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 been baking for a long time and this recipe is the best hands down. It gave the that chewy, fudgy taste I was looking for and let’s not forget, the crackly top.This recipe will definitely replace my old brownie recipe
How do these brownies hold up when baked in a silicone pan. I don’t have any metal nor glass baking dishes…
Hi Alexis! Unfortunately, silicone pans don’t conduct heat well, so they will often result in brownies with very dry edges and underdone middles. Of course, feel free to give it a try if that’s all you have, but I’d recommend following Tessa’s recommendations in this article about Metal vs Glass pans here (silicone will act similarly to glass in that it’s not a great conductor of heat). This is the pan Tessa recommends for baking brownies – or anything in an 8×8-inch pan! I hope that helps! 🙂
ABSOLUTEY GRAND !!! These are the best brownies EVER, thanks !
Literally the best brownie I’ve ever made, EVER!! I baked for 28 minutes and it was absolutely perfect! Not too sweet, but the perfect amount of sweet, chocolate and chewy!! 5 stars ALL THE WAY
Yay! So great to hear that, Laney!! 🙂
So chewy and delicious! I used Dark cocoa powder. Absolutely Devine!
Yay! So glad to hear that, Amber!!
In your reply to one question you stated that the brownies wouldn’t rise with Dutch processed cocoa powder because there wouldn’t be anything to react with the baking soda.
However, in the Chocolate section of the recipe explanation it states that the version prepared in the video used Hershey’s Special Dark cocoa powder. My understanding is that that is Dutch processed.
I used Dutch processed cocoa powder from King Arthur and my brownies definitely puffed up. Not as much as in the pictures, but that is probably due to the fact that I only had a 9×9 pan.
Hi Steven! At the time Tessa created this incredible recipe, Hershey’s Special Dark cocoa was not fully Dutched; it was a combination of natural and Dutched. Our understanding is that this has recently changed, and it is now a fully Dutched product. We are working to update this information across our entire site, now that the product is different. What I said to that reader about the baking soda is true, however, that particular reader was asking only if she should then skip the baking soda. There is very little baking soda in this recipe (just enough to give a little lift, without making the brownies cakey), so it’s not a huge deal if you do use Dutched cocoa – as you found out first-hand! I’m glad these brownies worked out well, and I hope you enjoyed them!
I just finished making this recipe. I added in a few other ingredients and used black cocoa powder. My oven is a little finicky, so I had to bake them about 5 additional minutes.
I made them for my friends Birthday. I added more chips and a secret ingredients. And don’t ask what it is cayse i can’t say what it is. Sorry Are Brownies were delious. He LOVED them!!! Thank you Keep all the recipes comming.
So glad you enjoyed these brownies!
Holly
Secret ingredient? Who cares! Was that really necessary to say? You must be a blast at parties.
Hands down best brownies ever!!!
What a compliment!
Made them this morning. Wonderful! Recipe is a keeper.☺
My husband’s favorite brownies!
These are the BEST brownies I have ever made! The only two things I did differently; I used a 9×9 metal pan and I added a pinch of cinnamon. You won’t regret making these – Delicious!