Best Ever Chewy Brownies Recipe - Handle the Heat

Best Ever Chewy Brownies

By Tessa Arias
  |  
March 15th, 2017
4.83 from 812 votes
4.83 from 812 votes

The BEST Chewy Brownies are just as chewy as the boxed brownies but packed with way more chocolate flavor. One bowl recipe made in less than 1 hour!

Yield: 9 large or 16 small brownies

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook: 30 minutes

Tessa's Recipe Rundown...

Taste: Just the right amount of chocolate and sweetness.
Texture: CHEWY, of course 🙂
Ease: Super easy. One bowl, no melting chocolate, and no electric mixer.
Appearance: You can just see how gooey and moist these are!
Pros: Better than boxed and almost as easy.
Cons: None.
I make this again? Absolutely.

I have shared a whole lot of brownie recipes over the years. Almost 40 to be exact!

Between all that brownie baking and completing my Ultimate Brownie Guide I’m pretty much your go-to brownie expert for the best brownie recipe. Really, I should put that on my business card.

But what I realized in looking at all those brownie recipes is that I’ve never shared a CHEWY brownie recipe. Sure, my Ultimate Brownies have a good level of chewiness. But they’re also very rich and fudgy. So these Chewy Brownies have been a long time coming. If you love box mix brownies, you’ll love these both for their chewiness and for how easy they are. Much quicker and easier than my Ultimate Brownies!

Ultra chewy brownies on parchment paper with crinkly crust on top. Better than box mix!

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:

These are the BEST brownies ever! My husband says that in the 31 years we’ve been married and I’ve been baking these absolutely his favorite of all time.

How to Make Chewy Brownies

Ultra chewy brownies better than box mix!

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 & Cocoa Powder

Unlike my Ultimate Fudgy 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.

Since creating this video, however, Hershey’s has changed the formula of that specific cocoa powder to a Dutched cocoa powder. I recommend sticking with a natural cocoa powder, such as Ghirardelli Cocoa Powder or Penzey’s Natural Cocoa Powder, for best results. 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!):

sliced brownies on a pan comparing whether oil or butter is better in baking

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:

overhead comparison of brownies made with 1 tablespoon of cornstarch vs 1 teaspoon of cornstarch

Can I Add Nuts to Brownies?

Yes! You can add 3/4 cup chopped walnuts or pecans. You can add them either in addition to the chocolate chips or in place of the chocolate chips. Just note if you remove the chocolate chips your crust on top may not be as shiny. For best flavor, try toasting the nuts on a lined tray in a 350°F oven for about 6 to 8 minutes, stirring once.

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. Learn more about the differences between Glass vs. Metal Baking Pans here.

comparison in height differences of brownies baked in a metal pan vs. a glass pan

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).

More Brownies Recipes:

4.83 from 812 votes

How to make
Best Ever Chewy Brownies

Yield: 9 large or 16 small brownies
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 30 minutes
Total Time: 45 minutes
The BEST Chewy Brownies are just as chewy as the boxed brownies but packed with way more chocolate flavor. One bowl recipe made in less than 1 hour!

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 vegetable oil
  • 3/4 cup (75 grams) unsweetened cocoa powder
  • 1/2 cup (63 grams) all-purpose flour
  • 1/8 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1 tablespoon cornstarch
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 3/4 cup (128 grams) semisweet chocolate chips

Directions

  1. Preheat the oven to 325°F. Line a 8 by 8-inch pan with foil or parchment paper and spray with nonstick cooking spray.

  2. 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, egg yolk, and vanilla. Stir in the oil and cocoa powder.
  3. With a rubber spatula, stir in the flour, baking soda, cornstarch, and salt until combined. Stir in the chocolate chips.
  4. 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 before cutting and serving.

  5. Brownies can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days.

Recipe Video

Recipe Notes

To double this recipe, use a 9x13 pan and bake for the same amount of time.
Course : Dessert
Cuisine : American
Keyword : brownies, chewy brownies

May 2021 Baking Challenge

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! Learn more about my monthly baking challenges here. Check out everyone’s brownies:

This recipe was originally published in 2017 and updated in 2021 with more tips and new photos. Photos by Ashley McLaughlin.

Tessa Arias
Author: Tessa Arias

I share trusted baking recipes your friends will LOVE alongside insights into the science of sweets. I'm a professionally trained chef, cookbook author, and cookie queen. I love to write about all things sweet, carb-y, and homemade. I live in Phoenix, Arizona (hence the blog name!)

Tessa Arias

About Tessa...

I share trusted baking recipes your friends will LOVE alongside insights into the science of sweets. I'm a professionally trained chef, cookbook author, and cookie queen. I love to write about all things sweet, carb-y, and homemade. I live in Phoenix, Arizona (hence the blog name!)

Find Tessa on  

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Recipe Rating




  1. #
    Suzie — March 27, 2023 at 8:36 am

    I’d love to try these – how much is 1/3 rd cup in millimetres (mls), please for us UK readers?

    • #
      Kiersten @ Handle the Heat — March 27, 2023 at 8:57 am

      Hi Suzie. One US liquid cup = about 240mL, so 1/3 cup = about 80mL. I hope that helps 🙂 Let us know what you think of these brownies once you’ve given them a try!

  2. #
    fen — March 25, 2023 at 6:16 pm

    hi, ive made this recipe and follow the step by step but mine didn’t turn out well as the brownie didn’t have paper thin crust on top, why was that?

  3. #
    Denise — March 24, 2023 at 3:47 pm

    Made them for a lunch with friends. Everyone loved them!! My Aunt even said they were the best brownie she ever had!

  4. #
    Adam — March 21, 2023 at 9:03 pm

    Has anybody tried making this recipe in a pre heated cast iron pan?
    Should I adjust the bake time due to cast iron’s ability to retain heat?

    • #
      Kiersten @ Handle the Heat — March 22, 2023 at 11:31 am

      Hi Adam! No, we have not tried this ourselves. We really prefer to use a light-colored metal pan for best results. Check out all Tessa’s tips for this recipe, in the pink tip box above the recipe. Let us know what you think of these brownies once you have given them a try 🙂

  5. #
    Misty — March 20, 2023 at 3:50 pm

    can I use olive oil instead of vegetable oil?

    • #
      Kiersten @ Handle the Heat — March 22, 2023 at 11:15 am

      Hi Misty. We haven’t tried that and I wouldn’t necessarily recommend it, and olive oil will give these brownies a more savory flavor and may change the texture. Any flavorless oil, such as vegetable or canola, is best. Let us know what you think once you’ve given these brownies a try! 🙂

  6. #
    Hanna — March 19, 2023 at 2:05 pm

    Hi, this recipe looks like a good one! Can I leave out the chocolate chips cause I don’t have any currently

    • #
      Kiersten @ Handle the Heat — March 20, 2023 at 11:34 am

      Hi Hanna! Yes, you can leave out the chocolate chips, but your brownies won’t be quite as thick and the shiny crust may not develop – check out the pink tip box above the recipe for more information on this. Let us know what you think once you’ve given these brownies a try 🙂

  7. #
    Brittany Hollins — March 15, 2023 at 10:15 am

    I made these brownies last week. I liked them but my family not so much. They said it was too fudgy. I used a 9×9 pan as well didn’t change anything. By the second and third day I liked them and I called my sister to try. She agreed they were much better the following day. I’ll try less chips next time I make to make it less fudgy. Thank you for sharing.

  8. #
    Christina — March 7, 2023 at 6:02 am

    Love this recipe so much!!! really delicious and surprisingly simple
    Would it be possible to start including the calorie per portion in the recipes by any chance I calculate it sometimes to help me get an idea of my calorie intake for the day, for example with the ingredients I used, per piece, this recipe is 414 kcals

    • #
      Kiersten @ Handle the Heat — March 7, 2023 at 9:48 am

      Hi Christina! We’re so glad to hear that you enjoy Tessa’s chewy brownie recipe! We don’t have nutritional information for our recipes, as we believe that dessert should be an indulgence! Feel free to keep track of your calorie intake with an app or nutrition calculator you should be able to find online 🙂

  9. #
    Michelle — March 1, 2023 at 5:27 pm

    I really appreciate all your comments on the science behind specific ingredients! I’m curious about stoneware pans vs the metal? Also, I need to make ahead for a large party, I was hoping to make and freeze, the only other option is a day ahead, but I’ve already got a lot of other things planned to do.

    • #
      Kiersten @ Handle the Heat — March 7, 2023 at 10:26 am

      Hi Michelle! Yes, you can absolutely make these brownies ahead! Wrap individual slices (or the entire uncut slab) very well in plastic wrap, and then inside a ziptop bag or airtight container and freeze for up to a month. Thaw overnight in the fridge before serving. Bonus tip: these are even better when cold, because they are extra extra fudgy when cold!

      You can also make the batter for these brownies 24 hours ahead. Prep as the recipe states, pour the batter into the prepared tin, and cover well with plastic wrap and refrigerate until ready to bake. You can bake straight from the fridge (assuming you’re using a metal pan, so it won’t shatter!) and you may just have to bake a few minutes longer than the recipe states, to account for the batter being cold.

      As for your stoneware question, Tessa doesn’t prefer to use stoneware for baking. Light-colored metal conducts heat so well, without drying out the edges – learn more about that here!

      Let us know what you think of these brownies once you have given then a try! Happy baking!

  10. #
    Beckyxx — March 1, 2023 at 9:22 am

    worked out brilliant for me i always buy box as so many are dry but this is great, ild prefer them a little more chewy though what would i need to add more of to get a more chewy texture please xx

  11. #
    Leticia — February 27, 2023 at 7:16 am

    I just mage these for my husband and they came out great! thank you!

  12. #
    Georgia — February 27, 2023 at 2:15 am

    Made this recipe on a Sunday, the whole batch of brownies were gone by Monday! Another batch coming up!

    I’ve been looking for a good fudgey, slightly chewy and soft brownie recipe that also doesn’t get hard around the edges, and I’ve finally found it!!!

    Thank you for sharing, this is my now go-to brownie recipe that I can whip up in under an hour!!!!

  13. #
    Suzanne — February 24, 2023 at 11:39 am

    Tessa, if I wanted to make these brownies in a 9 x 13 and make them twice as thick (4 x the recipe) how would you recommend baking them or have you tried?

    • #
      Kiersten @ Handle the Heat — February 27, 2023 at 2:26 pm

      Hi Suzanne! I’m sorry but we haven’t tried that, so we can’t say for sure! Let us know how it goes if you give that a try 🙂

  14. #
    ng — February 21, 2023 at 6:01 am

    Not sweet, has a very cocoa powder taste, I did not care for that. Also, not chewy as I understand chewy brownies to be. I would not make these again.

    • #
      Kiersten @ Handle the Heat — February 21, 2023 at 10:00 am

      Hi Ng! I’m sorry to hear that these brownies didn’t turn out as they should! They should be perfectly balanced, sweetness-wise, chewy, and not have an overbearing cocoa powder taste. I wonder what type of cocoa powder you used? Darker cocoa powders with a low fat percentage can be drying and leave the brownies with an unpleasant flavor and a dry texture. Check out this article, all about cocoa powders! Also, how do you measure your ingredients? By volume (using cups), or by weight (using a digital kitchen scale)? When measuring by volume, it’s so easy to mis-measure ingredients (particularly flour) and throw off the entire chemistry of a recipe. Check out Tessa’s article here, where she talks about how to best measure ingredients to ensure accuracy every time. I hope something here helps, and I hope you do try these brownies again sometime – they really are delicious! Happy baking 🙂

  15. #
    Katte — February 20, 2023 at 7:50 pm

    On my second batch today.

    Keeper! I love how non fussy this recipe this is!
    Can make brownies with little mess and little prep time
    Whooo!!! And so delicious
    Thanks so much!

  16. #
    Amelia — February 20, 2023 at 6:39 am

    Delicious!!

  17. #
    Jo — February 16, 2023 at 2:48 pm

    Hi! I’m planning on making this brownie, but I don’t have a metal 8×8 baking tray. Can I use an aluminium disposable baking tray (8×8)? Thank you! 🙂

    • #
      Kiersten @ Handle the Heat — February 17, 2023 at 11:05 am

      Hi Jo! We haven’t tried that, but it should work okay – just be sure to read over Tessa’s tips in the pink tip box (above the recipe) so you’re totally aware of what you’re looking for, to know when these are done 🙂 Let us know what you think once you’ve given these a try!

      • #
        Jo — February 20, 2023 at 10:21 am

        Hi Kiersten, thanks for the answer! The aluminium disposable baking tray worked well, I baked the brownie for exactly 30min and it turned out delicious!!! I will definitely keep this recipie saved 🙂

  18. #
    Didi — February 14, 2023 at 6:48 am

    Hi Tessa,
    Can I sub granulated sugar with caster sugar? That’s the only one I have now in the pantry and I am dying to bake this now
    Thanks. D.

    • #
      Kiersten @ Handle the Heat — February 15, 2023 at 9:31 am

      Hi Didi! We haven’t tried this recipe with caster sugar, so we can’t say for sure – but it should work fine! Let us know how it goes 🙂

  19. #
    Meg — February 13, 2023 at 5:25 am

    They were perfect. My husband called them restaurant quality. This will be my only brownie recipe.

  20. #
    Maz — February 12, 2023 at 8:03 am

    Hi, even though the butter will be melted, does it matter if it’s room temp or chilled?

    • #
      Kiersten @ Handle the Heat — February 13, 2023 at 1:10 pm

      Hi Maz! Nope, it doesn’t matter at all. Room temp butter will just melt faster, so it’s not a big deal either way. Let us know what you think of these brownies once you’ve given them a try!

  21. #
    Natasha — February 12, 2023 at 7:44 am

    hi can I use monk fruit sweetener instead of sugar?please advise, thanks

  22. #
    Maila — February 8, 2023 at 1:32 pm

    I typed out a really long glowing review and somehow lost it before it posted. Bottom line, these are THE BEST BROWNIES I’ve ever made/eaten!!! So happy to have discovered this recipe searching for a homemade alternative to a boxed mix.

    • #
      Kiersten @ Handle the Heat — February 10, 2023 at 8:48 am

      We are SO glad to hear that, Maila! Thank you so much for the comment 🙂

  23. #
    Sue — February 8, 2023 at 10:23 am

    Hi!
    Can I reduce the sugar amount to 3/4 cup?

    • #
      Kiersten @ Handle the Heat — February 8, 2023 at 12:56 pm

      Hi Sue! We don’t like to recommend lowering the sugar quantity in any baked goods, as sugar does so much more than just sweeten. Check out this article here to learn more! If you’re worried about these brownies being too sweet, I would recommend using a very dark or even unsweetened chocolate instead of the semi-sweet chocolate chips, to balance the sweetness. I hope this helps 🙂 Happy baking!

    • #
      Sue — February 9, 2023 at 2:02 pm

      Hi
      Can I use 1 cup of sugar and 1/2 cup of semisweet chocolate chips? I can’t find less sweet chocolate chips at the grocery store. My family doesn’t like their brownies overly sweet.

      • #
        Kiersten @ Handle the Heat — February 10, 2023 at 9:04 am

        Hi Sue! As the article I linked previously detailed, reducing the sugar will greatly impact the outcome of these brownies. Sugar contributes SO much to baking beyond sweetness, so the texture and consistency of these brownies will change entirely if you lower the sugar. We always recommend making a recipe as-written the first time, and experimenting little by little from there if you don’t love something – this way, you have a baseline for what the recipe should taste like and the texture it’s supposed to have, and you can make small adjustments each time from there. If you can’t find darker, bittersweet or unsweetened chocolate chips, I recommend chopping up a dark or unsweetened block of baking chocolate, and give that a try instead 🙂

  24. #
    Klaudia — February 5, 2023 at 10:39 am

    I’ve just made it and it’s delicious! Thank you for an amazing recipe!

  25. #
    Kelly R — February 2, 2023 at 9:12 pm

    I just made these and they are perfect! The metal pan tip made a big difference too. The ingredients were inexpensive, things I had on hand, whipped up in no time and were just perfect. Wow, years and years of trying sub-par brownie recipes and finally I found this one! Thank you!

    • #
      Kiersten @ Handle the Heat — February 3, 2023 at 10:06 am

      So excited to hear that you enjoyed these so much, Kelly! So glad Tessa’s tips were helpful, too! 🙂

  26. #
    Sara — February 1, 2023 at 8:52 pm

    So Yummy! I made a few substitutions, less sugar, avocado oil and tapioca flour instead of cornstarch and they turned out amazing. Thank you!! My husband said These are the brownies he’s been wanting. They are tall, thick, and fudgy deliciousness!!

    • #
      Christina — March 6, 2023 at 12:38 am

      They were yummy! I made the the same substitutions with out reading your comment!!! Best I ever made!

  27. #
    Agata — February 1, 2023 at 5:16 am

    I’ve added 200g of sugar and dark chocolate chunks instead of chocolate chips (we don’t have them in Poland). Turned amazing! <3

  28. #
    Britt — January 29, 2023 at 12:06 pm

    They were awesome! I made brownie bites and they came out amazing. Would 100% make again!

    • #
      Jeni Holmes — February 10, 2023 at 1:46 pm

      I cant wait to try this recipe as whenever I make brownies I get a big slab of crusty meringue on top and a large hole underneath which shatters when I cut it and looks terrible? I don’t know what I am doing wrong?

      • #
        Kiersten @ Handle the Heat — February 13, 2023 at 1:19 pm

        Hi Jeni! Without knowing the ingredients and method in the recipe you’ve been using, we can’t say for sure, but it sounds like something is getting overwhipped possibly. Hopefully you’ll have better luck with this recipe! Be sure to check out all Tessa’s tips and info in the pink tip box above the recipe before starting 🙂 Happy baking!

  29. #
    Emmanuel Navarro — January 24, 2023 at 9:06 pm

    These are BOMB, so delicious!!!
    thanks for the recipe!!!

  30. #
    Paradees — January 23, 2023 at 5:45 pm

    Absolutely fantastic! Perfect amount of chewy and fudge. Our favorite was eating it the next day when the chocolate chips hardened. So yummy!

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