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This recipe for Homemade Brownies really is the best because they are made with REAL chocolate AND cocoa powder so that they are the most decadent, extra fudgy and dense brownies you’ve ever tasted. You won’t believe how easy it is to make brownies from scratch with a tissue-thin crinkly crust that rival any mix! You won’t believe how easy it is to make brownies from scratch with a tissue-thin crinkly crust that rival any brownie mix! These are my favorite fudgy brownies.
They are chewy and dense and moist and super rich. I recognize that it’s a bold claim, but this really is the best brownie recipe that I make in place of a box mix. Which, let’s face it, is the gold standard for many people. Plus, these homemade brownies are made from scratch in one bowl, by hand. I have tested them dozens of times and am confident that any home baker can make brownies that aren’t just as good, but better than a mix! And the resultant brownies are have such an intense chocolate flavor with sweet bits of melted chocolate chips throughout. We’ve never gone back to mixes once we started making these.
And my husband was a die-hard box mix guy, so that’s saying a lot. Bittersweet or semisweet chocolate: I tried to suss out the difference between bittersweet and semisweet chocolate, but it seems like an almost impossible thing to do. The better quality chocolate you use, the better your baked goods will taste. I always have Hershey’s or Ghiradelli unsweetened cocoa powder in the cupboard and those work well too.
Sugar: After much testing, I have decided that using part brown sugar and part granulated sugar gives the best results in chewy brownies with a deep, rich flavor and a crackly crust on top. Eggs: For years I made this recipe with an extra egg yolk, but I’m no longer convinced it adds enough to justify it. These are still ultra fudgy with just three whole eggs and it makes the recipe easier anyway. All-purpose flour: I use unbleached all-purpose flour in this recipe and in most of my baking unless I specify otherwise. Salt: Can’t make baked goods without a little salt!
Vanilla: This common baking ingredient amplifies the other flavors, rather than being noticeable on its own. Semisweet chocolate chips: Totally optional to stir these in at the end before spreading the batter into the pan, but my family loves them. If it were just me, I would skip the chocolate chips and use walnuts instead, but I often get voted out on this particular issue. Whisk the cocoa powder into the hot butter and chocolate mixture.
I started doing this every since I learned about how heat makes the flavor of cocoa powder “bloom” and it really does seem to give a more robust, chocolatey taste. Whisk in the sugars, followed by the eggs. This can be done by hand or with an electric mixer, but beating the eggs and sugar well helps develop that crackly crust that is so coveted in good brownies. Sprinkle the flour and salt over the top and stir in with a wooden spoon or spatula. Stir in the chocolate chips or walnuts, if using. The batter will be very thick.
Pour the batter into a 9×9-inch metal pan lined with a parchment paper sling. I’m notoriously bad at cutting straight lines when things are in a pan. With a sling, you can lift the brownies out and slice them, which is so much easier! Bake for 30 minutes in a 350 degree F oven. A toothpick inserted into the center should come out with a few crumbs on it when they are done. If the toothpick is still wet with batter, let them cook for just a couple minutes longer. Be sure to cool completely before cutting.
The chocolate flavor actually develops as the brownies cool, so if you can hold out, giving them a chance to really cool down makes them even more delicious! You can make these in an 8×8, 9×9, or even a 9×13-inch pan. You will get a different thickness and need to adjust the baking time accordingly, but they all work. If you use a 9×13-inch pan, the brownies will be thinner and bake in a shorter amount of time, more like 20-25 minutes.