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Our Homemade Brownies are thick, rich, fudgy, and they taste just like they came from a bakery! No more box mixes, because these are seriously the best brownies from scratch you’ll ever try.
In the past I’ve shared things like the fact that I’d never in my life eaten oatmeal (the horror!), I’ve blogged about how one time I drank salad dressing from a ziploc bag because…I don’t know why.
I have shared some deep and disturbing things with you and here I am with another…
I generally prefer brownies that are made from a box mix. The shame! The horror!
No worries, I’ve totally changed my ways!
I’m about to share with you the perfect homemade brownies recipe and I can almost guarantee you’ll never go back to the box mix again.
These. Are. Good.
These brownies are perfectly thick and fudgy. Basically a chocolate bomb going off in your mouth. If you like fudgy brownies, you’re going to love these.
Ingredient Notes:
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Brownie Mix – This homemade brownie mix contains most of the usual brownie batter ingredients like cocoa powder, flour, sugar, eggs, baking powder, and vanilla extract.
Espresso Powder – Optional but highly recommended! It really adds a lot of depth to the chocolate flavor. This will NOT make your homemade brownies taste like coffee. It’ll just add lots of extra fudgy flavor to this brownie recipe!
Chocolate Chips – I like to add lots of semi-sweet chocolate chips to the brownie batter! They will met perfectly to add even more chocolatey flavor to these fudgy brownies.
What Readers are Saying!
“Oh my gosh these brownies are so gooey, fudgy and rich! I’ve been trying to make fudgy brownies for a while but I always manage to cook them too long and they end up cake-like. But not with these bad boys! Thanks for the recipe!” – Kayla
How to Make Brownies From Scratch:
Melt the butter on the stove and then whisk in the sugar. We don’t want to caramelize the sugar – just melt it into the butter.
Add the hot butter mixture to a mixing bowl and let it cool for just a few minutes before adding the eggs.
Beat in the eggs and cocoa powder with a little vanilla. This mixture is going to look divine, so go ahead and take a little lick if you must. Just be careful – once you start, it’s hard to stop!
Next, add in your flour, baking powder, a little salt, and the secret weapon: espresso powder.
Helpful Tip!
Baking With Chocolate
If you don’t have espresso powder, you can skip it. However, I highly recommend keeping some on hand for baking with chocolate. It doesn’t make your treats taste like coffee, it just enhances the rich chocolate flavor. Highly recommend. This is the brand I use.
Mix that all together by hand and then stir in some chocolate chips. I like to use dark or semi-sweet, but my family prefers milk. Use whichever variety you like best. The brownie batter will be thick.
Spread the brownie batter into a greased or parchment-lined 9×13 baking dish and bake for about 30 minutes. You want the edges to be firmly set and the center to still be a bit soft. I like to use a tester 1 inch from the edge – when the edges are fully cooked through, your center should be nicely fudgy and delicious.
Let the homemade brownies cool for as long as you can stand it before cutting.
I use my dusting wand to lightly sprinkle on some powdered sugar. It’s not necessary but it makes the brownies oh so pretty!
FAQs:
You can store these homemade brownies in an airtight container at room temperature for 3 to 5 days!
We normally use Hershey’s Special Dark, which is a mixture of Dutch and natural. It makes extra fudgy brownies! If you’re choosing just one, use Dutch processed.
We like to test these homemade brownies about 1-2 inches from the edge of the pan and pull them when the tester comes out clean. If you test them directly in the center of the pan, the edges will be overdone by the time the tester comes out clean. Testing near the edges ensures you end up with nice edge pieces and fudgy centers.
MORE BROWNIE RECIPES!
Nutella Brownies: If you like extra fudgy brownies, try these!
Marshmallow Brownies: Wait til you see the layers on these brownies!
Reese’s Brownies: Brownie bottom + peanut butter frosting + chocolate fudge frosting + Reese’s!
Mississippi Mud Brownies: I love the marshmallows on here!
M&M Brownies: These brownies are packed full of M&M candies!
Recipe for easy homemade brownies:
Homemade Brownies
Ingredients
- 1 cup butter
- 2 1/4 cups sugar
- 4 large eggs
- 1 1/4 cups cocoa powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon espresso powder optional
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips
Instructions
- Pre-heat the oven to 350 degrees. Butter a 9×13 baking dish.
- In small saucepan over low heat, melt butter completely. Stir in sugar and continue cooking for 1-2 minutes, stirring constantly. Do not allow sugar mixture to boil.
- Pour butter mixture into a large bowl or stand mixer, and cool for 2 minutes. Beat in cocoa powder, eggs, salt, baking powder, espresso powder, and vanilla extract. Mix until well combined.
- Stir in the flour and chocolate chips until well combined.
- Spread into prepared pan (batter will be very thick and sticky) and bake for about 30 minutes, until a tester comes out mostly clean. The edges should be set and the center should still look slightly moist, but not uncooked. Cool on a wire rack.
Tips & Notes:
Nutrition Information:
This post was originally published in October of 2009. It was updated with new tips in October of 2020. Original photo below:
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Tamara says
I just came across your site (Thank you, Pinterest!) Not only are your recipes amazing, but you’re hilarious! Two of my favorite things! So thank you!
Karly says
@Tamara,
Thank you!! 🙂
Maria Hanrahan says
OMG these look amazing! Will probably try out this recipe this weekend…. usually I prefer box mix brownies to homemade ones, which dry out too fast for me, but the photos of these make them look so wonderful….
Kellie says
How in the world have you never tried oatmeal???? Apple cinnamon oatmeal is my fav by far. I had some this morning with a little butter and cinnamon sugar added right before I eat it. OMGosh it is sooo creamy and yummy and fulfilling and just downright good.
Sam says
I did mine in an 8 by 8 for an hour, the middle could have gone longer though. Although it isn’t perfect, I don’t mind! They are extremely rich and delectable! I will most certainly make them again!
Sam says
Oh and I did mine at 355 for a half hour to.
Danielle says
This is my go-to brownie recipe, this recipe hasn’t failed me yet, however if there was a way to get them more gooey, I would love to know! I make these for work luncheons and everyone loves them (I add walnuts and they are a huge hit)! Thanks for this amazing recipe!
Bethany says
@Danielle, I made them in a 9×9 dish and baked them for 50 mins. I’m at 6500′ elevation, so perhaps that helped with them turning out gooey.
kat says
I LOVE these brownies! my favorite recipe ever! would def recommend them!! They have always turned out perfect! I skip on the express flavor and chocolate chips tho!
Melanie @ Carmel Moments says
I’m always in search of new brownie recipes. I’d love to give this one a try. It’s looks like a favorite among many.
alsina shaikh says
can’t wait to try these dense looking ooooey goooey brownies thanx!
RavieNomNoms says
OH MY BROWNIES!! YUM. I have such a weakness for them, these look awesome.
Trista says
I have made these brownies probably 7 times in the past year for various occasions, and they have never failed me. I live in high altitude and can follow the recipe to a T, and they still turn out perfectly! They’re currently baking in my oven for a potluck at church tomorrow. Thank for sharing this amazing recipe! 🙂
Karly says
Glad you enjoy them! 🙂
Sasha says
the hulk brownies weren’t very good at all. honestly, they were a ridiculous amount of work considering that they’re only brownies, which normally isn’t a problem for me, but also, they just weren’t very good, which made the work not worth it. i should have just made boxed brownies. they taste ten times better and they’re not nearly as difficult. they were too dense in a bad way, and the chocolate in them just wasn’t–it just wasn’t very fudgey. i mean, they were edible, but i wouldn’t even buy something pre-made at the store that tasted like them. they just didn’t taste that awesome, and considering how much sugar and butter and calories were in them, they had no excuse to taste anything short of amazing. they didn’t turn out anything like the picture, and i am an extremely experienced baker. would not recommend.
Lauren says
I always preferred box mix brownies too! I found Alice Medrich’s recipe on smitten kitchen a while back and love those! Glad to be a food blogger who actually will now enjoy a scratch made brownie 🙂 Those variations look good too!
Joana says
I just made these brownies and they are very, very good. Mine turned out gooey not cakey. I did find them a bit too sweet however, my husband thought they were perfect so it is all a matter of preference. I will be making these again for sure.
Angie says
These were definitely tasty, but I’m with the other commenters who thought they were a little more cakey than expected. Still very good though, so you won’t go wrong with making them. I’m a seasoned baker so I was confident that I wouldn’t experience what other people had posted about. I’m sure it comes down to preference and which box mix you’re comparing it to. It’s less fudgy than the one I usually buy. But again, very good recipe nonetheless. Don’t hesitate to try it.