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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:
Annie Oakley's Kitchen says
Oh my my my do those look so good! I stumbleuponed your blog and am so happy that I did! Fudgey brownies are the best! I just don’t understand those people that like the cakey kind.
ITIN Credit Score says
This is a wonderful recipe, thanks so much for sharing. You did a great job with the images too; I will definitely try this recipe this weekend.
elizabeth, again! says
I just made a batch of these and accidentally used an extra cup of flour. The batter was pretty thick, and I was worried they’d be a disaster. But these brownies are so gooey to begin with, that my extra-flour version is still quite good. Just in case that happens to someone else– still bake them! They’re still good!
Eva says
I just made these and WOW. I will never buy boxed brownies again. Thank you so much. Yummy!
what katie's baking says
those are the fudgiest brownies i’ve ever seen!! i’m making those stat!!!
Jessica says
I just made these for my husband and I! and we LOVE them!! we had them with some vanilla Ice Cream, OMGoodness!! SO GOOD!!!! thanks for the easy recipe!!! 🙂
Sarah says
I want to add a peanut butter flavor to my brownies. Would it work to add peanut butter chips to the mix instead of the chocolate ones?
Bluebell says
I have to admit, I LOVE brownies from a box! I think that brownies are the only type of baked good I haven’t attempted from scratch yet. This might be the recipe I use when I decide to do it! They look just perfect!
Cindy says
Karly,
It’s me again Cindy. I made the brownies as promised for my luncheon and took them. I also sent some over to my neighbors house whose parents are visiting from Naples Italy to try. I just got home today and there were two messages on my answering machine, one from my friend that hosted the luncheon who said that they were the best most delicious brownies she had ever tasted and she wants the recipe. The other message was from my neighbor whose mother is from Italy who in her own rite is a fabulous cook and baker. She wants the recipe so her daughter can translate it to Italian and she can take it home with her. She thought they were the best she has ever tasted. I finally have a real winner of the best brownie recipe ever. I made at least 15 different recipes over the last few months in search of the best. and these are it.
Thanks for ending my search.
Cindy
Cindy says
Karly,
I am directly going to my kitchen to try to bake these brownies! If only computers had smell-a-vision! They look delicious. I have tried lots of different brownie recipes but I think I have found my new favorite. I have a luncheon to attend tomorrow and I am going to bring these. Thanks for the great recipe!
Cindy
Jane says
I made these a few days ago and they were wonderful!! Thanks for sharing. I am a box brownie person too but I may not go back after these.
jen says
made them, love them! Having a bake sale for the school and will use this for sure! Thx
Government refinance programs says
This is a fantastic recipe. I tried it over the weekend and it turned out perfectly – with any recipe like this though, I am always careful to make sure not to overcook. My oven is a bit on the older side and that can lead me to problems if I don’t keep an eye on things!
Carol says
I’m looking for brownies to make for my son of 28 years. I had boxed brownie mixes . . . the last of which I used when I needed a chocolate fix. These look absolutely delicious. My son prefers brownies over my home made Christmas cookies. Next time I’ll be sure to have cream cheese on hand to swirl into the brownies. I’m off to bake!!
Kirsten says
They just came out of the oven. They look absolutely stunning. Can’t wait to try them!!!