Homemade brownies are just so much better than box mix. Especially with this Best Easy Brownies recipe. The chocolate flavor is just unparalleled in this best brownie recipe!
That’s why I’m SO excited to share this easy brownie recipe from scratch with you. These are SO much better than boxed brownie mix, and just as easy.
I was inspired to create it randomly last week when an intense chocolate craving hit. Within a few days I had the recipe nailed and I realized I just had to film a recipe video to show you exactly how to make these babies.
Brownies may seem super simple, but there are some interesting things happening behind the scenes with the ingredients and techniques. Achieving tall, fudgy, chewy, and moist brownies with that shiny crust on top is totally doable, but requires some understanding of how baking works.
So be sure to watch the video before you give this best brownie recipe a try. I crammed in as many tips and tricks as I could.
I didn’t quite realize it until the camera was on, but I have a LOT to say about brownies. Almost as much as I do about cookies.
So if you’re curious about how to really perfect your brownies, check out the tips below. I also tried to answer any questions I thought you might have below.
How to Make the BEST Easy Brownie Recipe
Easy Brownies Recipe Ingredients
- Butter – Use unsalted butter to control the amount of salt in your brownies.
- Semisweet chocolate – I fold in chopped chocolate baking bars for this perfect brownie recipe. You could also use semisweet chocolate chips instead, they just won’t melt down as easily.
- Granulated sugar – White sugar sweetens and moistens the brownies. Don’t lower the sugar quantity – learn why here.
- Eggs – 2 large eggs plus 1 egg yolk provides the perfect chewy texture.
- Vanilla extract – Rounds out the flavor perfectly.
- All-purpose flour – Measured accurately. It’s crucial to weigh your dry ingredients with a digital scale to make sure you don’t end up with crumbly or dry brownies.
- Cocoa powder – I used unsweetened natural cocoa powder for these brownies. Again, make sure to measure accurately! Find out the differences between Natural vs. Dutch Process Cocoa Powder here.
- Fine salt – Just 1/4 teaspoon of salt is enough to balance out the sweetness. I prefer fine sea salt, but table salt is fine too – learn more about the differences here.
- Semisweet chocolate chips – You can’t forget the chocolate chips in the best easy brownie recipe! I used semi-sweet chocolate chips, but milk chocolate chips, dark chocolate chips, or chocolate chunks would also work.
Oil vs. Butter in Brownies: Which is Better?
This recipe calls for butter instead of oil for the best flavor and fudgy, melt-in-your-mouth texture. The melted butter also helps to provide that beautiful crinkly crust for perfect brownies (more on how to achieve that below).
For more side-by-side baking experiments of Oil Vs. Butter in Baking, check out this article.
How to Make Brownies with Shiny, Thin, Crinkly Crust
You know that tissue-thin shiny crust on top of brownies that we all love and want? It’s easier to achieve than you might think. I show you how to do this in detail in the video above.
But the basic idea is to beat the eggs and sugar in the batter extremely well to create a sort of foam. I discovered that I can shortcut my way to that shiny crust by whisking the wet ingredients extremely well, until the batter itself is ultra smooth and shiny. I’ve actually got an entire article dedicated to achieving crinkly crusts in brownies – check it out here!
What Is the Secret to Chewy + Fudgy Brownies?
Although my goal for this recipe was to make EASY homemade brownies, I still wanted them to be chewy. For the first batches I made, I found the brownies to be delicious, but lacking a bit of that chewiness I wanted. So I added an extra egg yolk to the recipe, and it was the perfect simple way to achieve that extra chewy texture. Why the yolk? The fat and protein in the yolk helps to create a rich and chewy texture.
If you don’t want that chewiness, or don’t want to deal with adding an extra yolk, feel free to skip it.
For fudgy brownies, it’s important that the batter is very moist and rich. That’s why we use a relatively small amount of flour and cocoa powder. Enough flour to provide structure and chew, but not too much that the brownies are dense or cakey. Enough cocoa to provide that rich chocolate flavor, but not so much that the brownies are dry.
Baking Tip: Measure Your Ingredients Accurately!
To ensure you don’t accidentally add too much flour or cocoa (which is very easy to accidentally do), I would recommend using a digital kitchen scale. At the very least, be sure to lightly spoon your flour and cocoa into your measuring cup so you don’t unintentionally compact too much into the measurement. Read more about how to measure your ingredients accurately here.
The Best Brownie Baking Pan
For the best brownie recipe, I highly recommend using a metal baking pan. I love this light-colored metal pan, or any quality metal baking pan that isn’t too dark in color. The darker the color, the more likely you are to burn the edges or have dry edges.
Glass pans and ceramic pans will take LONGER to bake these brownies, and the texture may become dense. Learn more in my Glass vs. Metal Baking Pans article.
I like to line my pan with parchment or foil, leaving an overhang so I can easily lift out the entire pan of brownies to cut and serve.
Can I Double this Easy Brownies Recipe?
You can easily double this recipe and bake in a 9 by 13-inch metal baking pan for about 35 to 40 minutes.
How Do You Cut Brownies Cleanly for Perfect Brownie Slices?
- Allow the brownies to cool completely.
- Run a large, very sharp knife under hot water for 5-10 seconds. Carefully dry the knife with a towel.
- Carefully press the knife through the brownies in one firm slice.
- Repeat with the remaining brownies, continuing to run the knife under water and drying in between each slice.
Check out my How to Cut Brownies Cleanly in 5 Steps article for even more tips.
How Long to Bake Easy Brownies
Do NOT overbake brownies. There should still be moist crumbs attached to a cake tester or toothpick by the end of the baking time. I find that 25-30 minutes results in perfectly baked brownies. Err on the side of under-baking here.
How to Store Best Easy Brownies
The brownies definitely taste best the day they are baked, but can be stored in an airtight container for up to 2 days at room temperature or up to 4 days in the fridge. They are even more fudgy when they’re chilled! If you prefer, you can microwave them for a bit to serve them warm too.
Baking Magic
If you’re still curious about how baking ingredients and techniques work, and how I create my recipes using the science of baking, then I have a little invitation for you. Come join me in my online baking class The Magic of Baking. Everything in the class is already there, waiting for you to go through at your own pace and at your convenience. I go in-depth on how baking works, so you can have complete confidence every time you enter the kitchen. Learn more about The Magic of Baking here.
Best Easy Brownies is an understatement!
Handle the heat is my go to website when I’m looking for a no fail recipe.
Hello, hope you are well. Thank you for sharing the recipe. Just wondering, if I were to bake this a few days ahead whats the best method for me to keep it fresh until the day of the event? Would it be okay if I wrap it cling wrap/film? And do I need to reheat it before hand? Thank you
Hi Emiko! Keeping these brownies for a couple of days inside an airtight container, stored in the fridge, will work just fine. If you need to store more than a couple days, I recommend following the freezing directions (in the pink tip box, just above the recipe) for best results. No need to reheat before serving – in fact, these brownies are extra chewy, fudgy and delicious when served cold! Happy baking 🙂
Is the sugar meant to dissolve when mixed into the sugar chocolate mix?
Hi Mario! No, the sugar won’t entirely melt when mixed into the sugar/chocolate mixture; this just slightly melts the sugar, encouraging the sugar to melt further when in the oven, and assisting in forming the shiny thin crust on top of the baked brownies. I hope that helps! Let us know what you think of these brownies once you’ve given them a try 🙂
Thanks for the reply! It was my first time making brownies so I was unsure of the process. It turned out great 🙂
Yay! So glad to hear that 🙂
Love the texture and moistness!
My family would prefer them to be sweeter/less bitter. Should I use less cocoa powder? I used milk chocolate chips instead of semi-sweet but still want to reduce the bitterness/ make them a little sweeter.
Thank you!
I make this recipe all the time since finding it almost 2 years ago. It’s so easy, I always have the ingredients on hand. My family loves it and I also add in a cup of fresh cranberries, a trick I learned on a field trip to the cranberry bogs years ago, so good! My sister-in-law doesn’t even like brownies, but loves them when I make this recipe and add the cranberries.
I made these for my son’s birthday. They were easy and delicious! I only had a glass pan available at the time and did the decreased temp and longer baking time and they turned out perfectly. My new go to brownie recipe! My husband was obsessed (and so was I!)
So wonderful to hear that, Lauren!!
Made a double recipe. It’s still warm, but my 7 year old granddaughter and I couldn’t wait any longer. The brownies are delicious. My granddaughter loves brownies so I’ll be making these regularly. Plus the recipe is pretty easy. I hope to try the Nutella brownies soon.
Yay!! So thrilled to hear that you and your granddaughter enjoyed these brownies so much, Eleanor! We can’t wait to hear what you think of Tessa’s other brownie recipes 🙂
I can’t see a video option. Just the word “recipe video” which doesn’t do anything. However, I’m going to try the recipe anyway.
Hi Eleanor! Yes, sorry, we are having trouble with the buttons that jump to the videos, and we’re working on that! There is a video; just scroll down from the top a tinyyyyy bit, and it’s right under where it says “Recipe Video” 🙂 let us know what you think once you have given these a try!!
I’ve made it several times, and so many positive feedback from my family and friends. We love it very much.
Yet, i don’t know why, my brownies were shrinking after came out form the oven.
Is it normal? or do you have any advice to fix them?
thank you sooo much!
Hi Frisca! That sounds super strange! It’s normal to have a tiny bit of settling, but not a whole lot of shrinking or sinking! Here are a few thoughts as to what might have gone wrong here – hopefully something here will prove helpful!
– Firstly, did you bake these brownies in a light-colored metal pan? We recommend this pan, but something similar will work too! Using a glass or ceramic pan will take much, much longer for the middle to bake, often drying out the edges in the process, and/or even leaving the middle underdone.
– Your oven also could be running too hot or too cold. Ovens are almost always lying to us about their real temperature! We recommend using an oven thermometer, to ensure accuracy, and make sure your baked goods are baking correctly! Tessa talks about oven temperature accuracy and using an oven thermometer, in this article here!
– Lastly, how do you measure your ingredients; by volume (using cups), or by weight (using a digital scale)? Measuring by volume makes it super easy to add too much flour into a recipe, messing with the chemistry of the recipe and throwing your end result off completely! In this article, Tessa talks about how to measure correctly, to ensure a great end result every time!
I hope something here helps! If not, please feel free to reach out to us here, or at [email protected], for more help troubleshooting! I’m glad these brownies taste great, even if their appearance is a little off! Good luck and happy baking 🙂
Excellent – moist, chewy, dense & chocolatey
So happy you loved these brownies, Renae!!
Really great brownies!!!! It is very important to follow the instructions to achieve the perfect texture.
Can this recipe be made with gluten free flour instead of all purpose, or will it change the texture?
We don’t bake gluten free, so I can’t say for sure! Please let us know how it goes if you give it a try 🙂
Hi! I hope it’s ok for me to reply to you – I just made this but switched out the all purpose flour for coconut flour and I’d say it worked pretty well! The batter will be thicker and it doesn’t come out with a shiny crispy top, in fact they look like they aren’t baking at all while in the oven but trust me it is. I baked for a little over 20 mins and you do end up with a bit of a crust. There is a slight grainy texture but honestly I’m so surprised at how well these turned out as I didn’t have high hopes. I hope this helps 🙂
Hi can I use brown sugar only ?
Hi Aki! We haven’t tried that! Just know that the taste and texture of your brownies will be different. We always suggest making a recipe as written first before experimenting so you have something to compare it to 🙂
I’m not a bake whatsoever. I never get the measures right and there is no room for mistake but you make this brownie baking so easy I decided to try it. And if I wanna make a bigger batch can you help me out with the right amount of measures please. Thank you
Hi Dyala! Check out the pink tip box above this recipe for more details on how to double this recipe (along with a bunch of other tips to help your brownies turn out delicious!) 🙂 Enjoy your brownies!
Hello they’re perfect thank you so much. Can I freeze as need for next weekend but unable to make near the day x
Hi Elaine! Yes, that should be fine! Just make sure they’re in an air-tight container, then thaw overnight in the refrigerator before bringing to room temperature for serving 🙂
Hi,
I’ve been craving brownies recently so I was pleasantly surprised when I opened my email and saw this in it! I would love to make these, but I only have glass and ceramic pans. I really don’t feel like running out to buy a metal pan that my hubs and son will only scratch up anyway. About how long would you suggest I keep the glass pan in the oven without under/over cooking the brownies? Thanks!
Hi Bella! We highly recommend using a reflective metal baking pan – dark metal pans will dry out brownie edges, often before the center can cook through. Glass or ceramic baking pans will take longer to bake, and the texture may become more gummy. If you must use glass or ceramic, add about 10 or 15 minutes to the baking time.
Hi! I’d like to add nuts to the brownie – like macadamia nuts, or walnuts – how much do you recommend that I add – and do I need to change the cooking time?
Thanks!
Hi Lisa! When adding nuts to any brownie recipe, you’ll want to add 1/2 – 1 cup total of ALL add-ins. So because this recipe already contains 1 cup of chocolate chips, feel free to reduce the chocolate chips to 1/2 cup and add 1/2 cup nuts. You could also add just nuts in without chocolate chips (but know the crinkly crust may not be as noticeable, see the pink tip box above this recipe for more details). You won’t need to adjust the cooking time. I hope that helps!
Another wonderful recipe from the professional Tessa, brownies so delicious with a great texture, very accurate! See there is a huge investment in the recipe here, super chocolatey! (And what happiness, I got the shiny and thin crust! ☺) Just wonderful! I use digital scales, it’s so great the ingredients are measured in grams! Thank you so much dear Tessa! Keep surprising us!
So happy to hear how much you love this recipe! And I’m so glad you were able to achieve the shiny and thin crust as well, yay!!
I love this recipe and Is this recipe mail friendly ? I wold love to send it to my friend by mail.
Hi there! We haven’t tried that, but I don’t see why not! You’ll want to overnight them – we only recommend storing these at room temperature for up to 2 days. I hope that helps!
Tried this recipe yesterday and it was a brilliant success! I bake a lot, but this is so far the best brownie recipe I’ve found. Thanks! Will be making these all again in future.
So great to hear!
These are amazing. I’ve made these twice now and this is the easiest and best homemade brownie recipe I have tried yet.
Wonderful! So happy to hear how much you love this recipe 🙂
Hi I tried this recipe but didn’t get the crusty top why is that?
Hi Sumayya! Check out our article on How to Make Brownies with Shiny Thin Crust for more details. Let me know if you have any questions, but hopefully that helps!
Hi yes I saw but I wanted to know in this recipe why it didn’t have shiny crust as it said it should in this recipe you beat sugar in hot butter and chocolate would I able to beat sugar and eggs instead?
I’d recommend checking out the video on this page, Tessa actually walks through the entire process of making these brownies, including how to get that shiny crust. Tessa noted in the article I linked prior that she actually shortcut the whipping eggs + sugar foaming technique for this specific recipe and explained why. You’re more than welcome to experiment though! Let me know how it goes 🙂
Hi Tessa !! I tried this recipe 3 times. However, everytime it didn’t bake and all the fat present in the recipe came on top of the brownie while baking. Could you please help me out ?
Moreover, i humbly request you to make eggless fudgy brownie recipe as i am from India and in indian market, most prefer eggless dessert.
Hi Batul! I’m sorry you’re having issues with this recipe! Do you use a digital scale to measure your ingredients? Did you substitute any ingredients? Did you allow the butter/sugar mixture to cool until just barely warm before adding in the remaining ingredients? It’s hard to say for sure what happened without having baked alongside you, but hopefully we can figure this out. I’d love for you to enjoy the brownie as they’re meant to be. For eggless desserts, you’ll have to search elsewhere as Tessa does not publish egg-free recipes. Thanks for your understanding 🙂
hi tessa , i’m crying , it’s literally the best texture that i’ve made , i tried so hard to learn about how to get that crispy kinda top , and idk maybe my temp is always too high , BUT THIS , UGH SO GOOD. i actually used my hand mixer because i kinda not wanna tire myself up. But i love how it looks
So happy you loved this recipe, Rizwana! Thanks so much for the rave review 🙂 You might find our article about How to Make Brownies with Shiny Thin Crust interesting as we detail exactly how to get that glossy, crinkly, tissue thin crust! Hope that helps!
This really is so easy, my teenage son & I made them & baked them in less than 1hr. Such a great chocolate flavor that they are not overly sweet, esp compared to a boxed mix brownie. Edges are slightly chewy, sides are not dry or burnt…PERFECT! I don’t know why I’d ever use a boxed mix again.
So wonderful to hear this! Thanks for the rave review, Kimberley 🙂
Perfect! Thank you!
Hi Tessa… It’s always a pleasure to follow your recipes.. specially tje ones with videos.. you know, NO MISTAKES.. I already bought a light color pan and messure correctly everything (I bought a kitchen scale too.. ).. the brownies were delicious, and super gooey and fudgy although I have to give them estra time in the oven.. I believed that my brownies took longer to bake because of my glass pan, but I guess is an oven issue!.. Now I have to buy an oven thermometer… Thanks a lot.. I’ll keep baking..
Glad to hear you’re making adjustments and then checking to see what changes! It sounds like you’re well on your way to perfecting the recipe 🙂
loved it .. thanks for sharing!
Will the brownies change if I cut the butter quantity to 1/2 cup instead of 1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons?
I haven’t tried reducing the amount of butter — I always recommend following a recipe exactly as written for the best results!
Kindly suggest a substitute to eggs in this recipe and its quantity.
Hi Anshul, I haven’t tested this recipe with any substitutions, so I can’t guarantee the same outcome. I always recommend following a recipe exactly as written for the best results! Sorry!
Hi – how do I make these in a 9 x 13 pan. Can I just double the recipe? Can’t wait to try these! Thanks!
Hi Mel, follow the directions in the pink box above the recipe for how to double these brownies! Enjoy!
Sorry, I noticed the instructions right after I submitted my question! I skimmed through the recipe and totally missed it. Thanks for the reply!
No worries at all, glad you found what you were looking for. Enjoy your brownies!!
ive never left a review EVER, BUT after failing brownies many times (oops!) THIS RECIPE SUCEEDED AND WAS D E L I C I O U S! out of the oven the brownies seemed super gooey and not set (baked according to the times stated), but after letting them cool COMPLETELY, they were moist and fudgy! they are not the chewiest, but are really REALLY great and simple
I am so glad you enjoyed these brownies!
Wow!!! Unreal! Soooo good! Followed the recipe exact and turned out so moist and perfect!
So glad you enjoyed these brownies!