My favorite Homemade Brownies – Moist, fudgy, chewy and absolutely loaded with chocolate! This easy one-bowl recipe comes together in minutes. VIDEO below.
It’s the month of chocolate! And seeing as how this is the week of Valentine’s Day, we should probably be consuming chocolate on a daily basis. Wait, I think I already do that? I say skip the flowers, and store bought chocolates – this right here is the way to anyone’s heart. Rich, fudgy Homemade Brownies, loaded with SO. MUCH. CHOCOLATE.
It’s no secret that I love Brownies. Coconut Brownies, Peanut Butter Brownies, Strawberry Brownies, German Chocolate Brownies – can’t stop, won’t stop. This here is my go-to recipe for Homemade Brownies. I’ve tried many brownie recipes and after lots of testing, I’ve settled on this recipe as my favorite.
How to Make Homemade Brownies:
- Get out a big bowl, a whisk and a rubber spatula.
- Whisk up your dry ingredients: flour, cocoa powder, sugars, salt, chocolate chips and espresso powder.
- Add the wet ingredients right into the dry ingredients: eggs, oil, vanilla and water.
- Stir until combined, then spread the batter into a pan and bake.
Once you remove the brownies from the oven, let them cool slightly. These are best served warm, when the chocolate chips are slightly melted, creating a rich, smooth flavor that can’t be beat! If you’re baking these for a later time, or have brownies leftover, tightly cover and store them. When you’re ready to serve, reheat them in the microwave until the chocolate chips soften.
Tips for Homemade Brownies:
- 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.
- Add Chocolate Chips: Adding chocolate chips to brownie batter helps to ensure a fudgy brownie. 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 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.
- Espresso powder: A little espresso powder really intensifies the chocolate flavor in these brownies. It does not impart a coffee flavor, it simply deepens the chocolate. If you don’t have espresso powder, you can skip it.
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 (oil, 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.
So there you have it – the best Homemade Brownies! Chewy edges, dense and fudgy centers and a shiny crackly top. Pure brownie perfection.
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Homemade Brownies
Ingredients
- 2/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
- 1/3 cup powdered sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup all purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons espresso powder, optional
- 1 cup chocolate chips, milk chocolate, semisweet or bittersweet (your choice)
- 3 large eggs
- 1/2 cup vegetable or canola oil
- 2 tablespoons water
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Line a 9x9 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.
- In a large bowl combine cocoa powder, sugars, salt, flour, espresso powder, and chocolate chips. Whisk until combined. Add eggs, oil, water and vanilla and stir with a rubber spatula until combined (it will be fairly thick).
- Pour the batter into the prepared pan and smooth the top. Bake for 25-35 minutes (begin checking at 25 minutes). The brownies are done when a toothpick inserted into the center comes out without raw batter on it (there may be some fudgy crumbs on the toothpick - that's OK). Be careful not to over bake. Remove from the oven and place on a cooling rack.
Video
Notes
- I prefer this recipe baked in a 9x9 square pan, the brownies cook evenly, and they are the perfect thickness. If you only have an 8x8 pan, you can use it, but you will need to increase your cook time, and your brownies will be quite a bit thicker. Be extra careful about overbaking in an 8x8, you don't want the edges overdone.
- Since ovens vary, and different bakeware can affect the cook time (metal pans cook faster than glass, for instance), it's important to keep a close eye on these as you approach the end of the baking time. To tell if they're done, move the pan back and forth, just slightly. The center should not appear jiggly. When you insert a toothpick into the center, it should come out without raw batter on it (fudgy crumbs are OK). If the brownies are not quite done, set a timer and check them every 5 minutes until they are.
Claire says
I was so disappointed by this recipe..
They did not cook well, and I left them for an hour in the oven. They are too sweet for my taste and the amount of espresso powder is too much.
Allison says
Hi, Claire. Baking them for an hour was way too long. They should only bake for half that amount of time. Also, the espresso powder should have balanced some of the sweetness. Hopefully you used 2 teaspoons not 2 tablespoons.
Makayla irvan says
So freaking good, my mom wanted brownies and I was to lazy to go buy a box from the store. I found this receipe and my family is in love. Will most definitely be my go to brownie recipe from now on.
Allison says
I’m glad you enjoyed them! Thanks for taking the time to comment. 🙂