Best Homemade Brownies
The ultimate recipe for brownies! They’re fudgy, moist, and super chocolaty, with perfect crispy edges. From Weeknight Baking by Michelle Lopez.
Prep: 5min
Yield: 16
Ingredients:
- 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar*
- 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
- 2/3 cup cocoa powder (sifted if lumpy)
- 1/2 cup powdered sugar (sifted if lumpy)
- 1/2 cup dark chocolate chips
- 3/4 teaspoons sea salt
- 2 large eggs
- 1/2 cup canola oil or extra-virgin olive oil**
- 2 tablespoons water
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
Instruction:
- Preheat the oven to 325°F. Lightly spray an 8×8 baking dish (not a 9×9 dish or your brownies will overcook) with cooking spray and line it with parchment paper. Spray the parchment paper.
- In a medium bowl, combine the sugar, flour, cocoa powder, powdered sugar, chocolate chips, and salt.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs, olive oil, water, and vanilla.
- Sprinkle the dry mix over the wet mix and stir until just combined.
- Pour the batter into the prepared pan (it’ll be thick – that’s ok) and use a spatula to smooth the top. Bake for 40 to 48 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out with only a few crumbs attached (note: it’s better to pull the brownies out early than to leave them in too long). Cool completely before slicing.*** Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days. These also freeze well!
Our Favorite Easy Fudgy Brownies
Say hello to our favorite brownies recipe from scratch. You only need one bowl, a saucepan, and a spoon. Melting the butter into the sugar and cocoa powder ensures that shiny, crinkly top that we all love. These brownies are bittersweet. If you are like us and find yourself reaching for darker chocolate over milk chocolate, these are certainly for you. Use natural or Dutch-process cocoa powder (cacao powder works, too). For brownies that are less bittersweet and that have chewy edges, try this chewy brownie recipe instead.
Prep: 15min
Total: 45min
Yield: Makes 16 Brownies
Serving Size: 1 brownie
Nutrition Facts: servingSize 1 brownie, calories 158 calories, Protein 2 g, Carbohydrate 21 g, Fiber 2 g, Sugar 16 g, Fat 8 g, Saturated Fat 5 g, Cholesterol 42 mg
Ingredients:
- 10 tablespoons (145 grams) unsalted butter
- 1 ¼ cups (250 grams) granulated sugar
- 3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons (80 grams) unsweetened cocoa powder, natural or Dutch-process
- 1/4 rounded teaspoon kosher salt, use slightly less if using fine sea or table salt
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 large cold eggs
- 1/2 cup (65 grams) all-purpose flour
- 2/3 cup (75 grams) chopped walnuts or pecans, optional
Instruction:
- Position an oven rack in the middle of the oven and heat to 325 degrees F. Line the bottom and sides of an 8-inch x 8-inch square baking pan with parchment paper or aluminum foil, leaving an overhang on opposite sides to help remove the baked brownies from the pan.
- Prepare a double-boiler by filling a medium saucepan with water about 2 inches deep. Heat the water until barely simmering. See the notes section below for tips on making these without a double-boiler and instead using a microwave or making them directly in a saucepan.
- Combine the butter, sugar, cocoa powder, and salt in a medium heat-safe bowl. Rest the bowl over the simmering water. If the bottom of the bowl touches the water, remove a little water from the saucepan.
- Stir the mixture occasionally until the butter has melted and the mixture is quite warm. Don’t worry if it looks gritty; it will become smooth once you add the eggs and flour.
- Remove the bowl from the saucepan, and set aside for 5 minutes or until it is only warm, not hot.
- Stir in the vanilla.
- Add the eggs, one at a time, stirring vigorously after each one.
- When the batter looks thick and well blended, add the flour. Use a spoon to beat the flour into the batter until it is very thick and pulls away from the sides of the bowl. We use a wooden spoon or spatula and beat for 40 to 50 strokes (see video for reference).
- Stir in nuts if using.
- Spread the batter evenly in the prepared pan.
- Bake the brownies until the edges look dry and the middle looks slightly underbaked; 20 to 30 minutes. You can test doneness by inserting a toothpick into the center. The brownies are finished baking if it comes out with a few moist crumbs attached.
- Cool completely before removing from the pan — this step is essential and helps the brownies set. Cut into 16 squares.
Fudgy Chocolate Brownies Recipe
FAQ
What are the secrets to chewy brownies?
To make chewy AND fudgy brownies, we only need to use a little bit of flour. Any more flour will create drier or cakier brownies. If you want to be super accurate and weigh your flour, 1/2 cup equals 63 grams or 2.25 ounces.
How to make brownies in 5 steps?
According to the headnotes for this recipe, the key to the texture of the beloved box-mix brownie is the ratio of saturated to unsaturated fat. The box-mix brownies have a 28% to 72% ratio while a classic homemade brownie recipe has a 64% to 36% ratio. Big difference!
Is brownie mix better than homemade?
How do you make boxed brownies better? Use milk instead of water. Milk contains more fat and flavor than water so the brownies are even more moist, gooey, and delicious.
How do you make brownies more moist?
Brownie textures fall into three general camps… Cakey, fudgy and chewy. Cakey brownies, like the name implies, are light, moist and airy, with a slightly fluffy, cake-like interior. Fudgy brownies are moist, dense and gooey, with almost the texture of fudge, but not quite as compact.
