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.
If I only have salted butter should I’m assuming I should omit the additional salt? And will baking with avocado oil (I don’t use veg oil) make a huge impact?
Hi Kelsey! We don’t use salted butter in recipes, as explained in Tessa’s Salted vs. Unsalted Butter article here. However, the general rule for using salted butter in place of unsalted is to reduce ¼ teaspoon of salt in the recipe per 113g of butter. Also, substituting avocado oil for vegetable oil should work just fine! Hope this helps, and happy baking!
Sooo good and pretty too! Love the crackly top. I followed the recipe ingredient list but I added a cup of walnuts and only had 1/2 cup of unsweetened cocoa powder so I did have to substitute with 1/4 cup of Dutch processed. They worked great! Oh also just used 2 jumbo eggs instead of 2 large with 1 extra yolk.
👍🏼👍🏼
Can I double the recipe and use a 9x 13 pan? I don’t have an 8×8 😭
Hi there! No worries, you can absolutely double this recipe and use a 9 x 13 pan. The bake time should be the same as well. Hope you enjoy!
I just made a double batch and put it in a 9 x 13 pan and I have already had it in for 45 minutes and it’s still not cooked all the way through. Hoping it cooks all the way through soon!
Hi! Can I use dutch-processed cocoa instead of the unsweetened one? Thanks.
Hi Daryl! Tessa used natural cocoa powder in the recipe because there is a very small amount of baking soda to give these brownies some lift. If we switch to dutch processed there will be nothing to activate the baking soda Learn more about the differences between cocoa powders here. Of course feel free to experiment and let us know how it goes!
absolutely the best brownies I’ve ever had.
May I ask, to get that “shiny, crackly top”, should I do some specific amount of extra whisking at some point? Maybe after the addition of the eggs and vanilla? And if so, is 1 minute enough? 2? All afternoon? (If it will make my brownies taste as good as yours look, I’ll do whatever it takes….) Thanks for this great sounding recipe!
Hi John! There are several ways to achieve a shiny top on your brownies. In this recipe, using hot butter when combining it with your sugar should give you the shiny top you’re looking for. The eggs can be whisked in for around 30-60 seconds by hand. Additionally, adding the chocolate chips not only enhances the top crust but also improves the thickness of the brownies. For more information and other methods to achieve a shiny crust, check out Tessa’s Science of Baking article How to Make Brownies with a Shiny Crust here. Hope this helps and happy baking!
Thanks so much. I made them in the morning (with the addition of some instant espresso powder.) Distributed them among several neighbors after they’d cooled in the afternoon. The last of the 4 thank-you emails I received this evening said, “Wherever these recipes are coming from, take good care of them – and keep baking! These brownies are off the hook!”
Thank you once again, Tessa!
solid recipe
Loved this recipe. I doubled it and was out of veg oil so I substituted with mayo 1:1 evenly. They are delicious. Was craving chocolate and did not disappoint.
MAYO?
I’d love to put some espresso powder in these. 1 tsp, 1 tbsp…. Any idea how much?
Hi Bella! Your idea sounds delicious! In our Brown Butter Brownie recipe here, we include ½ tsp of instant espresso powder. This might be a good starting point for you, but feel free to experiment and find what works best for your taste preferences. Let us know how it goes! 🙂
Fabulous! Even though I did not have an extra egg for the extra yolk, I absolutely loved how this recipe turned out. It is superbly balanced. I have been searching for the perfect brownie recipe for the last 35 years. I will Google brownie recipes no more!
Excellent recipe’ I double it my first time &thwy came out perfect! Thank You!
Haven’t tried them yet but I expect them to be great!❤️