I think if you read some of the comments for these best homemade brownies below you’ll want to make this recipe ASAP. Just see what Susan said:
How to Make Chewy Brownies

Let me explain exactly what makes these brownies so chewy and easy. You can skip this if you don’t care WHY these brownies are the way they are and you just want the printable recipe asap.
Chocolate
Unlike my Ultimate Brownies, which utilize two types of melted chocolate, these brownies get their main chocolate flavor from cocoa powder with semi-sweet chocolate chips stirred into the batter. Cocoa powder definitely yields a chewier brownie and has a flavor reminiscent of boxed brownies.
The photos on this post show what the brownies look like if you use regular unsweetened cocoa powder. In the recipe video, I used Hershey’s Special Dark cocoa powder. It gave the brownies an ultra dark chocolaty appearance with a little less sweetness. Learn more about the differences between Dutch-process cocoa powder and natural cocoa powder here.
Feel free to fold in any kind of chocolate chips you want from dark chocolate or milk chocolate, but semisweet is my favorite. Whatever you do, don’t skip the chocolate chips! They help to develop that shiny crust on top of brownies.
Fat
With any cocoa powder-based brownie recipe, we need quite a bit of fat to prevent the cocoa powder from drying the brownies out and making them crumbly. In looking at what makes box mix brownies so chewy, it appears that the combination of saturated (solid) fats and unsaturated (liquid) fats is the winning answer. According to Cooks’ Illustrated, boxed brownies have the saturated fat component covered which is why you add oil (unsaturated) to the mix. I opted for a combination of melted butter and vegetable oil for the best marriage of taste and texture.
Make sure your vegetable oil is fresh to avoid any off flavors and use unsalted butter so you can fully control the level of saltiness. I haven’t tested these brownies with canola oil.
For a full breakdown on these two types of fats and how they affect flavor, tenderness, and texture, check out my Butter vs. Oil in Baking article. There are lots more side-by-side comparisons like this one (and not just with brownies!):

Sugar
I stuck with granulated sugar here because although I love the taste of brown sugar, I didn’t want to add any more moisture (brown sugar contributes more moisture due to the molasses that’s added in) to these already very moist and rich brownies. Too much moisture creates brownies that have lots of holes on top instead of that shiny tissue thin crust.
Eggs
2 large eggs is pretty standard for an 8 by 8-inch brownie recipe, but I just had to add in an egg yolk for the extra dose of chewiness and richness it gives. The protein and the fat in the egg yolk helps achieve those textures. We use cold eggs, instead of room temperature, to prevent the brownies from doming and to increase moisture with a tighter crumb texture.
Flour
All-purpose flour is the way to go here, cake flour makes these brownies way too tender and light. We can achieve enough chewiness without having to use bread flour, which can prevent an extra trip to the store for a lot of people. To make chewy AND fudgy brownies, we only need to use a little bit of flour. Any more flour will create drier or cakier brownies. If you want to be super accurate and weigh your flour, 1/2 cup equals 63 grams or 2.25 ounces. Check out my How to Measure Flour article for step-by-step instructions for weighing dry ingredients using a digital scale.
If you live in a very humid environment, or really dislike any kind of “greasiness,” you may want to add an extra 2 tablespoons of flour to your brownie batter mixture.
Leavener
With my brownie recipes, I usually prefer a very small amount or no chemical leavener (baking soda or baking powder). The reason is because I like brownies to be very rich and on the denser side, not even remotely cakey. Since they lift and give a lighter airier texture to baked goods, we’re only using 1/8 teaspoon baking soda here for just enough leavening to get a nice thick texture.
Cornstarch
This little secret ingredient really helps to improve the texture of these brownies so they’re that much closer to the box mix kind. 1 tablespoon of cornstarch makes the brownies thicker and improves that crust on top.
Make sure to measure correctly, and don’t skip this ingredient! When shooting the photos for my article on how to make brownies with a shiny, thin crust, my food photographer captured the shocking differences between a batch made with 1 tablespoon of cornstarch vs brownies made with an accidental amount of 1 teaspoon cornstarch. The bottom brownies also had no chocolate chips. Take a look:

How long to bake brownies:
Bake these brownies in a 325°F oven for about 30 minutes to avoid overbaking. There will absolutely be moist crumbs attached to a tester by the end of the baking time. That’s what we want. Even after 30 minutes if the middle still seems too moist, just remove the brownies from the oven. Carry-over cooking, the residual heat of the oven and pan, will continue to cook the brownies.
Some readers have said their brownies were really undercooked after 30 minutes. I’m guessing they used a glass baking pan, which I DON’T recommend for this recipe. I recommend a metal baking pan like this one lined with foil or parchment paper. Also, you might want to check your oven temperature with an oven thermometer as many home ovens run cold (especially when they say they’ve just preheated).
For best results, allow the brownies to cool completely before slicing and serving.
How to store brownies:
The brownies definitely taste best the day they are baked, but can be stored 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.
Brownies substitutions:
This brownie recipe is written exactly the way it is for very specific reasons, as noted in the explanations above. If you can’t use one of the ingredients listed, take a look at my extensive brownie index for other options (including coconut oil brownies). If you try to reduce the sugar, use a sugar substitute, use a butter substitute, or make this recipe vegan the results will NOT be the same. Feel free to add in nuts, chips, toffee bits, or anything else to the batter (1/2 cup to 1 cup, depending on how much you’d like).
This recipe was the May 2021 pick for our monthly baking challenge! Every month you can join the challenge by baking the recipe and snapping a photo for a chance to win prizes! Click here for full challenge details. Check out everyone’s brownies:
I did not see to not bake them in glass pan. What can I do so they will cook?
Hi Christine! I would suggest that you lower the oven temperature by 25°F (so 300°F for this recipe). Watch the brownies carefully in the oven, and be prepared to have to bake much longer than stated in the recipe. Remove from the oven when the middle is set and a toothpick inserted into the center has moist crumbs attached. Good luck! 🙂
These brownies are AMAZING! My friends always make me bring them some when I make them. They’re so rich and perfectly gooey.
I’m so excited to hear that you love these brownies, Samantha! We love them too, but we might be a little biased 🙂 Happy baking!!
This may be my favorite brownie recipe so far! I try lots of different ones. It had the best flavor and texture.
I love reading all of the science behind the ingredients. thank you!
Woohoo, so thrilled to hear this, Victoria! I’m so happy you enjoy all of Tessa’s science-backed tips and explanations! We love the technical side of baking here at HTH, too! Happy baking 🙂
I was craving chewy brownies, and these were so easy to make and have the best chewy edges. I have to control myself from eating the whole thing! I used half 70% dark choc chunks, and half butterscotch chips. Turned out perfect! Will be making again with walnuts.
So excited you loved this recipe, Sarah! 🙂
THE best brownies EVER! 🙂
OMG! I have never made brownies from scratch..I’m a box brownie fan….and…I’m not real good in the kitchen..I was craving chocolate so I googled chewy brownie recipe..thought this one sounded pretty easy..
Let me tell you…. I am eating one now…and they are absolutely delicious! I used Hershey Dark cocoa and sugar free dark chocolate chips as that was all I had. These are perfect! That crispy top and chewy inside… I will definitely be making these again! Thanks for such a great easy delicious recipe!!!!!
Hi Terri! I’m SO happy you loved this recipe! It’s one of my favourites, too 🙂 I hope you continue to explore our recipes and experiment further! Happy baking 🙂
I declare these the best brownies ever! I only had semi sweet chocolate chunks so I used those. Also, I ran out of Hershey’s cocoa powder and had to use some Dutch processed cocoa powder. So I probably had 1/4 cup Hershey’s cocoa powder and 1/2 Dutch cocoa powder. Amazing! I will definitely make these again and am excited to try the recipe as-is when I have the correct ingredients. I would 100% make with my “oops” substitutions again in a heartbeat!
Wow, these brownies are AMAZING, and I’ve made a LOT of brownies. Somehow, the combo of using both butter and oil gives it taste and moistness. The cornstarch and adding chocolate chips seems to gives it a more even structure. Most recipes call for baking powder but a pinch of baking soda was perfect to give it just a bit of rising without making it cakey. After cooling, refrigerating for 30 minutes helps to give nice clean cut edges to each piece. I left out the extra egg yolk. Baking time of 25 minutes in a parchment paper-lined metal pan was perfect! I did not use any cooking spray.
This was the BEST brownie recipe I have every made. The whole thing was literally gone in a day. Will make these again FOR SURE! Thanks so much for the recipe ❤️❤️
Hooray – so happy to hear that, Alyson!!!
Any high altitude tips?
Hi Rebecca! I’ve never baked at a higher altitude myself, but King Arthur Baking has an article here, which might help give you some pointers! I hope that helps!
– Kiersten @ HTH
If There were 5 more stars I’d give them to you. I have been a big fan of Duncan Hines Chewy Fudge Brownies for years as have all the people I give them to. I tried your Best Ever Chewy Brownies today and all I can say is “WOW”. As a kid I used to make the Cooked fudge from the recipe on the back of the Hershey’s Cocoa can. When I made your brownies today I used Hersey’s Cocoa and one of the things I loved about the brownies is that they have that fudge taste from my childhood but they are chewy brownies. Love, Love, Love them. I’m such a chocoholic as you probably have guessed and I plan to start trying lots more of your chocolate recipes. My two favs are cookies and chocolate. I have been a cake decorator, cookier, and confectionery Instructor for almost 50 years and they are wrong when they say that “you can’t teach an old dog new tricks.” It’s amazing what I’ve learned in a few months from your website, your magazine, and your cookbook. You are an amazing young lady and I’m looking forward to whatever you have to share in the future.
Sweetest Regards, Linda Butler
Thanks so much for your rave review, Linda! I’ll be sure to pass along your comment to Tessa, it’ll make her day! So happy you love this recipe 🙂
This was the first time I ever made non-box brownies…HEAVEN! I can’t stop eating them. My hubby said they’re the best brownies he’s ever had! I think I have to agree…next time I’ll make a double batch. I used EVOO because I don’t like the flavor of vegetable oil. I used 1/2 semi-sweet morsels & 1/2 semi-sweat chunks and baked for 34 minutes. They’re perfect, thank you for sharing!!
So happy to hear your brownies were such a hit! Thrilled that you tried this recipe over boxed brownies and loved them 🙂 Thanks for the comment!
Chocolate and easy! Soooo yummy!
Everyone raved best ever for sure. Used as base for mud hen brownies. I doubled receipt so cooking time obviously increased. Also let cool and sit over night. Hard, but I resisted
Amazing and so very chewy! Exactly what I was looking for. Thank you for this recipe. Only brownies I will now ever make.
Great recipe!! Brownies are delicious. Can they be frozen?
Yes, you can freeze these! After making and cooling the brownies completely, cut into squares and wrap each square separately in plastic wrap and place in an airtight container. To thaw, let come to room temperature on the counter, though brownies also taste delicious frozen! Feel free to cut into mini squares and add to ice cream as another option! 🙂