This homemade fudgy brownie recipe is the best I’ve made. Since we use cocoa powder, these brownies are easy to make and so much better than the boxed mixes!
I bet you already have everything you need in your kitchen to make these incredible brownies from scratch right now! They are super easy to make, taste like rich dark chocolate, have the fudgiest middles, and have crinkly, shiny tops.
So many of our readers have claimed this to be “the best brownie recipe,” and honestly, after trying so many brownie recipes ourselves, I think they are right. If you are looking for slightly sweeter brownies that are thicker and chewier around the edges, see our easy brownie recipe.
Key Ingredients
- Cocoa powder: I love cocoa brownies! Cocoa powder makes these brownies so delicious. Use any unsweetened cocoa powder in this recipe. I’ve used natural, Dutch-processed, and even raw cacao in this recipe. For a chocolate flavor similar to Oreo cookies, try Dutch cocoa.
- Butter: We use 100% butter in the recipe. If you use salted butter, leave out the salt called for in our recipe below.
- Granulated sugar: Helps with our shiny top, and balances the bitterness of unsweetened cocoa powder. Brown sugar works in our recipe, but you might lose the crinkly top.
- Eggs add richness and provide structure to the brownies.
- All-purpose flour: These easy brownies need a small amount of flour for structure. We want extra fudgy brownies, so keeping the flour to a minimum helps. For gluten-free, read through the comments (many readers have used a gluten-free flour blend like the Bob’s Red Mill in this recipe).
How to Make the Best Brownies
We’re going to make our brownie batter in a saucepan, which makes this recipe easier and you’ll have less dishes! The trick to the best brownies is to combine HOT butter with sugar and cocoa powder. So, I melt my butter in a saucepan and then immediately stir in sugar, cocoa powder, vanilla extract, and salt. Then, after a minute or two of letting it cool, I add my eggs one at a time and then the flour.
As my brownies bake, this heated sugar moves up to the top of the brownies when they are in the oven, which is how they get that shiny top. The hot butter also blooms the cocoa powder, making our brownies taste better.
This brownie batter is thick. I usually tell you to avoid over-mixing batters, but that’s not the case with these cocoa brownies. The same goes for blondies batter. Here’s our blondies recipe, which are like brownies, but made with a vanilla batter.
I bake my brownies in a 325°F oven until the edges are set and the middle looks slightly underdone. I like using a toothpick to tell when my brownies are ready to come out of the oven and look for a small amount of batter left on the toothpick. The brownies continue to firm up as they cool, so even though they may look underdone, they will be perfect when cooled to room temperature.
Perfect Fudgy Brownies
- PREP
- COOK
- TOTAL
Say hello to our favorite brownies recipe from scratch. You only need a saucepan and spoon to make these brownies. Mixing the sugar and cocoa powder into the hot melted butter helps get that shiny, crinkly top we all love. If you reach for darker chocolate over milk chocolate, these bittersweet brownies are for you. Use natural or Dutch-process cocoa powder. See the tips below the recipe for guidance on choosing the best cocoa powder for your brownies.
When measuring the flour and cocoa powder for these brownies, either weigh them or use the “spoon and level” method: Fluff the flour/cocoa, spoon it into the measuring cup, and level off the top with a flat edge. You can see me do this in our video!
Watch Us Make the Recipe
You Will Need
10 tablespoons (145g) unsalted butter
1 ¼ cups (250g) granulated sugar
3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons (75g) unsweetened cocoa powder, spooned and leveled
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
2 large cold eggs
1/2 cup (65g) all-purpose flour, spooned and leveled
2/3 cup (80g) chopped walnuts, pecans, or chocolate chips, optional
Directions
1Position an oven rack in the middle of the oven and heat to 325°F (162°C). Line the bottom and sides of an 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.
2Add the butter to a medium saucepan. Place over medium-low heat and cook until the butter melts completely, then turn off the heat. Stay close, and do not let it brown.
3While the butter is hot, stir in the sugar, cocoa powder, vanilla, and salt. Stir well until blended. Don’t worry if the batter looks gritty. Once you add the eggs, the brownie batter will become smooth.
4Set the saucepan aside to cool until the mixture is warm, not hot, 5 to 10 minutes. Test the temperature by touching the batter, it should be comfortable to hold without feeling hot.
5Add the cold eggs, one at a time, stirring vigorously after each egg.
6When 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. I use a wooden spoon or spatula and beat for 40 to 50 strokes (see video for reference).
7Stir in nuts or chocolate chips (optional).
8Spread the thick brownie batter evenly in the prepared pan. It can be hard to spread because it is so thick. Do your best to push the batter to the corners and even out the top.
9Bake the brownies until the edges look dry and the middle is slightly underbaked, 20 to 30 minutes. A toothpick plunged into the center should emerge somewhat moist with batter. As the brownies cool, they firm up but will always be moist and fudgy in the middle.
10Cool completely before removing the brownies from the pan (this step is essential and helps the brownies set). Cut into 16 squares. For clean edges, use a chef’s knife and wipe it clean after each slice. For guaranteed perfect edges, chill the brownies in the fridge for 1 to 2 hours before slicing.
Adam and Joanne's Tips
- Storing homemade brownies: Keep your baked brownies in an airtight container at room temperature for 2 to 3 days. Or store them in the fridge for 2 weeks. You can also freeze brownies for up to 3 months! I like wrapping them individually so I can take one or two out of the freezer.
- Baking pan: We use a metal 8-inch square pan. Ceramic and glass pans may affect bake time. Check on doneness 5 minutes early and every 5 minutes after that. Double the recipe for a 9-inch by 13-inch pan. The brownies will be slightly thicker
- Cocoa powder: Try Dutch-process for a mellow, Oreo-like flavor or natural cocoa powder (like Ghiradelli or Guittard) for a rich, dark chocolate taste.
- Measuring flour and cocoa powder: Either weigh them or use the “spoon and level” method: Fluff the flour/cocoa, spoon it into the measuring cup, then level off the top with a flat edge. See our video for a demonstration.
- Longer bake time: These take 20 to 25 minutes in our oven. Still, ovens vary, so use our tips in the recipe to tell when your brownies are done. Remember, brownies continue to cook and firm up as they cool, so don’t be afraid to take them out of the oven with the center still a little underdone.
- Double-boiler method: This brownies recipe originally used a double-boiler, but we’ve simplified the method to make it easier and quicker, using fewer dishes while maintaining the same results. If you prefer the original double-boiler method, place a heat-safe bowl with the butter, sugar, and cocoa powder over barely simmering water. Once melted, cool and continue as directed.
- Alice Medrich’s Cocoa Brownies inspired this brownie recipe. Medrich revolutionized brownie recipes years ago when she used cocoa powder instead of melted chocolate. This change allows for better control of ingredients, resulting in incredibly moist brownies with a perfectly fudgy center and a shiny, candy-like top.
- The nutrition facts provided below are estimates.
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I found these way too dark chocolate and not quite sweet enough.