Tessa’s Recipe Rundown
Taste: The perfect balance of chocolate sweetness.
Texture: CHEWY, of course 🙂
Ease: Super easy. One bowl, no electric mixer needed.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe: This Brownie Recipe is WAY better than a box mix and almost as easy. It’s my go-to recipe!
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These Chewy Brownies are my go-to recipe when I need a quick, easy, crowd-pleasing dessert. I’m not exaggerating when I say I’ve made it over 100 times. It’s truly the best!
The Kitchn tested this recipe, raving about how quick and easy it is! Even Bon Appétit used the recipe as part of their research in their quest to create a perfect chocolate brownie.
I have shared a whole lot of Brownie Recipes over the years – over 50, in fact! I have brownie recipes to please everyone. My Ultimate Brownies are rich, dense, and fudgy. My Brown Butter Brownies have the most stunning crackly crust. And my Toffee Brownies are full of super fun mix-ins and flavors.
Frustrated with blah brownies?
This cheatsheet has everything you need—from essential tools to foolproof tips plus two crave-worthy recipes—to help you master perfect brownies every time!
But these brownies are special. Check out just one of the 1,000+ 5-star reviews for these best homemade brownies:
Reader Love
I have been using this recipe for about a year now! It is the easiest recipe I have ever used, I get so many compliments on these brownies!! Thank you thank you thank you!!! ❤️
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Tessa’s Tip
Struggling with gummy, collapsed, underbaked, or dry-edged brownies? Ditch the glass pan and use a light-colored metal baking pan instead. Learn more about the differences between Glass vs. Metal Baking Pans here.
Sprinkle of Science
How to Make Chewy Brownies
The Cocoa Powder
I recommend using Dutch-processed cocoa powder for a deeper flavor and fudgier texture. Natural (aka unsweetened) cocoa will offer a milder chocolate flavor and a slightly drier but chewier texture. My favorite Dutch cocoa powder for brownies is Penzey’s or Guittard. Learn more about how Natural and Dutch-process cocoas affect your baking here.
The Chocolate Chips
I prefer semisweet chocolate chips, but you can use any kind you like–just keep in mind it will affect the sweetness of the brownies. You can also add 3/4 cup chopped walnuts or pecans in addition to the chocolate chips. Just don’t skip the chocolate chips entirely, as they’re key to achieving that shiny, crinkly crust on top of brownies. Learn my top FOUR methods for achieving a shiny thin brownie crust here.
The Fat
- Melted butter plus vegetable oil provides the best taste and texture.
- You can use avocado oil or any other neutral-flavored oil instead of vegetable oil.
- Make sure your oil is fresh to avoid any off flavors.
- Check out my side-by-side baking experiments with Butter vs Oil here.
The Sugar
Don’t reduce the sugar in this Brownie Recipe, as this will cause dry, crumbly brownies that will stale faster. Learn more about sugar’s functions in brownies here.
The Eggs
These Chewy Brownies use two whole eggs plus an additional egg yolk for EXTRA chewiness and richness. Using cold eggs prevents doming and increases moisture.
The Flour
A small amount of all-purpose flour is essential for creating Chewy Brownies – but avoid adding too much, as this can cause dry, cakey brownies. Use a digital kitchen scale to prevent accidental overmeasuring. If you don’t have a digital scale, use the spoon-and-level method described here.
Cornstarch in Brownies?
Cornstarch mimics the texture of box mix brownies, creating thicker, chewier brownies with a nice shiny crust. Don’t skip it if possible!
Avoid Leavening for Fudgy & Chewy Brownies
I prefer no baking soda or baking powder for rich, dense brownies that are not even remotely cakey.
Can I Double this Chewy Brownies Recipe?
Yes! Double all ingredients and bake in a 9 by 13-inch light-colored metal baking pan (don’t use a glass pan!) and add a few minutes to the baking time.
Storing & Freezing Brownies
Store in an airtight container for up to 3 days at room temperature or up to 5 days in the fridge. They are even more fudgy when they’re chilled!
To freeze, wrap the cooled whole slab or individual slices of brownies in plastic wrap inside an airtight container. Freeze for up to three months. Thaw overnight in the fridge, or for a couple hours at room temperature, before serving.
Brownie Substitutions
This Chewy Brownie recipe is written to yield a perfect chewy brownie. Altering any ingredients will change the outcome. If you can’t use one of the ingredients listed, check out my extensive brownie recipe index for tons of other brownie options (including coconut oil brownies).
More Brownies Recipes You’ll Love:
- Malted Brownies – made with brown butter!
- Toffee Brownies
- Copycat Cosmic Brownies
- Peanut Butter Stuffed Brownies
Best Ever Chewy Brownies
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Ingredients
- 5 tablespoons (71 grams) unsalted butter
- 1 1/4 cups (249 grams) granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs plus 1 egg yolk, cold
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/3 cup (74 grams) vegetable oil
- 3/4 cup (75 grams) cocoa powder*
- 1/2 cup (63 grams) all-purpose flour, measured correctly
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 3/4 cup (128 grams) semisweet chocolate chips
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 325°F. Line an 8 by 8-inch light-colored metal pan** with foil or parchment paper and spray with nonstick cooking spray.
- In a microwave-safe bowl, add the butter and sugar. Microwave for about 1 minute, or until the butter is melted. Whisk in the eggs and egg yolk, whisking vigorously for 1 minute. Whisk in the vanilla, then stir in the oil and cocoa powder.
- With a rubber spatula, stir in the flour, cornstarch, and salt until combined. Stir in the chocolate chips.
- Spread the brownie batter evenly into the prepared pan. Place in the oven and bake for 30 minutes, or until the brownies are set and a cake tester inserted into the center has moist crumbs attached. Do not overcook. Let cool completely to solidify before cutting and serving.
- Brownies can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days. Brownies will be gooey when served warm, chewy when served at room temperature, and fudgy when served chilled.
Recipe Notes
The Ultimate Cookie Handbook
Learn the sweet SCIENCE of cookie baking in a fun, visual way to customize your own recipes frustration-free. Plus, my best 50+ homemade cookies!
This recipe was originally published in 2017 and has been updated with additional baking tips and new photos. Recipe photos by Joanie Simon and Baking Science photos by Ashley McLaughlin.
I’ve been looking for a way to replicate the taste and texture of boxed brownies while making them from scratch and this recipe FINALLY did it. Highly recommend!!
Apologies if this has already been asked, but what is the equivalent in Celsius please? And is it fan forced or conventional?
In the oven now so it’ll be too late, but I would love to know!
If only there was a way to convert F to C without posting a comment on this recipe.
Hello! I use this recipe everytime I want delecious brownie! This is perfect every time, very clear and very simple recipe (no need to be an experienced baker or scale professional🤨), thank you!
I am an experienced baker and read this recipe very carefully, especially since it is rather particular. The specificity didn’t bother me, and I followed all the directions (metal pan, cocoa, etc.) with no deviations, except that I doubled the recipe (which is mentioned as possible in a 9×13 pan). The batter looked correct. I kept looking in the oven window close to 30 minutes because there was some fat bubbling above the surface of the brownie. I was unsure if they would be done at 30 minutes, but when I pulled them to check, the brownies were very cooked, possibly over, with pockets of liquid fat on top. The fat seeped into the top and then they looked dry. They are in fact crumbly and dry, almost like the reduced sugar picture, except I do know how to measure my ingredients. The top also did not end up shiny. I’ve used the shiny brownie method before in other recipes in it has worked. In an attempt not to waste these, we think we’ll freeze crumbles end up using it in ice cream/milkshakes instead. Just wanted to let you know that there may be something to take a second look at. I know every oven is different, but I tried a new cake recipe last night from another site without issue. There are too many brownie recipes that work to give this one another go imo.
I have made this recipe several times and the brownies are a hit every time!!! Thanks for sharing your recipe.
Great recipe! Made 2 8×8 pans of these for the 4th of July, and it was a hit! I subbed vegetable oil with avocado and used a scale to weigh all the dry ingredients.
So happy to hear they were enjoyed, Elizabeth 🙂 Thanks for sharing!
Best brownie recipe ever. Always a hit! Everyone asks for the recipe. I don’t cook with vegetable oil and substitute using coconut oil. These turn out great still. Thank you for the recipe.
Bad recipe. I’m european, I didn’t look at the american measurements and it turned out with a very strong oil flavour. Fix the recipe 1/3 cup (74 grams) 3/4 cup (75 grams) do you see how stupid that is? Don’t make that mistake 1/3 cup is only 40-44 grams maybe don’t even write the measurements you don’t know or look it up it’s not that hard, but when you look at the recipe you believe it.
Hi Sage, perhaps you should go back to school in order to understand how densities (rather than volume) work… The cocoa conversion from cups to grams is a bit off but 1/3 cup of oil will never be the same as 1/3 cup of any other ingredient (unless it has a similar density).
Uhh it’s 75 milimeters not grams, those are so different so the recipe is wrong that they put grams it’s 40 then not 75 GRAMS I think I knoe better since I literally use it on a daily basis
Are you serious??? It is NOT hard looking up measurements on Google!!! 1/3 cup of oil is in fact APPROXIMATELY 75 grams. Do YOU see how stupid that is??! Wow
Uhh it’s 75 milimeters not grams, those are so different so the recipe is wrong that they put grams it’s 40 then not 75 GRAMS I think I knoe better since I literally use it on a daily basis
STOP YAPPING THE RECIPE IS WRONG AF
So you just admitted that you said nonsense
Bruh. Are you trolling a recipe? Haha, how lame can you get?