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.
Watch Us Make the Recipe
You Will Need
10 tablespoons (145g) unsalted butter
1 ¼ cups (250g) granulated sugar
3/4 cup + 2 tablespoons (75g) unsweetened cocoa powder, spooned and leveled, see notes
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
2 large cold eggs
1/2 cup (65g) all-purpose flour, spooned and leveled, see notes
2/3 cup (80g) chopped walnuts, pecans, or chocolate chips, optional
Directions
- Prepare Batter
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).
- Bake Brownies
1Spread 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.
2Bake 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.
3Cool completely before removing the brownies from the pan — this step is essential and helps the brownies set. Cut into 16 squares. (Cooled brownies are much easier to cut. 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: Carefully measure the flour and cocoa powder. Either weigh them or use the “spoon and sweep” 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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Hands down! This is the best recipe ever for homemade brownies! These are perfect Fudgy Brownies!
So good! Its simple yet so addicting. I could not stop with just one slice. Would definitely 100% make it again.
Absolutely delicious! Easy, quick, and with basically no dishes used! They turned out amazing! 5 stars!!!
Divine and rich and ultra-dark-chocolatey. Just perfect!
Thank you so much for the kind words! I’m so happy to hear you enjoyed the rich, dark chocolate flavor. It means a lot to us that you found them perfect!
best brownie recipe ever. anytime i crave brownies i go straight to this recipe. i put mine in the oven for 28-29 minutes and its the perfect gooey to crispy ratio.
Wow, that’s amazing to hear that this recipe is your go-to for brownies! Thanks for sharing your baking time of 28-29 minutes. I’m sure that will be helpful to others who love their brownies a little more crispy around the edges.
These are the best brownies I’ve ever made. I use this recipe all the time now. They turn out delicious every time. 😋
This is the BEST homemade fudgy brownie recipe I’ve ever tasted! I’ve tried so many, and they’re just not fudgy enough. This is going to be my go-to from now on.Thank you do much!!!
You’re so welcome! It makes me incredibly happy to hear that you loved these brownies and that they’re the fudgiest you’ve ever tried.
The batter was so thick, I ended up not using the parchment paper and just greased the pan to be able to spread the batter. I think there is too much cocoa but it still tastes very good. I added chocolate chips and pecans.
I’m so glad to hear they still turned out delicious despite the thick batter! It’s easy to overpack cocoa powder when measuring, which may have lead to having too much cocoa? To avoid this, you can try fluffing up the cocoa in the container before scooping it into your measuring cup, and then use a straight edge (like a knife or the back of a spoon) to level it off. Or, for the most precise measurements, using a kitchen scale and the weight measurements in the recipe can be very helpful. Your additions of chocolate chips and pecans sound delicious, and I’m happy you enjoyed these brownies!
Wonderful. I used Droste Dutch Processed cocoa and half copy of milk chocolate chips. Only issue was making certain I did not over bake. As stated in the recipe, the brownies continue baking out of the oven. Great taste – definitely a “go to” recipe.
I’m so happy to hear that you loved the brownies! It’s great that you used Droste cocoa and milk chocolate chips – those sound like delicious additions. You’re absolutely right about the importance of not overbaking. That’s why we include tips in the recipe for checking doneness, like inserting a toothpick and looking for a bit of wet batter. Taking the brownies out a little early is always a good idea, as they’ll continue to cook a bit as they cool. I’m glad this recipe will become a “go-to” for you!
absoluetely perfect, i added the recommended amount of flour but once i stirrred it it didnt look like enough so i added more and it still turned out great, nice and soft in the middle and doesnt have the texture of a cake like some recipes do , the top is also a little crisp, deff recommend
Love this recipe but wished I would have used my olive oil spray on parchment paper before pouring batter into pan and prevented some of them from sticking.
OMG (Oh My Goodness) !!! I made these and they were WONDERFUL! My first time making Brownies in a Saucepan!! I used Organic ingredients and Eggs from Pasture Fed Chickens and Ghirardelli’s 100% Cocoa (Dutch Process) Cocoa Power. My Goodness these were Sooooooo Very Good. Definitely 5 Stars !!!!!
This is a terrible recipe it’s too thick, the batter doesn’t spread. What a terrible recipe.
Hi John, I’m sorry to hear that you had trouble with the batter being too thick. As we mention in the recipe, it’s important to measure the flour correctly to avoid this issue. We’ve included tips below the recipe on how to measure flour accurately, and our video demonstration also shows how to spread the batter in the pan. I hope this helps, and if you try the recipe again, please let me know how it turns out!
It’s quick to make and is dangerously good. It is impossible to stop at just one. If I could give it 6 stars I would tbh.
They were easy to make and absolutely delicious. Could you demonstrate how to line the pan with parchment so there’s an overhang? Definitely my new favorite brownie recipe and the video was great.
Absolutely love these brownies. I double the recipe and bake in a 10x 14 pan. Always a hit