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.
Have you ever tried baking these in a brownie pan? (The pans with 12 squares, so that every piece is a corner piece)
What would you recommend for timing in a smaller pan like that? I typically do 18 minutes and my box mix brownies always come out perfectly moist and fudgy – would that do for this recipe?
Hi Genevieve! We haven’t used that type of pan ourselves, so I can’t say for sure how long you’ll need to bake for. If the pan is a dark metal, I would recommend reducing your oven temperature a bit (25°F) – but keep the temperature the same as written if your pan is a light-colored metal like Tessa recommends. Let us know how it goes 🙂
Husband is a HARD critic of brownies. Loves lehi roller mills, barely likes Ghirardelli’s, and loves Betty Crocker. I love homemade and have tried countless homemade recipes and this is the first one that he said he liked. Chewy really great chocolate flavor and as my husband said doesn’t taste too bittersweet. It’s a good mix. And I bonus for it being so so simple to make. Thank you so much. This is our new staple recipe!
i don’t have an 8×8 pan but do have a metal 9×13
can i double the recipe and use the 9×13?
Hi Kim! Yes! As noted in the recipe notes (right below the recipe itself), “To double this recipe, use a 9×13 pan and bake for the same amount of time.” Enjoy!
I’ve made hundreds of brownies in my life and this ranks up there at the top! I ran out of dark chocolate chips but had some white chocolate chips and added some milk chocolate baking bar broken into chunks. Taking them to a BBQ so we’ll see what the reviews are like.
Quick question, I only have glass and silicone pans, which would you recommend between the two. I also have some foil throw away pans, but no metal sheet pans.
Hi Diane! Unfortunately, none of those pans are ideal for brownie baking. Learn more about this in the pink tip box above the recipe. I would recommend checking out this article (also linked in the pink tip box) for how to adjust your temperature and bake times if you only have glass, as the oven adjustments will be your best bet. Good luck and happy baking!
Thank you for answering, Kiersten. I ended up using the foil throw away pans and thankfully they turned out pretty good. Not as pretty as yours, but not bad. The recipients were happy so all was good. I will invest in another metal pan, if only to make brownies. I stopped buying them because the non-stick coating would start to peel and/or food would get stuck in the crevices. I don’t always want to use parchment paper, hence the food in crevices. Nonetheless, brownies deserve the best and if metal is best, then metal they will have!
So glad to hear that you enjoyed the brownies, Diane! 🙂 Happy baking!
I love the texture but they are a little bitter. How much should I increase the sugar by?
Hi Kaitlyn Marie! I wouldn’t recommend increasing the sugar as this will alter the structure and texture of the brownies – learn more about that here. If the brownies aren’t quite sweet enough for you, here are a couple suggestions: try a different cocoa powder, as different cocoa powders contain different levels of fat and also contribute different flavors to baking, and also try using a milk chocolate chip or a different sweeter chocolate bar, chopped, in place of the chocolate chips. These modifications will give you a sweeter outcome without changing the structure of the brownies themselves. I hope that helps! 🙂
I’ve made many brownie recipes and adapted/combined many versions of. This recipe was amazing as is… I love the combination of butter for taste and oil for moistness. The addition of cake flour and yolks for extra richness and fudginess. It was incredible. The second time I made it, I substituted a third of the granulated sugar for brown sugar and liked it even more…
Would they still turn out if I halved the sugar?
Hi Christine! No, sugar is vital to the moisture and structure of these brownies, and important beyond just sweetening. Learn more about that here! If you’re worried about the brownies being too sweet, feel free to use a bittersweet or unsweetened chocolate chip or chopped chocolate bar, instead of the chocolate chips in the recipe. This will help lower the overall sweetness, without compromising the structure, moistness and chewiness of the brownies. Let us know what you think once you’ve given these brownies a try 🙂
So freaking good, they really satisfied my craving!
HOT DAMN THESE ARE GOOD!
Like soooooo soooo sooo good! These are definitely the best brownies ever! Only one thing, in the instructions it says let cool completely……….. Now that is funny!! LOL
My go-to recipe. I love love LOVE these brownies!! So easy to make and deliciously chewy!
I just made these brownies over the weekend and they were amazing. I did’t have vegetable oil so I used canola and they were still very good. However, by mistake, I used baking powder instead of baking soda but all in all, a great brownie. My wife said it was the best she ever had. 🙂