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.
Made these today and I have almost ate the whole pan Easy and so Good
So happy to hear you love these brownies, Lani! 🙂
Delicious! I’d like to double the recipe. Would you recommend a 9×13 pan?
Hi JB! Yes, use a 9 x 13″ pan to double the recipe. The bake time should remain about the same 🙂
Without oven one can’t make this recipe,?
Hi Jennifer! Yes, this recipe requires an oven. I know some people have luck baking certain things in air fryers or toaster ovens, but I can’t say how well that works, particularly for this recipe, as we have not tried it any way except in an oven! Of course, you can experiment with any other appliances you have access to, but the results will differ. Good luck!
Wow, I’m pretty impressed. First, I’m not much of a baker but these turned out so good I think I could fool anyone.
I’ve tried homemade brownies before but they always turn out more cakey…no matter how many times they say chewy and fudgy. We have found that Ghirardelli brownies are the best box…well now that I have found these there is no excuse to buy the box again.
I have no need to try new brownie recipes, I’ve found the one.
SO excited you loved these brownies and their truly chewy texture, Destiny!! I hope you give some more of our recipes a try, now that you know you can bake to impress 🙂
what tips would tou recommend when baking half of this recipe?
Hi Myrah! Cutting this recipe in half is a bit tricky, since it calls for an egg yolk and you would need to cut that in half, as well as everything else! I would advise making the full recipe as written, and freeze the other half in plastic wrap or an airtight container for future use! If you do want to make just half the batch, check out this great article to help determine what size pan you would need! Follow the sensory indicators in the recipe to help you know when the brownies are done. Good luck 🙂
Made these used a metal pan 30 minutes was way under baked, baked for 37 with moist crumbs still seem under baked
Hi Maria! There will absolutely be moist crumbs attached to a tester after 30 minutes of baking. That’s what we want, to ensure these stay ooey gooey and delicious! They do continue to bake in the pan for awhile after removing from the oven, too, from the residual heat. Tessa talks about this in the pink box above the recipe! The only reason these might be underbaked after 30 minutes, if is your oven isn’t actually at the right temperature. Many home ovens run cold, and without an oven thermometer, you might not know! Tessa talks about oven temperatures in this article, linked here. Please let me know if you would like any further help troubleshooting here! I hope your brownies were delicious!
At 35 minutes tester comes out totally wet baked them 40 minutes to get moist crumbs. I have two oven thermometers so it was definitely at the right temperate. I used the recommended pan.
Hi Maria! That’s so strange! There are some other things that could be going wrong – feel free to email us at [email protected] if you would like us to help you troubleshoot any further! Have a great week 🙂
Delicious, moist, and chewy! If you doubled the recipe to make them thicker, how would you need to adjust cooking time?
Hi Tisha! I’m so happy you loved these brownies! I can’t tell you exactly how long that will take, because we have not tried that! I would just recommend starting by adding an extra 15 minutes (likely will take a lot longer, but just to be safe, start there!). Watch the brownies carefully, and remove them from the oven when the middle is set and a toothpick inserted into the center has moist crumbs attached. Good luck! 🙂
Probably the best looking brownies I’ve made before, however they were a bit on the sweet side. I think cutting the sugar in half next time is best. Would the butter ratio also change?
Hi Amira! Unfortunately, this recipe is written exactly how it is to work exactly the way it does, so by reducing the sugar and/or adjusting other ingredients, the results will not be the same. The amount of sugar in this doesn’t just contribute to the sweetness; it also adds moisture, provides structure, tenderness, and also assists in the leavening (taller and lighter end result), just to name a few!
Take a look at our extensive brownie index for other recipe options. There are a ton of brownie recipes there, including these skinny brownies! Alternatively, if you really liked this specific chewy brownie recipe, you could try adding bittersweet chocolate chips or some toasted nuts to the batter, to give another flavor profile and bring down the sweetness that way! I hope that helps 🙂
They look amazing! Has any other type of oil been used besides vegetable oil? Thanks!
Hi Deb! Tessa created this recipe specifically as written, to maximize chewiness and delicious chocolate flavour! Feel free to experiment with other oil types, but as we have not tested others, we cannot guarantee they will have the same wonderful chewiness and delicious chocolately flavour! Alternatively, we do have countless other brownie recipes (Brownie Index linked here!), including THIS Coconut Oil Brownie Recipe! I hope that helps 🙂
I did not see to not bake them in glass pan. What can I do so they will cook?
Hi Christine! I would suggest that you lower the oven temperature by 25°F (so 300°F for this recipe). Watch the brownies carefully in the oven, and be prepared to have to bake much longer than stated in the recipe. Remove from the oven when the middle is set and a toothpick inserted into the center has moist crumbs attached. Good luck! 🙂
These brownies are AMAZING! My friends always make me bring them some when I make them. They’re so rich and perfectly gooey.
I’m so excited to hear that you love these brownies, Samantha! We love them too, but we might be a little biased 🙂 Happy baking!!
This may be my favorite brownie recipe so far! I try lots of different ones. It had the best flavor and texture.
I love reading all of the science behind the ingredients. thank you!
Woohoo, so thrilled to hear this, Victoria! I’m so happy you enjoy all of Tessa’s science-backed tips and explanations! We love the technical side of baking here at HTH, too! Happy baking 🙂