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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:
Caroline @ chocolate and carrots says
These are in the oven right now and smell AMAZING!
Alexa says
did you use unsweetened or sweetened cocoa powder?
Karly says
Unsweetened cocoa powder. Generally, in baking, you’ll always use unsweetened. 🙂
Melody says
Love these brownies! I put m&m s on top add a little color
Tiyana Latham says
These brownies are phenomenal! I stand with the previous responders, “I will never bake boxed brownies again!”
Sabrena Padgett says
Oh My Oh My Oh My!!! I have a small bake from home business and everything is from scratch. I have never offered a brownie because I have never really loved any of my homemade recipes. I have a new one now. I made these yesterday for a 4th of July celebration. Perfect! Just what I love. A nice firm outside but yummy and gooey on the inside. I did frost them with cream cheese frosting but other than that I followed your recipe. I will keep this as my go to for brownies from now on.
ZP says
These really are the best!! I only did one cup of chocolate chips but stilll awesome. I don’t think I’ll ever buy a box again. My family can’t get enough of these!
Kera says
HANDS DOWN THE BEST BROWNIES IVE EVER MADE!! the boyfriend agrees. Thank you!
Karly says
Glad to hear that! 🙂
Tamar @ A Feminist Cooks says
I’ve tried my way through a fair share of brownie recipes, but these are just too beautiful! The perfect gooey…
Karly says
Hope you give them a try!
Maleeha Ahmed says
A couple weeks ago I had a brownie mishap and was super sad the brownies didn’t turn out the way I wanted. I decided to give it another and OH MY GOD, these are the best brownies EVER. They are not try and just delicious. The best part is that the edges aren’t rock hard. This is definitely a recipe I will be using from now on!
Maleeha Ahmed says
dry not try
Karly says
Yay!! Glad to hear that!
Kelly Geromette says
What type of pan are you using for these brownies? Glass or metal?
Karly says
I use both interchangeably.
Kayla says
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!
Karly says
Glad you enjoyed them!
Patricia says
I made these this weekend, my husband and I were close to polishing off the entire 13×9 pan they were incredibly moist and chocolaty but not over the top chocolate. He is a picky eater and Brownies are his favorite dessert. I too will never go back to the ‘box’ brownie ever again! I was low on chocolate chips so I also cut up a milk chocolate candy bar to add. These brownies were a DREAM!!!
Karly says
Yay! Glad to hear they were such a hit!
holly says
how can i make these without eggs? im pure vegetarian
Karly says
I’ve never tried making this without eggs, so I’m not sure.
Brooke says
I think there is a way to make an egg substitute with flaxseed somehow
ZP says
Egg substitute: 1 heaping tablespoon of ground flaxseed and 3 tablespoons of water, mix and let sit for 3 minutes, this equals 1 egg
We went thru a vegan phase and used this in many different baking recipes but haven’t tried it w/brownies
Hannah says
Hi! I’d like to use these brownies as a base for a layered brownie and I would like to half the recipe as I don’t need them to be that thick. What would you suggest for baking time and/or temp? (I’m relatively new at baking, and I’m not sure if half-recipe calls for half-baking time).
Thanks in advance!
Karly says
Hi Hannah!
I haven’t tried this myself, so I’m not sure how long you’ll need to bake these. You’ll just want to keep a close eye on them and pull them out when they seem done. 🙂
Christina says
Karly! These brownies DID change my life. They are SO, so good and I LOVE that I never have to use a box again. I love using ghiradelli for the chocolate YUM and the batter barely ever makes it to the oven 🙂 Thanks for this recipe!
Karly says
Yay! Glad to hear that! 🙂