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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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?
Oh my..amazing
Will never buy box mix again.
No way! Homemade is so much better! N x
Hi Nagi, I’ve loved so many of your recipes but I just tried this with flaxseed egg substitute (because of an egg allergy) and it doesnt seem to have baked very well. Lots of butter bubbling during baking left me with tons of holes on top of my brownies. Any idea what could be used as a better substitute?
Hi kimmie,
I know I’m not Nagi but a good substitute would be self-raising flour! Eggs help the brownie to rise, so instead of plain flour use self raising, but double the amount, so do 1 cup self raising 🙂
Hi Kimmie, sorry it didn’t work out – I haven’t tried with any egg substitutes sorry! N x
Taste was very good but the brownie was very crumbly and did not hold together
Hey Nagi, I was just wondering if I could use white sugar instead as I ran out of brown
Hi Reet, I prefer brown as it is what keeps them moist – however if you need to use white, just use the same weight of sugar in its place. N x
Would the reciepe need to be adjusted for high altitude? I am at 5,000 feet. thanks
Hi Stacy, possibly, I can’t test it though. Would love to know if it works! N x
I tried and I don’t think it was altitude, I may have got the butter too hot. They did not set up right. Not thick enough. Did not sink but spongy. Had good taste so may try again.
Hi Nagi. I have no sweet cooking chocolate bar, 113gram. Can i use it to replace the chocolate chips? Balance i top up with 1/2 cup of cocoa powder?
Hi Shamala, you can’t top up with dry ingredients unfortunately as it will affect the texture of the brownie. I’d just stick with the recipe as is and use the 113g of chocolate that you have. N x
Hi,
I’m just wondering what percent of dark chocolate should be used? I have 54% or 72%. Would halving both equally work?
Hi Rhe, both will work fine in this recipe! N x
These were great. I added walnuts, white choc and milk choc buttons. I love how they’re not overly sweet like other recipes.
Thanks Nagi, another easy amazing recipe, my grandkids thought these brownies were the best 😊
Hi Nagi, I’m Devaki from Sri Lanka. Absolutely enjoy your receipes and thank you so much. I would like to know if there is a way to substitute chocolate chips with cocoa powder, since I am having trouble finding chocolate chips during lockdown.
Hi Devaki, not really here – you could use a block of chocolate and chop it up as a substitute. N X
Hi Nagi, was wondering if you have any idea why my brownies always seem to burn round the edges, but super fudgy (not quite cooked enough in the centre)? I have tried numerous recipes, tried yours today and the same happened. I wanted fudgy moist. After 28 mins, still seemed uncooked in middle, so kept going to about 31 minutes. They were burnt round the edges, but still quite uncooked in the centre. I followed everything you said, read all the recipe notes, cooked on 180, middle rack in a conventional oven. Any ideas? Thanks, Becci
Hi Becci – sounds like it may be a problem with your oven thermostat? N x
What an awesome and simple recipe. I love brownie but could never find a recipe that satisfied me. I am going to finish it in a day. So yum
I’m so glad you loved them Samantha, they don’t last long around here either!! N x
I made it today with my 5 year old son my eldest and it was fun
thank you for this recipe
it was delicious!
What a great recipe to bake with kids! I’m so glad you loved it! N x
Baking these babies in the oven now! The smell is just amazing 🙌 serving them up with some vanilla ice cream yummo! Thanks Nagi 🤗
Life saver all your recipes I love cooking for my family and these are amazing my family loves every recipe
Enjoy Joanne!!! N x
I do not have chocolate chips. Can I use the broken up chocolate instead.
Nagi you have made me a master chef in the eyes of my family during this lockdown. Thank you and stay safe.
Sure can Tonye – a great way to get rid of some of those Easter eggs! N x
Awesome brownie! Unfortunately I over cooked mine so they weren’t super gooey but still tasted amazing! Love heating a small slice up and having some vanilla ice cream to go with it!
I love this
Hi Nagi, been doing most of your cakes, and wanted to say thank you very much for making Look so easy and simple 🙂 your recipes are amazing and soo tasty 😋
You’re so welcome Sarah! N x
Made it for arvo tea and it was delicious!! Will defo be making it again.
Thanks Nagi
Can I use raw sugar instead of brown sugar?
Hi Carmen, raw sugar has a bigger grain and may change the texture of these unfortunately – N x
OMG, these were on point, so gooey, so chocolatey and not over sweet at all! Ticked all the boxes!! Thank you!!
I’m so glad you enjoyed them Charissa! N x
Apologies error my review should have read *****+. Recipe is ten stars as bonus hardly any washing up