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 200 times. It’s truly the best!
There’s even a secret ingredient that helps to mimic that box-mix texture (but with way better flavor!).
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.
What Makes Cookies Chewy, Crisp, or Cakey?
My free guide reveals the ingredients and tweaks that matter.
As a trained chef, it surprises people to learn brownies are among my favorite things to bake at home. I don’t need something fancy, I need something satisfying and that chewy texture is where it’s at.
I have shared over 50 Brownie Recipes over the years. My Ultimate Brownies are rich, dense, and fudgy. My Brown Butter Brownies have the most stunning crackly crust. And my Toffee Brownies are have a unique crunch.
But these brownies are my everyday go-to reicpe. 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.
Secret Ingredient: Cornstarch!
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. If you’re team cakey, don’t even bother with this recipe. It’ll be far too chewy and fudgy for you!
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 – ultimate nostalgia!
- 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) neutral oil (like vegetable or avocado)
- 3/4 cup (75 grams) cocoa powder*
- 1/2 cup (63 grams) all-purpose flour, measured correctly
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- 1/4 teaspoon fine sea 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.
Hi, I’m wanting to make brownie bites by cutting them out of a 9×13 pan with cookie cutters. My question is, would this recipe be good for that? Stable enough?
Thanks so much for your help!
Hi Lauren! Yes, that should work just fine. I recommend chilling the baked, cooled brownies well before cutting out shapes, for the cleanest cuts. I hope that helps! Happy baking 🙂
I tried this brownie recipe yesterday and it turned so yummy, fudgy and crinkly top although it wasn’t shiny. Not really sure what caused but I think the temperature was too hot at first. Glad I was able to adjust it after 15 mins in the oven.
I made these for my dad’s birthday celebration this past weekend and they were such a hit I’m making them again tonight for me and my girlfriend! I used hersheys dark cocoa powder and mini chocolate chips and they were the best brownies I’ve ever made as well as eaten! I mixed all the dry ingredients together to make another batch next week! This will be my go to brownie recipe from now on!
It’s very good and I added a bit of cinnamon to the recipe to enhance the chocolate flavour. However, to my disappointment, I did not get the shiny crackly top although even more disheartening little veins appeared in some bits of the brownie. Overall the recipe was VERY good and I think adding brown sugar really helps create a deeper taste profile as just white sugar doesn’t really cut it. Though this may be why the crackly top wasn’t present. Anyway so much better than Betty Crocker’s triple choc which USED to be my go-to brownie.
Hi Irene! Glad to hear that you enjoyed these brownies! The brown sugar you used could have been part of why the brownies didn’t develop that nice shiny crust, as brown sugar contains more moisture than granulated sugar. Check out Tessa’s tips in the pink tip box (above the recipe) for more info on this recipe, and I also recommend checking out Tessa’s How to Make Brownies with Shiny Thin Crust article here. I hope that helps! Happy baking 🙂
This recipe was really good….. after i made a LOT of mistakes, making a batch of brownies took 3 whole HOURS. To be fair I was the one that messed up the recipe three times so it took way longer. I made a mistake when tripling the recipe. The brownies actually turned out amazingly and tasted SO GOOD Thank you 🙂
Hello, how much time would you alter the baking process if I used an 9 x 9 pan instead of the 8 x 8?
Hi Sam! We haven’t tested a 9×9; however, 9×9-inch pans have about 20% more area than an 8×8, resulting in thinner brownies that have a quicker bake time. I’d personally begin checking them around the 23-minute mark to see if they’re set yet, and if not, continue to check every 2 minutes. This ensures you won’t overbake them – remember that it’s better to be underbaked than over for brownies 🙂 Let us know how it goes!
first time made it! Family loved it! Easy prep. I did not have vegetable oil and although it wasn’t recommended to use olive oil…i tried it (not extra virgin) For me and family, I felt that it did not affect the flavor or the texture. Will try again with the vegetable oil to see if I notice a flavor difference. Would love to know why the olive oil is not recommended, too. Anyway. I doubled the recipe and it took about 40 min to cook but I would suggest checking every every 5 minutes. It was still generally moist at center when tested but not gooey. I was afraid to over cook. I let cool down as instructed and refrigerated and it was absolutely delicious. I loved the science behind the ingredients in the recipe. Thanks for the detail…makes complete sense to me!
Hi Monique! We typically don’t recommend olive oil because it can impart flavor to what you’re making. Glad it worked well for you in our recipe, thanks for sharing! 🙂
Can u use gluten free flour with this recipe
We haven’t tried that, but let us know how it goes if you give it a try!
Hi, is there any good substitute I could use for cornstarch?
Hi Grace! We wouldn’t recommend substituting the cornstarch in this recipe. It helps make the brownies thicker and improves the crinkly and shiny top of the brownie. Take a peek at the photos we shared above the recipe for comparison!
Hey – I loved the video about the difference between Dutch process and natural cocoa powder. I have always wanted to know that!
Then, in your recipe for best ever chewy brownies you don’t specify. It just says unsweetened cocoa powder. You put a tiny bit of baking soda in so I’m thinking this must be natural cocoa powder but after all the build up, it makes sense that you would say one way or the other. Please clarify for me.
Also, in your video you keep saying that natural cocoa powder is easier to find in the stores but this is absolutely not true. I seem to mostly find Dutch process wherever I go. And since Hershey’s owns this market, and theirs is Dutch process, you can always find that, which seems to be the opposite of what your video says.
Thank you,
Gwen
Hi Gwen! So glad you enjoyed the video! I think you’ll find our article all about Natural vs Dutch-Process Cocoa very helpful. We note what to do when a recipe doesn’t specify and how to know which cocoa to use 🙂
Made this today! It is delicious and chewy just as promised. I doubled and baked in 13×9 no problem. I also added pecans but only put 3/4cup of the chocolate chips. It is absolutely the best from scratch brownie recipe ever! Printed and saved!!
Hi! I really love this recipe, been doing it for quite some time.Thank you for sharing it <3