Best-Ever Fudgy Homemade Brownie Recipe
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Made with cocoa powder, not melted chocolate, you’ll never go back to any other recipe once you try this chewy, deliciously fudgy brownie recipe! And they come together in just 10 minutes.
Made with cocoa powder alone — no melted chocolate — these rich, fudgy brownies are delicious freshly baked, but get better by the day, becoming richer and fudgier as they sit. I’ve beeen making this recipe for over a decade now for various occasions and most recently for birthdays, stacked and studded with candles or a few sparklers when I have them.
If you’ve been reading for awhile, you’ve seen this recipe before. I’m reposting the recipe because, like my favorite soft and chewy chocolate chip cookies, I fear these have gotten lost in other posts, and they are too good to be forgotten. The recipe comes from Fine Cookie Magazine.
PS: All the Chocolate recipes Right Here → Chocolate.
Best-Ever Fudgy Homemade Brownie Recipe
- Total Time: 50 minutes
- Yield: 16
Description
Source: Fine Cooking
Notes:
- A digital scale is best for measuring flour and cocoa powder. This one costs less than $9. Buy it! Baking by weight will change you forever. There’s no better time than right now. Do it.
- Hershey’s cocoa powder. This is not a sponsored post. I have tried so many cocoa powders, fancy-ish and otherwise, over the years, and I swear these never turn out so well as when I simply use Hershey’s natural cocoa powder. Not Hershey’s special fancy dark cocoa powder or other; simply their unsweetened natural cocoa powder.
Ingredients
- 8 oz. (1 cup) unsalted butter; plus more for the pan
- 15¼ oz. | 432 g (2 cups) granulated sugar
- 4 large eggs, lightly beaten
- ½ tsp. pure vanilla extract
- 2½ oz | 72 g (¾ cup) unsweetened cocoa powder
- 3 oz | 84 g (2/3 cup) unbleached all-purpose flour; plus more for the pan
- ½ tsp. baking powder
- ½ tsp. table salt
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F and position rack in the center of the oven. Butter an 8-inch square baking pan or line with parchment paper.
- Melt the butter in a medium saucepan. Add the sugar and whisk until well combined. Add the beaten eggs and vanilla and whisk until well blended. In a large separate bowl whisk together the cocoa, flour, baking powder and salt. Transfer butter mixture to bowl with flour and stir with spatula or wooden spoon until batter is smooth.
- Spread into prepared pan and bake for approximately 37-40 minutes. Insert a pairing knife or steak knife straight into center. If it comes out clean or with just a few moist crumbs, the brownies are done.
- Let cool completely in pan on rack. Brownies can be made two to three days in advance.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 40 minutes
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Oven
- Cuisine: American
Keywords: brownie, chocolate, rich, fudgy, cocoa, powder, dessert, birthdays
This post may contain affiliate links. Please read my disclosure policy.
114 Comments on “Best-Ever Fudgy Homemade Brownie Recipe”
I just mixed up this lovely rich brownie recipe and popped em into the oven. I’m so excited to try them for a sweet Valentine’s Day treat. I will keep you posted. thx!
This makes me so happy, Lynn! They are my fave. Hope you like them, too. Happy Valentine’s Day!
Wow! Rich, moist, velvety flavor with the perfect texture.
I just cut into the brownies and can’t imagine them getting better the next day… because they are perfectly divine. If I knew how the heck to upload a picture I would, but the brownies look exactly like pictured above.
I grew up similarly to Alexandra, with a working mother who was an unbelievable home cook/gardener/entertainer, and now with a family of my own am constantly cooking/baking… There are a handful of really special blogs/websites that I follow… Alexandra’s Kitchen is one… and you know when you prepare a recipe she has posted… it will be a winner:)
I am so happy to hear this, Lynn! And I’ll be curious as to what you think of the brownies today. And thank you thank you for your kind words. You are too much. Thanks so much for writing in and Happy Valentine’s Day!
Sorry, forgot to write that i added some Nielsen Massey pure coffee extract in batter along with the vanilla extract.
Sprinkled powdered sugar on top when cooled.
So interesting about the coffee extract! I love the Nielsen Massey products but have never seen/used their coffee extract — fun! Coffee and chocolate are such a great match 🙂
I have made these brownies, with slight variations in ingredient amounts, for years and they are simply the best brownies. They have a wonderful rich flavor and a great texture, to say nothing of how easy they are to prepare. (Also, in my version the cocoa is mixed in with the melted butter.) It is one of my best go-to recipes!
So happy to hear this, Liz! And you are so right — these are so easy to throw together, so much easier than cookies. I love their slightly chewy texture, too. Thanks for writing in.
Wow, amazing! And I am going to have to check out your decorating skills…this is something I do possess. And my kids love nothing more than making cookies and decorating them. I need to work on that 🙂 Thank you for your kind words and happy baking!
Wow, those fudge brownies look spectacular. I was actually just thinking the other day how much I felt like a nice brownie with normal ingredients that I can actually pronounce!
Ha, I love it 🙂 These will be perfect then.
I tried these brownies but with a reduced amount of sugar since I can’t tolerate things that are too sweet. Let me tell you these brownies were AMAZING!!! My kids also LOVED them!! I couldn’t stop eating them. Omg I think I’m going to eat some more right now. It’s like the brownies have a voice and keeps calling my name. #joking Hahaha ?
Haha, I love it 🙂 This makes me so happy, FoodieG!! My kids love them, too — the whole family does. I find it impossible not to sneak one multiple times a day when these are around.
I think that brownies to celebrate Spring sounds just about right!! XO!
It does it does!! xoxo
These look incredible, Alexandra! The pictures look like they have that perfect balance of fudgy center with chewy edges… My favorite type of brownie 🙂 I can’t wait to try them!
Thanks, Valerie!
I made these 2 days ago, and tried one this morning (looking forward to their fudgy chewiness, but they were kind of dry. Also, there were quite a lot of air pockets in them, and they didn’t have that colour / texture contrast that yours seem to have between the top ‘crust’ and the dark inside. What could I have done wrong? I baked them for 37 mins (very impressed with the precise timing!). Many thanks.
So strange! Jenny, I’m sorry to hear this. Usually on day 2, the brownies are even fudgier and denser. What kind of cocoa did you use? And did you use a scale to measure? I’m trying to think where things could have gone wrong. Did beat the eggs a lot? Trying to think about where the air pockets could have been created.
I made these brownies and they were great. I also made raspberry glaze and drizzled it over the top after they were done cooking. Thanks for the great recipe.
So happy to hear this, Abby!
I made these and they also formed a hard crusty shell top with a pocket/bubble underneath. They tasted fine but did not look very nice because the top layer broke into hard shards when cut. What did I do wrong?
The hard crusty shell sounds right — it’s a little crackly, and so delicious. I love that part. But I’ve never experienced the air pocket. Did you do anything differently with the mixing or the ingredients?
I’ve made this during Valentines! And it turned up well! Thanks for sharing!
So happy to hear this, Mitch!
These look awesome! Did you use dark cocoa powder or Dutch processed?
I’ve used a number of different cocoas, but most often Hershey’s natural. I’ve also used Droste’s Dutch processed.
These are SO good!
These brownies were awesome!!! Tried them yesterday and they were a hit with my kids. What kind of camera did you use btw because your photos look amazing???
Yay! So happy to hear this, Scott! These are one of my favorites, too. I use a Canon 60D.
OMG Alexandra these brownies are amazing. I should totally bake them soon!
Yum!! Looks so good. And great to hear from you.
Wow! I’m so impressed by the 5 kiddos … we tapped out at 4 🙂 It’s always nice when the kiddos approve.
I’ve made these brownies a few times and they were delicious and just as pictured above. The last two times I’ve made then they have come out matte with some holes covering the top. Any idea why this would be happening???
Katie,
I’m not sure! Was the flavor the same? Did you change anything about how you mixed the batter or the type of flour or eggs or the pan you baked them in?
OMG, I love brownies. This indulgence can make or break the day, so it’s better be made well. I am nuts about food, and it has to be perfect, whether it is made by me or somebody else. I have made these babies for my sister-in-law’s b-day. Let’s just say there wasn’t much to clean off the tray when I was leaving.
So happy to hear this, Bryan!! And I agree, there are too many good foods out there to waste a single bite on anything bad 🙂
I should definitely try it. My whole family will enjoy this lovely cakes.
These come out great although I find they stick to my pan when only using butter and flour (other recipes don’t but they are not as fudgey, it is a fair trade). Using parchment paper makes it easier for me.
I always use parchment paper as well — I’ll make a note!
In case anyone is wondering, I doubled this recipe in an 11×17 pyrex and it came out perfectly. I did have to bake an extra 15-20 mins, and lowered the temp to 325 for that extra time since the edges seemed to be crisping and pulling away from the pan a little much for my liking. Doubling the butter and sugar makes the total amounts a little scary but hey, makes a lot of amazing brownies 🙂
Great to know! I made these yesterday with my kids after school … even a single batch is a little shocking 🙂 But SO worth it.
Lovely…can I add nuts into these yummy browines?
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Yes, absolutely! I never have, but I imagine toasted pecans or walnuts would be delicious.
I made these with carob since I’m allergic to chocolate and loved them. I sent the leftovers to work with my dad and they were devoured. I posted about them on my blog and would love if you stopped by : ) http://piesandplots.net/classic-cakey-brownies-brownie-week/
So awesome to hear this, Laura! Will check out your post now!
I went to undergrad in Central NY and there was one company that catered a lot of the school sponsored meetings. They always served these delicious, dense, moist, chocolatey brownies that I could never seem to replicate- until these. Made these last night to go along with our italian date night dinner and they came out perfectly. They remind me so much of the ones that I had in school- they are moist without being oily or loose. As my friends at work say- we’ve yet to have a bad recipe from your blog!
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These brownies are absolutely amazing! Literally mouth watering. Make them. I added about a cup of semi sweet chocolate chips – chocolate heaven.
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Yay and yum!! So happy to hear this.
So easy to make with storecupboard ingredients. Definitely fudgy and yummy. I added walnuts because i like a bit of nut in my brownies. Turned out great, i baked mine for 35mins as a corner started to burn on top. Will make again!
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Can we add walnuts to these?
Sure!
Hi Ali! I just made this recipe….oh my goodness…! They truly are the best fudgy homemade brownies I have ever tasted. I will never make another brownie again. Bobby told me these were the best brownies he has ever had (and he has sampled a lot of brownies!). Perfect for my Valentines. xoxo
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Yay! So happy to hear this, Anne. These are Ben’s favorites, too. Definitely making a batch this week. Thinking of you, too, because I have doubts my holiday card arrived … must email you. Sending lots of love xoxo
I’ve been baking these since you first posted and love them! For my gluten-free friends, I use almond flour and they’re delicious this way as well. I’ve used an 8 inch pan and a 9 inch pan (adjusting the time)–they always are perfect. Sometimes I add a teaspoon of coffee espresso powder, which adds a nearly undetectable nuance, perhaps intensifying the flavor more than changing it. Also, it’s fun to experiment with different kinds of cocoa. These experiments are really, really important. 🙂
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So happy to hear this, Mary! Love the idea of using almond flour.