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.
I’ve made this fantastic recipe many times, at 5-600ft above sea level. Most delicious!! Thank you for that!! Now, I live at 5,800 ft. It’s high altitude, baby! Baking for 55yrs is suddenly BRAND NEW! 🤨
I’ll add my experiences, once my tests are a success!
How could I make this more sweeter, or the chocolate not too rich? I’ve used Hershey’s regular cocoa and great value before!
Hi Fia! Just a note that Hershey’s Special Dark cocoa powder has actually switched their formula to a Dutched process, so make sure what you buy is a natural cocoa powder. We love Ghirardelli Cocoa Powder or Penzey’s Natural for best results. If you’re looking for a less sweet flavor overall, feel free to fold in some dark chocolate chips in place of semisweet 🙂
Followed the EXACT recipe and my brownie turned out like a chocolate cake (yes, I used the right flour). Should’ve used my old brownie recipe. This one doesn’t even have a hint of a glossy top.
I’m sorry to hear you experienced issues, Julia! Without having baked right alongside you, it’s tough to say what went wrong for sure but did you use a digital scale to measure your ingredients? If your brownies turn out cakey and you’re using the correct ingredients but not weighing them, especially the flour, your brownies will be cakey. We recommend getting a digital scale or try using the Spoon & Level Method as explained here next time. To achieve the shiny top on your brownies, check out this article that Tessa wrote explaining how certain methods of mixing and using specific ingredients help to achieve crinkly, shiny tops. Hopefully this helps with your next batch. This recipe is one of our most popular recipes and is typically very highly rated. I hope you give it another try!
Tessa on your recipe the grams of cocoa powder is listed as 75 grams – is that supposed to be 65 grams
75 grams is correct for this recipe, though different brands of cocoa powder may weigh slightly different! We recommend using Ghirardelli Cocoa Powder or Penzey’s Natural Cocoa Powder for best results 🙂
I made these exactly as posted. The only thing I can say about my ingredients is that my cocoa powder was several years old which is why I chose this recipe as it uses quite a bit of the cocoa. The results were a dry, almost dusty texture. Definitely not chewy. Considering all of the other 5 star ratings I am surprised at the result. I have double checked the ingredient list and I am sure I followed the recipe as given.
Hi John! I’m sorry to hear that these brownies didn’t turn out as they should. Here are a few of the most likely culprits here:
– 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 mismeasure ingredients, particularly flour and cocoa, and throw off the entire chemistry of a recipe – resulting in dry, chalky brownies. Check out Tessa’s article here, where she talks about how to best measure ingredients to ensure accuracy every time.
– What type of pan did you bake the brownies in? Glass vs metal pans can make a big difference on the baked result, as Tessa shows in this article here.
– You mentioned that your cocoa powder is rather old – maybe it expired? Cocoa powder is such a crucial component in this recipe, so we recommend buying a high fat cocoa powder for the most delicious, rich, moist brownies – learn more about that here.
I hope something here helped, John, and I hope you’ll give these brownies another try – they really are incredible! Happy baking 🙂
The best brownies I have ever made! Thank you for this amazing recipe. I added Eggies on top as per son’s and hubby’s request. They loved it. 😍 We served them warm with a scoop of vanilla ice cream. 😋
My daughter made these for Mother’s Day. Absolutely gorgeous- best brownies ever !
Hello, I’m getting ready to make these brownies and I was wondering why it specifies for the eggs to be cold..?? I always bake with room temperature eggs and I was curious if it makes a difference. Thank you!
Hi Jody! As Tessa explains in the Tip Box, above the recipe (under the heading “Eggs”), “We use cold eggs, instead of room temperature, to prevent the brownies from doming and to increase moisture with a tighter crumb texture.” I hope that helps! Let us know what you think of these brownies once you’ve given them a try 🙂
These are unbelievably good! I doubled the batch, baked in a 9×13 and froze some for later. They are still the best brownies after being froze! Highly, highly recommend!
If you make this with Splenda… DO NOT put the Splenda in the microwave with the butter… I’ve just learned this… they’re in the oven as we speak never made or had them before attempting with Splenda since my husband can’t have sugar… just don’t put Splenda in the microwave… it clumps up and gets hard… the batter turned out super well after I messed up with the microwave, it’s the right consistency for brownies
Looks like you have your brownie recipe perfected. Any thoughts on baking at higher elevations? I live at about 5000 feet. Thanks.
Hi Eldon! Unfortunately, no one at Team Handle the Heat has experience baking at high altitudes, but this King Arthur Baking resource has some great tips. I hope that helps! Happy baking 🙂
Hey, any more details, please, about which vegetable oil to use? I’m not American and this phrase does not mean much to me, where I live we’d also consider avocado and olive as vegetable but I feel this is not right as they taste too sharp for sweet baking
Thanks
Hi Hubert! You may need to research and experiment a little to find the right oil that works for you. We use vegetable oil, a product labelled as such, which is different from both avocado oil and olive oil and is a flavorless oil. I don’t know what is available where you live, but Google may be able to tell you what compares best out of what’s available to you. Let us know how it goes if you give these brownies a try!
Hello, I usually use avocado oil for baking, and I have never tasted it in my brownies. Hope that helps. And I live in the U.S.
Canola or soybean oil will work.
I use avocado oil or coconut oil same amount and have no issues