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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Hi Nagi, I can’t wait to make this recipe. Is the cocoa supposed to be sweetened or unsweetened? Thanks!
Hi Christina, unsweetened here – N x
Tastes great Nagi, but I cooked to the 28min mark (160 fan forced oven) and the middle is totally raw. Like as in can’t pick it up off the paper.
Guess I should’ve left it in for another 5 mins? Top had set over though so thought it would be fine???
I have this problem every time I try to bake cakes in my oven! Cooks around the edges and is always raw in the middle. Ugh!!
Hi Natalie, sounds like your oven may run slightly cool – you can always check with a skewer to make sure it’s just set before removing from the oven. – N x
I think you maybe right Nagi, I will remember the skewer trick you mentioned next time.
Thanks again for all the awesome recipes! Your page is the best x
yummy & easy thankyou
Hi Nagi, I’m your follower and has tried a few of your savory recipes. thanks for the super easy recipe. I made some modification to your recipe to use up my ripe bananas and walnuts & reduced the sugar to just 4 tbsp. And baked for 43 mins as I’ve used a push pan. The result is super fudgy and still sweet. Thanks!
Nagi… I am very mad at you for making such an EASY DELICIOUS brownie recipe. I am a dessert lover and chocoholic. I have tried many brownie recipes and love them all but this one…..its over the top amazing. I froze half thinking I would save for later chocolate cravings…ended up eating them all within a week.
Sorry not sorry Sarah! 😂 I’m so happy you love it! N x
Hi Nagi. Great recipe but….as a Canadian growing up on brownies…real brownies always have chopped walnuts in them.
Hi Lynne, you can definitely add nuts if you like! N x
Hi Nagi! I made last night and my family loved it. Your recipes are such a hit that I I have stopped bothering with trying recipes from other blogs now! I had a problem with baking in general. The bottom of my cakes and brownies always have a bitter aftertaste. How do you think I could sort this out?
Hi Nikita, I’m not sure why the bottom would taste bitter – are they burnt on the bottom? What kind of oven setting are you using? N x
Made this today, only had half a block of chocolate though so I just used that (melted with the butter), and threw in a handful of chopped crystallized ginger for good measure. Still turned out great, so good I think we’ll eat it all tonight! Lol
Very easy to put all ingredients in one bowl. Cooked it to fudgy moist. Added white choc chips and substituted coconut sugar for the brown sugar as that’s what I had on the pantry
That’s great to hear Melissa!! N x
I made this for my Dad after school.It took me like 10 minutes and tasted DELISH .It was perfect.Try this.
-Stella age 12
I baked it few times, using half recipe and changed brown with coconut sugar. It’s so yummy. Thanks Nagi
That’s great to know Imelda!! N x
Hi Nagi, I dont have an 8inch square baking tin at this point and I am intending to use two bread loaf tin instead. Will i need to change the temperature and timing?
Hi Kat, you will need to bake slightly less but I haven’t tried so I can’t give you an exact time. You may just need to keep an eye on it! N x
I did that and it turned out great! super yummy, esp when topped with a scoop of ice cream 🙂 Love your recipes!
Hi Nagi, this recipe looks fantastic and I’m raring to try! Just wondering how i should vary the temperature and timing if i’m using 2 bread loaf tins instead of 8 inch cake tin. Should it be any different?
can I use cake flour instead of plain flour, as I just only have this cake flour.
Thanks
Hi Jasmine, as long as it’s plain cake flour and not SR cake flour it will be fine. N x
Hi Nagi
Just love, LOVE your recipes.
Can I add some nuts to these brownies?
Thank you!
100% Alison, I’d add about 1/3 cup of chopped walnuts, almonds, macadamias or even pecans! Yum! N x
Hey Nagi – do you change the cooking time with nuts? Thanks x
Perfect fudgey brownies with just the right sweetness. Another 5 stars for you Nagi.
Hi Nagi, for the chocolate chips to melt, can I use semisweet chocolate chips (for baking)? It’s very difficult to find dark chocolate chips for baking here. Thank you, may family and I love all your recipes.
Hi Wiw, semisweet and dark chocolate are the same thing 🙂 N x
the worlds best brownies ever!!!!!!!
Have you tried with a gluten-free flour? If so is the flavour and quality the same?
Really easy to make and delicious! Turned out to be ‘fudgy-moist’, and with the crinkly top, but had to bake it for 40 minutes though. Thanks for the toothpick tips and pics, Nagi, they were really helpful for working out when it was cooked.
Only had 120g cooking chocolate (45%) in the cupboard so used 80g of dark eating chocolate (70%) to make up the 200g and it worked really well. Added walnuts too.
This is the best brownie recipe I’ve tried!
The flavour of these was very nice however they are far too mushy (Even after 35 minutes in the oven and 30 minutes resting) I think this recipe could use less butter as they soak through a paper towel.
Keen to try again with a few adjustments 🙂
Hi R, that doesn’t sound right at all, did you follow the measurements correctly? Could there be a problem with your oven as they should definitely not be much after 35 minutes!! N x