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.
They were perfect. My husband called them restaurant quality. This will be my only brownie recipe.
I followed them but turned out too cakey what i missed?
Hi Angel! 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 mis-measure ingredients (particularly flour) and throw off the entire chemistry of a recipe. Check out Tessa’s article here where she talks about how to best measure ingredients to ensure accuracy every time.
I also wonder what type of pan you’re baking the brownies in? Glass vs metal pans can make a big difference on the baked result, as Tessa shows in this article here.
Hopefully something here helped! Feel free to reach back out to us with any further questions – we are always happy to help!! 🙂
Hi, even though the butter will be melted, does it matter if it’s room temp or chilled?
Hi Maz! Nope, it doesn’t matter at all. Room temp butter will just melt faster, so it’s not a big deal either way. Let us know what you think of these brownies once you’ve given them a try!
hi can I use monk fruit sweetener instead of sugar?please advise, thanks
Hi Natasha! We haven’t tried that, and we really don’t recommend it. Unfortunately, nothing can quite replicate everything sugar does in baking. Learn more about what sugar does in baking in this article here (spoiler alert: it’s SO much more than just sweetening!)
I typed out a really long glowing review and somehow lost it before it posted. Bottom line, these are THE BEST BROWNIES I’ve ever made/eaten!!! So happy to have discovered this recipe searching for a homemade alternative to a boxed mix.
We are SO glad to hear that, Maila! Thank you so much for the comment 🙂
Hi!
Can I reduce the sugar amount to 3/4 cup?
Hi Sue! We don’t like to recommend lowering the sugar quantity in any baked goods, as sugar does so much more than just sweeten. Check out this article here to learn more! If you’re worried about these brownies being too sweet, I would recommend using a very dark or even unsweetened chocolate instead of the semi-sweet chocolate chips, to balance the sweetness. I hope this helps 🙂 Happy baking!
Hi
Can I use 1 cup of sugar and 1/2 cup of semisweet chocolate chips? I can’t find less sweet chocolate chips at the grocery store. My family doesn’t like their brownies overly sweet.
Hi Sue! As the article I linked previously detailed, reducing the sugar will greatly impact the outcome of these brownies. Sugar contributes SO much to baking beyond sweetness, so the texture and consistency of these brownies will change entirely if you lower the sugar. We always recommend making a recipe as-written the first time, and experimenting little by little from there if you don’t love something – this way, you have a baseline for what the recipe should taste like and the texture it’s supposed to have, and you can make small adjustments each time from there. If you can’t find darker, bittersweet or unsweetened chocolate chips, I recommend chopping up a dark or unsweetened block of baking chocolate, and give that a try instead 🙂
I’ve just made it and it’s delicious! Thank you for an amazing recipe!
I just made these and they are perfect! The metal pan tip made a big difference too. The ingredients were inexpensive, things I had on hand, whipped up in no time and were just perfect. Wow, years and years of trying sub-par brownie recipes and finally I found this one! Thank you!
So excited to hear that you enjoyed these so much, Kelly! So glad Tessa’s tips were helpful, too! 🙂
So Yummy! I made a few substitutions, less sugar, avocado oil and tapioca flour instead of cornstarch and they turned out amazing. Thank you!! My husband said These are the brownies he’s been wanting. They are tall, thick, and fudgy deliciousness!!
They were yummy! I made the the same substitutions with out reading your comment!!! Best I ever made!
I’ve added 200g of sugar and dark chocolate chunks instead of chocolate chips (we don’t have them in Poland). Turned amazing! <3
They were awesome! I made brownie bites and they came out amazing. Would 100% make again!
I cant wait to try this recipe as whenever I make brownies I get a big slab of crusty meringue on top and a large hole underneath which shatters when I cut it and looks terrible? I don’t know what I am doing wrong?
Hi Jeni! Without knowing the ingredients and method in the recipe you’ve been using, we can’t say for sure, but it sounds like something is getting overwhipped possibly. Hopefully you’ll have better luck with this recipe! Be sure to check out all Tessa’s tips and info in the pink tip box above the recipe before starting 🙂 Happy baking!
These are BOMB, so delicious!!!
thanks for the recipe!!!
Absolutely fantastic! Perfect amount of chewy and fudge. Our favorite was eating it the next day when the chocolate chips hardened. So yummy!