Tessa’s Recipe Rundown
Taste: Ultra chocolaty. This recipe uses a combination of semisweet chocolate chips and unsweetened chocolate to give you a knockout punch of chocolaty goodness.
Texture: The best part. These brownies are thick, fudgy, and chewy. They are ultra-moist without feeling heavy and underbaked.
Ease: These brownies take slightly more work than some recipes, but I promise that fudgy consistency and ultra-crinkly crust are totally worth it.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe: Brownie perfection.
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These Ultimate Brownies are the definition of FUDGY. As dense, rich, and fudgy as a brownie could be without actually being candy.
I’ve shared a LOT of Brownie Recipes throughout the years. Each recipe meets different texture and flavor cravings.
This recipe only took 6 batches to perfect. I wanted to give you the ultimate version of this Fudgy Brownie Recipe, so I tweaked and adjusted until the texture was perfect.
Free Brownie Cheatsheet!
Frustrated with blah brownies? This cheatsheet has everything you need—from essential tools to foolproof tips plus two crave-worthy recipes—to help you master perfect brownies every time!
These Ultimate Brownies are ultra fudgy, packed with rich chocolate flavor, and have the most incredible brownie crust imaginable.
Read through all my tips and tricks below for the perfect Fudgy Brownies everyone will adore!
Sprinkle of Science
How to Make the Ultimate FUDGY Brownies
What Kind of Chocolate is Best in Fudgy Brownies?
With making Fudgy Brownies, melted chocolate is key. If we add cocoa powder to this recipe, the texture can become more cakey or chewy instead of fudgy, rich, and dense.
We are using two types of chocolate: semisweet chocolate chips and unsweetened chocolate. They’re melted together with the butter to form the base of this recipe.
I find this gives the perfect balance of chocolate flavor without tasting too bitter or intense. Plus, the chocolate chips play a secret role: they help to form that brownie crust on top!
Be sure to let the melted chocolate cool slightly before adding it to the batter, you don’t want to scramble your eggs with molten hot chocolate.
Learn more about Chocolate in Baking here.
The Butter in Ultimate Brownies
The recipe takes 1 1/2 sticks of unsalted butter (6 ounces, 170 grams, or 12 tablespoons) and melts it down with the chocolate. This helps prevent the chocolate from seizing if melted by itself, and allows the ingredients to become homogenized.
To make these Ultimate Brownies ultra thick and tall, we’re basically baking a 9×13-inch pan worth of batter in an 8×8-inch pan. That’s why there seems to be so much butter!
Why do we melt butter in brownie recipes instead of beating room temperature butter with sugar? Because that helps give a rich, chewy, fudgy texture. Beating butter incorporates air and gives a more light, airy, cakey texture, which we don’t want in a brownie. (Well, you might want that, but I don’t!)
I actually recently experimented with Butter vs. Oil in Brownies to see how the type of fat used affects the final result. Check out my Butter vs. Oil in Baking article for a full breakdown on each of these fats and how they affect tenderness, flavor, and texture in baked goods (and not just brownies). You might just understand why I opted to only use butter in these Fudgy Brownies!
Can I Use Salted Butter Instead?
Yes, just omit the salt called for in the recipe.
How Much Sugar in Brownies?
We’re using 1 1/2 cups of granulated sugar. Again, if this seems like a lot, that’s because these are very tall brownies, so there is a lot of brownie batter.
Also, we’re using a large amount of unsweetened chocolate, so we need to sweeten the brownies up a little. I promise it won’t make them too sweet!
Note: the sugar doesn’t just provide sweetness, it also affects the texture. Sugar is essential to creating ultra moist and rich brownies. If you reduce the sugar, the brownies become dry and cakey. Learn more about sugar’s many roles in baking brownies here.
How to Get Brownies With a Shiny, Crinkly Crust on Top
In these Ultimate Brownies, we use an electric mixer to beat the sugar with the eggs until the mixture is light and ribbon-thick.
Why? This ensures the sugar is dissolved into the batter, enabling a soft yet fudgy texture and stunning shiny, crackly crust. I learned this technique from this brownie recipe!
Note: The amount of time it takes for your mixer to beat the eggs and sugar will vary. The mixture should lighten in color and become really thick. This can take anywhere from 3 to 8 minutes, depending on your machine and kitchen environment.
More tips for achieving those perfectly crinkly crusts in my How to Make Brownies with Shiny, Thin Crust article. Lots of shocking side-by-side comparisons included, like this one below:
Want Fudgy, Chewy Brownies? Add an Extra Egg Yolk!
Eggs not only act as a binding agent in baked goods, but they also add structure, richness, and enhance texture – but too many eggs (and especially the egg whites!) can cause a cakey texture.
This recipe calls for three whole eggs plus one egg yolk. Be sure to use large eggs (about 56 grams in shell).
Why the extra yolk? The fat in the yolk creates a rich, moist, fudgy, chewy texture, without causing cakiness!
I was so pleased when I discovered I was able to add an egg yolk and STILL get that tissue-thin crust on top. Beating the eggs and sugar is pretty magical.
The Flour
All-purpose flour is the way to go here. Cake flour makes these brownies way too tender and light.
To make perfectly Fudgy Brownies, we only need to use a little bit of flour. Any more flour will create tough, dry, or cakey brownies.
I highly recommend weighing your flour with a digital kitchen scale, but if you don’t have one, be sure to use the spoon and level method to measure your flour to avoid dry brownies.
Important: How to Tell When Brownies are Done Baking?
Bake these Ultimate Brownies in a 350°F oven for 35 to 40 minutes. There should be moist crumbs attached to a tester by the end of the baking time.
The brownies will continue to set as they cool. This recipe must be served after the brownies have cooled to room temperature completely.
In fact, they’re even more fudgy and delicious when served chilled!
If you prefer less rich and gooey brownies, add 5 to 10 minutes to the baking time.
Use a Metal Pan for Baking Brownies!
Glass and ceramic pans will not work for this recipe. They take longer to heat up and will prevent the center of the brownies from cooking before the outside edges are too hard. You’ll be left with gummy brownies instead of perfectly fudgy brownies. This is my favorite pan to use for brownies. Learn more in my Glass vs. Metal Baking Pans article.
How to Cut Brownies Perfectly
For perfectly clean, neat brownie slices, check out my How to Cut Brownies Cleanly in 5 Steps article.
How to Store Ultimate Fudgy Brownies
The Ultimate Fudgy Brownies can be stored inside an airtight container for up to 2 days at room temperature or up to 4 days in the fridge. I actually prefer to serve them chilled – they’re even fudgier when cold!
Recipe Substitutions
This Fudgy Brownie Recipe is written to yield specific textures, as noted in the explanations above. If you try to reduce the sugar, use a sugar substitute, or alter ingredients, the results will NOT be the same. Feel free to add nuts, chocolate chips, toffee bits, or anything else to the batter.
More Brownie Recipes:
- Best Chewy Brownies – my most popular recipe!
- Best Easy Brownies
- Coconut Oil Brownies
- Copycat Cosmic Brownies
- Malted Brown Butter Brownies
Ultimate Fudgy Brownies
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Ingredients
- 1 cup (170 grams) semisweet chocolate chips
- 4 ounces (113 grams) high quality unsweetened chocolate, chopped
- 1 1/2 sticks (170 grams) unsalted butter, cut into pieces
- 3 large eggs plus 1 egg yolk
- 1 1/2 cups (300 grams) granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 3/4 cup (94 grams) all-purpose flour
- 1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line an 8×8-inch metal baking pan with foil or parchment and spray with nonstick cooking spray. Do NOT use glass or ceramic baking pans for this recipe, they will not allow the brownies to cook through the center.
- In a large microwave-safe bowl, combine the chocolate chips, unsweetened chocolate, and butter. Microwave for 1 minute, then stir. Continue heating in 30-second bursts, stirring between each burst, until the mixture is melted and smooth but not scorched. Remove from the microwave and let cool slightly.
- In a large bowl, use an electric mixer to beat the eggs, egg yolk, and sugar on medium-high speed until light and thick and ribbony, about 3 to 5 minutes or more depending on your mixer. Beat in the vanilla extract.
- Using a rubber spatula, gently stir in the cooled chocolate-butter mixture. Gently fold in the flour and salt until combined.
- Pour the batter into the prepared baking pan. Bake until a tester comes out with moist crumbs still attached, about 35 to 40 minutes. Do not overbake the brownies as they will continue to bake once they’re out of the oven.
- Let cool completely to room temperature before slicing. Serve at room temperature or chilled for an even fudgier texture.
Recipe Notes
This recipe was originally published in 2014 and updated with additional recipe tips and baking science info. Photos by Ashley McLaughlin.
I had the total amount of chocolate but only as sweet and half was white choc and the other half, milk choc. I then added three tablespoons of unsweetened cacao powder and an extra half an egg yolk to balance out the additional dry powder.
They’ve turned out great!!! Lovely and gooey but not complete sludge, crispy on top and chewy (on the outer edge pieces)
Baked in a square metal baking tin (9x9inch)
I cooked for 35 mins keeping a close eye, although they definitely could have come out at 32 mins I’d say, as the tops of some have started the burn slightly. (Cooked in a relatively new fan oven)
Amazing receipe, thank you!!
Hi! Can I bake these in a mini-cupcake pan to make brownie bites?
Hi Sandrine! We haven’t tested that, but it should be fine to use a mini muffin tin. Just keep in mind that you’ll need to adjust the baking time since the smaller size will cook much faster. Feel free to experiment, and let us know how it turns out! Happy baking!
I wasn’t able to read through all the comments to see if this was asked already but what do you do if you don’t have a microwave? Can you use a double boiler?
Hi Unnati! You can absolutely use a double boiler to melt the chocolate in this recipe. Let us know what you think of these brownies once you have given them a try 🙂 Happy baking!
This is my go to brownie recipe now. I brought it to a family gathering and my family absolutely loved it! But my mom requested a more cakey (rather than fudgy) brownie for the next time, do you have any advise to make this recipe more cakey? Thank you
I’m so happy to hear it’s your go-to recipe! While we haven’t tried this, you can try adding additional flour to this brownie recipe to make it cakier, but doing so could also affect its dryness and make the brownies crumbly if you add too much. That’ll need to be something you experiment with! Our Best Ever Chewy Brownies recipe is another reader favorite (over 1000 reviews!) and might be one that suits your mom’s preference a little bit better 🙂 Let us know how it goes if you experiment!
have been trying a lot of brownies recipe. Really, this one is the best I ever tried. Thanks a lot for all useful techniques and explanations!
Best brownie recipe! I made two batches and my kids didn’t even give me a chance to take pictures of this beautiful fudgy delicious brownie. I tried other recipes but this one hands down is my favorite recipe, my family agrees too.
P.s.
Love all of Tessa’s recipes!
Can I use abuelita’s hot chocolate tablets in place of the unsweetened chocolate in this recipe?
Hi Michelle! We haven’t tried that, but typically, hot chocolate or hot cocoa mixes have very different ingredients compared to cocoa powder meant for baking, so I wouldn’t recommend it. Learn more about cocoa powders here 🙂
Hi, my brownie looked perfect when it came out of the oven (i baked it for 35 minutes), but when it cooled down, the top cracked in the middle and the center of the brownie sunk in. When i tried to lift it off the pan, i noticed the texture was too jiggly, like it was about to fall apart any moment. I wonder what could’ve gone wrong..
It sounds like your brownies needed just a bit longer in the oven! Since I’m responding a few days later, hopefully you were still able to fully enjoy the brownies, but next time, make sure you use a metal baking pan to bake the brownies (glass or ceramic won’t work well with this recipe and will need oven temp/baking time adjustments). If you used a metal baking pan last time, try adding a few more minutes to the bake time. You can then also chill your brownies for the ultimate fudgy brownie 🙂 I hope that helps!
Hi, i did use a metal pan. I put it back in the oven for an additional 5 minutes (so it was 40 minutes in total). After that it came out a bit more firm but the center is still wet, however i didn’t want to put it back in the oven because i didn’t want to overbake it. I just let it cool and put it in the fridge overnight and serve it the next day and it was AMAZING. The texture was perfectly fudgy and the taste was super rich. A bit too sweet for me but that’s because i used a 70% dark chocolate instead of a 100% unsweetened one, i’ll make sure to remake it with an unsweetened chocolate next time.
My only issue was how the center sunk in the center so it looked a bit messy. Could it be because i overmixed it? I beat the eggs and sugar for 5 mins on high speed until it was very light and fluffy
Hi Kyla! Once the brownies have cooled, it generally won’t work super well to pop them back in the oven, unfortunately, as this will typically dry out the edges before the center heats up again. While it is possible that overmixing could cause the sinkage you experienced, it sounds like your brownies were underbaked, as my team member Emily mentioned yesterday. Adding a few minutes to the initial bake time will hopefully fix this next time! I often need to add a few minutes to baking these because my oven runs cool – learn more about that here. Also, don’t be tempted to remove these from the pan before they have cooled, as they could sink and even fall apart if moved while they’re too warm. Giving them time to cool to room temp will allow them to set up more, and allow for pretty slices. I hope this helps! Happy baking 🙂
Hi,after trying this recipe a few times i found that the center of my brownie still cracked and sunk in when i used a hand mixer to beat the eggs and sugar, despite having added a few minutes more in the oven . When i used a stand mixer, somehow my brownie didn’t collapse anymore? Idk the science behind this lol but that’s what happened. Glad i finally nailed this amazing recipe!
I feel like I’m doing something wrong with the brownies.. They taste great, but appearance-wise they’re a mess. They rise just fine in the oven (I bake them for 40 minutes), and I let them cool and I’ve even let them refridgerate overnight this time to see if it makes a difference, but once I slice into them the top just cracks and sinks to the bottom, making the brownies seem not nearly as nice or thick as in the recipe photos, and they almost seem still raw in the middle. I truly follow the recipe to a T, and never use substitutes.. Does anyone have a clue as to what could help?
Sorry to hear you experienced issues with your brownies! If your brownies are sinking in the center, make sure that you’re not overmixing the batter or underbaking the brownies. If you’re using a glass pan but not properly adjusting the oven temp/bake time, that could be the issue too! Check out the difference in our comparison pics of glass vs metal pans here. Tessa also included a bunch of other tips that might help perfect your next batch just above the recipe. I hope that helps!
This is the 3rd recipe of yours I have made (other 2 are French silk pie and chocolate cupcakes) and they never disappoint!! These brownies are perfectly rich and fudgy. It will be my go-to brownie recipe from now on. I added some chocolate chips to the batter at the end but it would be good with chopped walnuts also!
This is the third time making these. The first time was AMAZING! Second time was for a dinner where I was the final course and I undercooked them, but they were the absolute hit! Almost better undercooked.
I just finished the 3rd batch, I added two tablespoons of like warm water to easily spread them. Holy cow, these are stunning! I drizzled some homemade Carmel over the top when they were finished.
I’m a chef in a restaurant and we have our own brownie recipe. However, for home baking and small gatherings these are the best brownies I have ever made. Thank you.
So thrilled to hear that you enjoy these brownies so much, Nick! Thanks so much for the comment 🙂
Trying this soon. Can I use cocoa powder instead of the unsweetened chocolate? I will certainly use the chocolate chips.
Hi Femi! Feel free to experiment, but cocoa powder is not interchangeable for melted chocolate in baking, as this will change the chemistry of the recipe. If you only have cocoa powder and don’t want to purchase baking chocolate, I recommend trying out Tessa’s Best Ever Chewy Brownies instead 🙂