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!).
These brownies are my everyday go-to recipe. Check out just a couple of the 1,000+ 5-star reviews for these best homemade brownies:
Best chocolate brownies ever. Easy to make. I added pecans to mine and we just love them.
I made these and they were soooo chewy. Definitely the chewiest and crackliest homemade brownies I’ve ever made. Great recipe!
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.
Ingredient Notes for Success
Butter and Oil: Melted butter plus oil provides the best taste and texture. This is key!! You can use any neutral flavored oil that’s liquid at room temperature (such as vegetable, canola, avocado, etc.). Make sure your oil is fresh to avoid any off flavors.
Sugar: White/granulated sugar will dissolve more easily into the batter than brown sugar, helping to produce that shiny crust on top. More important notes on sugar below in the Sprinkle of Science section.
Cocoa Powder: I recommend using Dutch-processed cocoa powder for a deeper flavor and fudgier texture. Natural unsweetened cocoa will offer a more nostalgic chocolate flavor and a slightly drier but chewier texture. My favorite Dutch cocoa powder for brownies is Penzey’s or Guittard. Ghirardelli is also great in a pinch. Learn more about how Natural and Dutch-process cocoas affect your baking here.
Eggs: Two whole eggs plus an egg yolk for extra chewiness and richness. I never worry about bringing my eggs to room temp for this recipe, and it always turns out perfectly.
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 over measuring. If you don’t have a digital scale, use the spoon-and-level method described here.
Cornstarch (secret ingredient!): Cornstarch mimics the texture of box mix brownies, creating thicker, chewier brownies with a nice shiny crackly top. Don’t skip it if possible.
Stop Baking Brownies In Glass or Ceramic Pans!
Struggling with gummy, sunken, underbaked (even raw) or dry-edged brownies? Ditch the glass or ceramic pan and use a light-colored alumnized metal baking pan instead.
Metal conducts heat far more effectively. If all you have is glass or ceramic, add an extra 5-10 minutes baking time. Learn more about the differences between Glass vs. Metal Baking Pans here.
Sprinkle of Science (open me!)
If you want that crinkly, shiny thin crust on your brownies, don’t skip the chocolate chips! The key to that crust forming is getting enough dissolved sugar into your brownie batter. This can be tough to do consistently, so adding chocolate chips (which contain dissolved sugar already!) is a great shortcut. Learn more about that shiny brownie crust here.
I’ve done extensive experiments with the amount of sugar in this brownie recipe. The takeaway? Reducing sugar yields drier, crumblier brownies that stale quickly. It also prevents that shiny crust from developing on top.
Storing & Freezing Brownies
Serving: For best texture and taste, allow the brownies to cool to room temperature fully before slicing and serving. Easier said than done! But warm brownies will taste more sweet and won’t be as chewy in texture.
Room Temperature & Fridge: Store in an airtight container for up to 3 days at room temperature or up to 5 days in the fridge. They are fudgier when they’re chilled!
Freezer: Wrap the cooled whole slab or individual slices of brownies in plastic wrap inside an airtight container. Store in freezer for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the fridge, or for a couple hours at room temperature, before serving.
FAQs
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.
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!
You can, but note that the brownies will be thinner and may not develop that shiny crust on top.
Not only does this make the recipe quicker and easier, but it yields denser, chewier, and fudgier brownies.
I haven’t tested that, but readers have had success with a 1:1 gluten-free flour blend. You may need to add 1/4 teaspoon xanthan gum if your GF blend doesn’t have any binders.
Yes, replace the butter with an equal amount of a vegan butter block that’s firm at room temperature. Use dairy-free chocolate chips. Or, try my Coconut Oil Brownies with dairy free chocolate instead.
I have not found a suitable replacement for the eggs in brownies yet. Feel free to experiment!
A cake tester or toothpick inserted into the center should come out with moist crumbs attached. For me, 30 minutes yields my perfect brownie that’s just ever-so-slightly gooey in the center. If you prefer a drier consistency, bake for 33-35 minutes.
Surprisingly, the best tool is a plastic knife! Yes, like the ones you buy for a picnic or BBQ. If you don’t have one, use a large sharp knife and run under hot water and wipe off after each slice.
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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.
Notes
More Brownies Recipes You’ll Love:
- Malted Brownies – made with brown butter!
- Toffee Brownies – use store-bought or homemade toffee bits!
- Brookies – cookies + brownies combined!
- Copycat Cosmic Brownies – ultimate nostalgia!
- Oreo Brownies – tastes like an Oreo, but better!
This recipe was originally published in 2017 and has been updated with additional baking tips and new photos. Recipe photos by Joanie Simon.
extraordinary flavor and easy to make!!!!
10/10
After trying a lot of brownie recipes, I can surely tell you that this is the best ever recipe for brownies!!
Always successful and delicious!
I love them!!
Thank you Tessa ❤️
So happy to hear how much you love them, Litsa! Thanks for the comment!
Best ever recipe of brownie!! Nothing else to ad.
Can‘t ever remember how a find you, think random search on google. Best choice ever!!!
Bises de France
So glad you found us, happy to hear how much you love this recipe! 🙂
This is my favorite brownie recipe! I’ve been trying to find a go to brownie recipe for ever. Other were too dry, too much like cake, airy, etc. Not this recipe though! These brownies are moist, thick, and best of all, chewy! They are also easy to make for those nights when a nice warm brownie is on your mind.
So happy you loved them, Anna! It’s evening where I live, and I 100% have brownies on my mind now thanks to your comment haha!
Loved this recipe! These are the moistest brownies I have made. I did have to keep them in the oven for about 10 minutes longer than the recipe suggested as, at 30 minutes, they were not ready to come out. I checked them at 35 minutes and then kept them in for the final 5 additional minutes and took them out to cool. Very chewy and delicious!
Extremely delicious brownies.Boxed mix brownie version of the best chewy brownies
What about using an aluminum disposable baking tray? I’d like to take this to a dinner and don’t a metal one. Thanks!
Hi Lorely! That should be fine, you’ll just want to coat the pan before baking with nonstick spray so the brownies won’t stick. Enjoy!
I made these and put them in the oven before reading comments so I wasn’t sure what to expect. I followed recipe exactly – I did use small chocolate chunks because that’s what I had – and the brownies are chewy, not overly sweet, and have a rich chocolate flavor. I cut mine into 2-inch squares and they are a perfect size. A definite keeper recipe for me.
NOT the Best Ever, perhaps the worst. I have made hundreds of dozens of brownies. These are NOT chewy, they crumble when you try to pick them up, and the taste is nothing special. Sorry, but I won’t make them again. Perhaps they need real chocolate not just cocoa.
Sorry to hear your brownies didn’t turn out, Nancy! This recipe does include cocoa powder as well as semisweet chocolate chips, is it possible an ingredient was missed in your brownies? Did you make any substitutions? Brownies are typically crumbly if they’re baked too long or if too much flour or cocoa powder was added, do you use a digital scale to measure your ingredients? I really hope you give this recipe another try, it’s actually my favorite brownie recipe. Please let me know if you have any questions, I’m happy to help troubleshoot further.
I’m new to baking and was craving brownies. I ended finding this recipe and it seemed easy enough to try. This recipe was good, I enjoyed eating the brownies. The brownies tasted good, though it wasn’t really chewy as I like. Not sure if it’s me messing up on something or I just really like chewy. I followed most of the directions on the recipe except for two things. One is that I sifted the flour and the second I only had corn oil instead of vegetable oil. Do you think that my sifting or the usage of different oil affect the chewiness of the brownies? But I’ll definitely try to make it again for when I crave brownies again, hopefully, I can do better next time if I did indeed messed up on something somehow. Will try to stick to the recipe as much as possible next time!
Hi Mag! Do you use a digital scale to measure your ingredients? Our recipe doesn’t actually require any sifting for the flour, did you sift before or after measuring out your flour (that could have affected the outcome)? We also haven’t tried corn oil in this recipe, so I can’t say for sure how that would affect the final results. I’m glad you enjoyed the brownies 🙂 I’d recommend checking out the pink tip box above this recipe where Tessa explains the importance of each ingredient, and hopefully your next batch turns out just how you’re hoping by making the recipe as written. Let me know if I can help further!
This is delicious thank you, I made it for a lunchbox treat for the kids and they thought it was fantastic.
Made this recipe using country crock plant based butter instead of regular dairy butter, and these are by far my favorite homemade brownies! I lovvvveee chewy brownies (and yes, I love boxed brownies…), and these are perfect! Great recipe!!!
Thanks for taking the time to comment and let us know! So happy you love this recipe 🙂