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This truly is the Best Brownies Recipe you will ever eat: They are rich and fudgy brownies with a gooey center and crackly top and they’re so easy to make. Never use a box mix again once you taste this brownie recipe!
This brownie recipe is my go to recipe for fudge brownies whenever we have a craving! Once I made this recipe, I knew we would never go back to a box mix.
These brownies are thick and perfect for baking in a 9×13-inch pan. They have two kinds of chocolate (baking chocolate to cocoa powder) with lots of butter and sugar and eggs to make them super fudgy with those crackly tops you expect. They’re thick, easy, one bowl, and super simple to make with or without nuts!
How to make the Best Brownies Recipe Tips
- Unsalted butter is best, or you can reduce the added salt if using salted butter.
- Baking Chocolate is found in the baking aisle and it’s the best melting chocolate to use. I use unsweetened and add the sweetness from sugar. Don’t use semi-sweet or the brownies will be too sweet.
- Granulated sugar makes these rich and perfectly sweet, but you can substitute brown sugar or do a combination.
- My secret is adding 4 eggs to this recipe – the extra egg makes them SO fudgy.
- Natural Cocoa Powder: For all the extra chocolate flavor. You can use unsweetened cocoa powder OR even dutch process cocoa powder for dark chocolate brownies.
- Melt chocolate and butter carefully in the microwave, stirring after a minute and then every 30 seconds so the chocolate doesn’t scorch. You can also do this on the stovetop (or go a bit further to make brown butter brownies).
Expert Tips
- Don’t overmix! I prefer to use a wooden spoon or spatula (not a mixer) to make brownies. Stop stirring as soon as the flour is incorporated.
- You’re not missing something: brownies do not need baking powder or soda – the eggs do all the leavening to keep these rich and fudgy in texture.
- This recipe is written for a 9×13-inch pan. They’ll be too thick for a smaller pan; for that use my smaller brownie recipe.
- Cutting tip: cut your brownies with a plastic knife and the gooey center won’t stick to the knife!
- See below the recipe for variations; you can add nuts or anything you like!
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Best Brownies Recipe
This is the BEST BROWNIES RECIPE ever! You’ll never buy a box mix again after making this easy one bowl brownie recipe.
Recipe Video
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 40 minutes
Total Time 50 minutes
Ingredients
- 4 ounces (113g) unsweetened baking chocolate, chopped
- 1 cup (226g) unsalted butter, sliced
- 2 ⅔ cups (332g) granulated sugar
- ¼ cup (20g) unsweetened cocoa powder
- 4 large eggs
- 1 teaspoon (5ml) vanilla extract
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 ⅓ cup (165g) all-purpose flour
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Line a 9×13-inch pan with foil and spray with nonstick cooking spray.
- Place chocolate and butter in a large microwave-safe bowl. Heat on high power in 30 second increments, stirring between each, until chocolate and butter are melted and smooth (about 2 minutes, depending on your microwave).
- Stir sugar and cocoa into chocolate and butter mixture using a spatula or wooden spoon. Stir in eggs and vanilla, then stir in salt. Mixture will be grainy looking but smooth. Stir in flour carefully.
- Pour batter into prepared pan. Bake for 25-35 minutes, or until the top is no longer glossy and a toothpick comes out with just a few crumbs when placed 2-inches from the side of the pan. Cool completely before slicing. I prefer mine baked only 25 minutes; if you want yours less fudgy, bake longer.
Recipe Notes
Tip: add 1 1/2 cups of chocolate chips or chopped nuts to the batter after stirring in the flour or frost with chocolate frosting.
Recipe Nutrition
Serving: 1serving | Calories: 143kcal | Carbohydrates: 19g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 7g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Cholesterol: 31mg | Sodium: 41mg | Potassium: 48mg | Sugar: 14g | Vitamin A: 185IU | Calcium: 9mg | Iron: 0.9mg
Nutritional information not guaranteed to be accurate
Other Brownie Recipes
Brownie Variations
- Walnut Brownies (or pecans, almonds, peanuts) – just add about 1 to 1 1/2 cups chopped nuts.
- You can also add 1 to 1 1/2 cups chocolate chips or any candy; M&M Brownies and Reese’s Brownies are so good.
- Turn these into Oreo Brownies or add any kind of icing (I’m partial to brownie frosting or peanut butter frosting).
Can you use chocolate chips instead of baking chocolate?
I don’t recommend it. Chocolate chips have a lot of other ingredients – plus the baking chocolate we’re using is unsweetened, where chocolate chips are sweet. If you try it, you’d have to reduce the amount of sugar added, which might affect the texture.
Not enough chocolate. They tasted like milk chocolate brownies, not fudgy ones.
Can you half this recipe and vakevit in an 8″ pan? It would just be for me (husband doesn’t care much for chocolate….I know, right?)
These are soooo good. My go to and do many variations to choose from! Thank you.
Simple and delicious. Great fudgy flavor and texture. Cannot wait to get your cookbook in the mail next month!
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