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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:
Laura says
OK! YUM!!!! Brownies are my all time favorite and I can’t wait to make these!!!!
Aleksandra says
they look amazing! can’t wait to try them!
Maggie Martin says
I still say, If it ain’t chocolate don’t eat it! Another winner from you Karly.
I have dipped broccoli in chocolate and ate it. and I love broccoli, but I love chocolate even more.
Gotta go and make a fast pan of these!
Thanks!
Maggie
Natalie says
WOW these brownies look so moist and chocolatey! Delicious!
Jenna says
I love box mix brownies too, but your homemade brownies have a texture that you just can’t get with a box. Look at that crackly top but fudgy middle. So much yum!
Jeanne Seller says
These brownies are amazing, !made them about 4 hours ago and they are gone! Everyone has to taste to see if they tasted as good as they smelled…….they tasted better, as everyone had to come back for more. Now I need to go to the store for milk so that I can bake these again, hopefully this time the brownies will last longer than 4 hours! Another great recipe!!
Karly says
So glad they were a hit, Jeanne! 🙂
Jacqueline says
Hi there! The expresso powder I’m a bit hesitant on. I don’t drink coffee. Will that make a difference in taste? I don’t like coffee at all. Thank you!
ZP says
I never put the espresso powder in and still delicious!!
Jacqueline says
Ok thanks!
Annemarie Bronakoski says
Any thoughts on adding chopped walnuts? If yes can you recommend an amount? Plus could i substitute mini choc chips?
Karly says
I’m sure you could add in some chopped nuts, but I never have so it’s tough to say an amount – probably a cup or so. Using mini chips would be fine.
Gloria Vincent says
Tried to get Deviled Egg Dip, four times with no luck. Please add it to another posting. Thanks
Anonymous says
Didn’t add flour because it was *optional*, it turned out very fudge and flat. I used a Dutch cocoa powder. That is the only thing different I did. Do you have any clue why it turned out flat?
Karly says
You didn’t use the flour? The flour is definitely necessary – the espresso powder is what is listed as optional.
Amazed says
My god are you THAT stupid!
Sunny says
It actually does have the flour under optional! You shouldn’t call be stupid.
Karly says
Certainly no reason for name calling, but the flour is not listed under optional. It’s all on the same line as the espresso powder. If you adjust your font size, things might look differently on your end, but there is nothing I can do to control that. The flour is not optional though.
Charlotte says
Karly you do not deserve to be called stupid. I saw that the flour was not optional–the espresso powder was optional. I didn’t use the espresso powder and the brownies turned out amazing. Best recipe ever. God bless you Karly!
Karly says
Thanks, Charlotte! So glad you enjoyed these!
Yianna says
5/5
Yianna says
I’ve used this recipe a bunch now and they have turned out delicious every time. My boyfriend and I are always amazed by how easy it is and how much better brownies taste hand made. Thanks for this amazing recipe!
Mike Price says
Could I add peanut butter to this recipe without messing up the batter? If so, how much would you recommend? I am also wanting to replace 1 of the cups of chocolate chips with a 1 cup of peanut butter chips!
Karly says
I haven’t tried adding peanut butter to the batter, so I really can’t say. If you try it, let me know how it works out!
Barbara Atkinson says
You can use peanut butter chips!
Susan says
Could I use Ghirardelli 60% Cacao Bittersweet Baking Chocolate Chips instead of the Semi – Sweet Chips? What kind of Cocoa Powder (Ghirardelli 100% Unsweetened Dutch Process, Ghirardelli 100% Unsweetened Ground Cocoa or Hershey’s?
Karly says
You can use any type of chocolate chips that you prefer. I’ve used both dutch process and natural cocoa powder and both work well here.
Susan says
Nothing beats making things from scratch!
I was wondering, if you use the Baking Bands on all of your baked items? If so, what kind & where do you buy them? Up until a few months ago, I wasn’t aware of them. Always wondered how Bakery’s had such nice cakes, etc. & mine always came out domed. Thank you!
Karly says
I don’t use baking bands. 🙂
larina says
Hi I got my baking bands from Amazon I got 4 bands for $9.99. Also my family owns bakery’s as far as the cakes not having domes we just cut the tops of the cake to make them level. Then with the leftover cake you can make crumbs. After frosting the cake you can pat the side’s of the cake with the crumbs.
Rita says
Is it one cup of butter plus 2 sticks or is it one cup of butter, which is 2 sticks?
Karly says
It’s one cup of butter, which is the same as 2 sticks. 🙂
Rita says
Thanks!
NH says
My brownies turned out cakey and dry. Not sure how to get thr fudgy brownies out of this recipe?
Karly says
Hi there! Sorry these didn’t turn out how you had hoped. My guess is that you added a bit too much flour and overbaked them. When you measure flour, make sure to use a dry measure and spoon or scoop the flour into, then level it off. Don’t pack in the flour or you’ll end up with too much. You’ll also want to pull the brownies from the oven when just the edges are set. I use a toothpick about an inch from the edge and when it comes out clean, they’re done.
Sarah says
They were so good! Rich and fudgey…. And super easy to make! Will be saving this recipe for the future!