right oh my gosh. I made these one afternoon, they were all almost all gone by the evening. I love a fudgey brownie and the top was crispy without being dry. They’ll be my go to brownies from now on.
I am new to baking and have never made brownies in my life – I was so nervous to try this for a brownie lover on his birthday. I am happy to report these brownies were a hit and easy to make. The descriptions in these recipes are what make Nagi stand out from others. She explains what a recipe should look like and how to fix it if it isn’t quite right. I feel this specific recipe is fool proof as every oven is different as long as you watch the brownies and use the toothpick method these will be a hit. Thank you for your assistance I have become the family baker!
Another best version of a recipe by Nagi! The only thing I did for texture that is nut allergy friendly is replace the walnut with cut up tim tams ooff
My go to for brownies, absolutely perfect! Have even swapped the flour for gluten free flour and turns out just as nice!
Nice and fudge dark chocolate gives the flavour
Hey, after life 30 min there was sooo much liquid all around it. I left it longer thinking is going to go away but it did not, the brownie was done tho, however I do not understand why was it this much liquid (must be the butter probably). Do you have any idea why this would happen?
Coconut oil substitution warning!
I used 1 stick of butter and then substituted the 3/4 stick of butter for coconut oil. Apparently those don’t work as an equal substitute, as they were too greasy and didn’t set up as well as they should have.
LOVE THIS RECIPE! All Nagis recipes are amazing tbh. I always go to her page first for ANYTHING I am looking to make.
Fantastic and super delicious! Instructions so easy to follow too. Nagi is the best.