Get ready for the best Homemade Brownies! Moist, fudgy, chewy, and loaded with chocolate! This easy recipe comes together in minutes. This recipe is tested and perfected – use our tips and tricks to get a delicious result every single time.
We are brownie aficionados around here. We have made hundreds of brownies and this is our favorite rich and fudgy brownie. Prefer a “box mix” style of brownie? Try our Chewy Brownies. Prefer a flavored brownie? Try our Peanut Butter Brownies, Cream Cheese Brownies, or Caramel Brownies.
Jump to:
Why this recipe is the best
- Ease: The brownie batter comes together in one bowl in less than 15 minutes.
- Fudgy: If you’re a fan of fudgy brownies this recipe is for you! These bake up moist and chocolaty with a rich fudgy flavor and texture.
- Shiny crinkly tops: These brownies have the shiny crinkly tops that you typically see in boxed brownies. How do we do it? Read more about the method below.
- Moist and chewy: These brownies are moist and fudgy with a hint of chewiness. The edges bake up more chewy than the center.
- Tested and perfected: We’ve made this recipe so many times we have it memorized! We even use it as the base for many of our flavored brownies.
Recipe overview
*Full recipe below in recipe card*
Combine melted butter and granulated sugar.
Whisk in eggs, water, and vanilla.
Add flour, powdered sugar, cocoa powder, and salt.
Stir in the chocolate chips.
Add the batter to an 8×8 or 9×9 pan and bake!
Tips for making homemade brownies
- Start with hot butter + granulated sugar: The heat from the butter will melt the sugar and create an incredible texture and shiny crust.
- Add chocolate chips: Just like with our chocolate bundt cake, we add chocolate chips to the batter for fudginess. Those chips melt slightly and make these super chocolaty. Use your favorite chocolate chips: milk chocolate for a sweeter brownie, semisweet for a classic flavor or bittersweet for a deep, dark chocolate flavor. Sometimes I even use a combination of chips.
- Line your baking pan: Line your baking pan with foil or parchment paper for easy removal and clean up. You can lift the whole batch of brownies right out of the pan by lifting the overhanging foil or parchment paper.
- Do NOT over bake: Brownies baked too long will end up dry and crumbly. Start checking the brownies 5-10 minutes before the recipe says that they should be done. They are done when the edges are set and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out with fudgy crumbs, but no raw batter. There are a lot of melty chocolate chips in these brownies, so don’t mistakenly think that melted chocolate means that they’re underdone. More on this below.
- Choose from two pan sizes: You can use a 9×9 baking pan or an 8×8 baking pan. Bake time will be less in the 9×9 and the thickeness of the brownies will vary based on which pan you choose.
What makes brownies fudgy
Several things make brownies fudgy instead of cakey. These homemade brownies fall into the “fudgy” category, here’s why:
- Fat to flour ratio: These brownies have a high fat to flour ratio. They have more fat (butter, chocolate chips) than flour. This creates a dense, fudgy texture.
- No leavening: These brownies contain no baking soda or baking powder, which means there is little-to-no rise when they bake.
- Chocolate chips: This batter contains a whole cup of chocolate chips. While baking, the chocolate chips melt just slightly, creating a moist, fudgy texture. Don’t skip the chocolate chips – they add a lot to this recipe.
Secret to moist brownies
My number #1 secret to moist brownies is: do NOT over bake! Also, the liquid to dry ratio in this recipe helps keep these brownies moist.
How to tell when brownies are done
Toothpick test: The brownies should be removed from the oven when a toothpick inserted into the brownies come out with moist fudgy crumbs on it (no thin raw batter). Remember, there are lots of chocolate chips in there, so melted chocolate is ok.
Where to do the toothpick test. We love this tip from America’s Test Kitchen, “bake until toothpick inserted halfway between edge and center comes out with just a few moist crumbs attached.” The very center will finish cooking after you remove the pan from the oven and the edges should already be done.
How to get shiny and crinkly crust
One thing we love about this recipe is that you get a shiny, crinkly crust like you typically see on boxed brownies. Here’s how to achieve that:
- Combine granulated sugar and hot melted butter. The heat from the butter will partially dissolve the sugar which helps create the perfect “crust”.
- Beat the butter, sugar, eggs, and water for a full 30 seconds to be sure that they are well incorporated.
- Once the batter is fully combined stir it vigorously for several turns around the bowl. The batter should be glossy and beautiful!
- Chocolate chips in the batter. According to the experts at King Arthur Flour, adding chocolate chips into the brownie batter helps to achieve the shiny tops. This also helps with fudginess, too.
More brownie recipes
Recipe
Fudgy Homemade Brownies
Ingredients
- ½ cup melted unsalted butter, still hot
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 2 tablespoons water
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- ⅔ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- ⅔ cup powdered sugar, see note
- ¾ cup all purpose flour, spooned and leveled
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 cup chocolate chips
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Line an 8×8 (preferred) or 9×9 square pan with foil or parchment paper, leaving a couple inches of overhang on two sides (this will allow you to lift the whole tray of brownies out of the pan for easy removal). Grease the foil/parchment.
- Combine granulated sugar and hot butter in a large bowl. Stir it briefly then allow it to sit undisturbed for 5 minutes. The heat from the butter will begin to dissolve the sugar (this helps make a shiny/crackly crust). After 5 minutes, whisk the butter and sugar vigorously for 30 seconds. The sugar will not fully dissolve but the mixture will come together. Add eggs, water, and vanilla extract, whisking again for about 30 seconds. Tap all the excess batter off the whisk and remove the whisk from the bowl.
- Sprinkle cocoa powder, powdered sugar, flour, and salt over the wet ingredients. Use a rubber/silicone spatula or wooden spoon to stir the mixture until it is glossy and well combined. Stir in the chocolate chips.
- Pour the batter into the prepared pan and smooth the top. Bake the 8×8 pan for for 28-33 minutes (begin checking at 28 minutes). Bake the 9×9 pan for 18-23 minutes (begin checking at 18 minutes). The brownies are done when a toothpick inserted just outside the center comes out moist fudgy crumbs attached but no raw batter. See notes for more on this. Remove from the oven and place the pan on a wire rack to cool completely.
Video
Notes
- Espresso powder: Add 1-2 teaspoons of instant espresso powder along with the dry ingredients for an even more intense chocolate flavor.
- Nuts: Add ⅓ cup chopped walnuts into the batter with the chocolate chips.
- Variety of “chips”: Feel free to use a combination of dark, semisweet, and/oror milk chocolate chips in these brownies.
Nutrition
Nutritional Information is an estimate based on third-party calculations and may vary based on products used and serving sizes.
Tried this recipe?Leave a comment and rating below!
Laura Lewis says
My whole family loves these brownies. I have made these many times and they always turn out perfect. Everyone raves about them. I do use 1/3 cup of powdered sugar (see notes for the recipe) instead of 2/3 cup. I found the brownies too sweet with 2/3 but perfect with 1/3.
Allison Mattina says
Thanks for sharing your experience, Laura. 🙂
Mary Y says
Love this recipe! I doubled it and they came out perfect in a 9×13” pan. This may be a silly question, but how thick are the brownies made in an 8×8” pan? I’m debating whether to make a one or two layer brownie ice cream cake. (Not sure how high it will fit in my springform pan.) Thanks!
Allison Mattina says
Hi, Mary. I’m glad you enjoyed the recipe. Here is an image showing the comparison between an 8×8 and 9×9. If doing two layers I’d have the layers on the thinner side.