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These M&M Brownies are rich, fudgy, and extra chocolatey, with colorful M&M candies in every bite. The candy adds just the right amount of crunch, and you can use classic M&M’s or switch them out for seasonal colors or your favorite variety.
I am firmly on team fudgy brownie: cakey brownies have just never been my thing. I want a brownie that’s dense, gooey, and intensely chocolatey, and this is the kind I make over and over again. I’ve made this recipe countless times, and it consistently turns out rich and fudgy with that crackly brownie top everyone loves.
The secret is starting with browned butter and mixing the remaining ingredients into it while it’s still warm. That simple step adds extra flavor and helps create the rich, dense texture I want in a from-scratch brownie. Add the M&M’s and you get an easy brownie that reminds me a little of my Cosmic Brownies but with even more chocolate and crunch.
Perfect Fudgy Brownie Ingredients
- You need to use unsalted butter for this recipe since we are browning it – you don’t want to brown salted butter. Don’t have unsalted? Just melt the butter for the brownies – they still taste great.
- Coarsely chopped unsweetened baking chocolate from the baking aisle. I like using Baker’s or Ghiradelli. Chopping the chocolate helps it melt faster and more evenly.
- Granulated sugar is the best and we’re using a lot of it, which is why it’s important to use unsweetened chocolate.
- Unsweetened cocoa powder adds another layer of chocolate flavor. You can use special dark, dutch process or regular cocoa powder.
- Eggs help the brownies be super fudgy.
- Plain M&Ms work great but so do peanut or peanut butter or your favorite!
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Dorothy’s Expert Tips
- You can use any M&Ms you like for these brownies. There are so many options these days you can make these brownies over and over and never use the same M&Ms twice!
- Not an M&M fan? You can use other kinds of candy in this recipe – chopped candy bars, peanut butter cups, Reese’s Pieces, or skip the candy and load them up with more chocolate chips.
- For the best fudgy brownies, don’t overbake them. I like to take them out of the oven once I can insert a toothpick in the edge and only a few crumbs come out with it.
- For easy removal, don’t skip the foil! Lining your pan with foil makes it easy to lift the brownies out in one piece for slicing.
- Want clean-cut slices? Use a plastic knife to slice the brownies. Works every time.
M&M Brownies Recipe
Video
Ingredients
- 1 cup (226g) unsalted butter
- 4 ounces (113g) unsweetened baking chocolate, coarsely chopped
- 2 cups (400g) granulated sugar
- ¼ cup (20g) unsweetened cocoa powder
- 4 large eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 ⅓ cups (162g) all-purpose flour
- 2 cups M&Ms, plus more for topping
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Line a 9×13″ pan with foil and spray with nonstick cooking spray.
- Melt butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Cook, stirring often, about 6 minutes, until it becomes brown in color. It will foam, reduce, then foam again. Once it’s done cooking the foam is a light brown and it will dissipate after you remove it from the heat. Once it starts to brown, keep stirring so it doesn’t burn. Once it gets to an amber color, turn off the flame.
- Add baking chocolate to the butter and stir until the chocolate is melted. Stir in sugar, eggs, vanilla, salt, and cocoa and stir until combined. Stir in flour then stir in M&Ms.
- Pour brownie batter into prepared baking pan. Sprinkle with more M&Ms. Bake for 25-35 minutes until a toothpick along the edge comes out with just a few crumbs. This results in very fudgy gooey brownies. Cool before slicing into bars.
Notes
- You can use any M&Ms you like for these brownies – there are so many options these days you can make these brownies over and over and never use the same M&Ms twice!
- Not an M&M fan? You can use other kinds of candy in this recipe – chopped candy bars, peanut butter cups, Reese’s Pieces, or skip the candy and load them up with more chocolate chips.
- For the best fudgy brownies, don’t overbake them. I like to take them out of the oven once I can insert a toothpick in the edge and only a few crumbs come out with it.
- Want clean-cut slices? Use a plastic knife to slice the brownies. Works every time.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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How to Make M&M Brownies
- I always start my brownies with brown butter, then melt the chocolate right in. However you can skip this and just melt the butter if you wish.
- Stirring in the sugar for a full minute helps get those crackly tops.
- Once everything else is mixed in, then add the candy.
- Chocolate M&M Brownies will bake in about 25-35 minutes and a toothpick will come out with just a few crumbs 2-inches from the sides of the pan.
M&M Brownies FAQ
Add the M&Ms when you’ve mixed all of the other ingredients for the batter. Add them and stir or fold them into the batter before transferring the batter to the baking dish. You can also sprinkle more M&Ms over the top of the batter in the pan before baking.
Combine melted butter with melted baking chocolate, sugar, cocoa powder, eggs, vanilla, salt, flour, and then mix in M&Ms. Bake in a 9×13” baking pan for 25 to 30 minutes at 350°F.
Test the brownies by inserting a toothpick in the edge. Does it have some crumbs when you pull it out? The brownies are done! They will be nice and fudgy at this stage once they cool. If your toothpick has wet batter on it, they aren’t done yet, so leave them in the oven longer.
Use a plastic knife! The brownie won’t stick to a plastic knife as it does to a metal one.
ep! You can use peanut M&Ms or another type of M&M that you like!
