The Best Brownie Recipe
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If you’ve been searching for the ultimate homemade brownie recipe, look no further. This is it!
The best brownie recipes start with real melted chocolate, which is why store-bought brownie mixes made from cocoa powder lack the rich, fudgy flavor of homemade brownies. My all-time favorite brownie recipe comes from pastry chef Nick Malgieri’s cookbook Chocolate: From Simple Cookies to Extravagant Showstoppers. Made with melted bittersweet chocolate bars, the brownies are fudgy in the center, cakey on the surface, and just plain out of this world. The recipe has been around for decades and praised by top cooking publications such as The New York Times, Saveur, and The Splendid Table, to name just a few, so you don’t have to take my word for it—try for yourself and see!
Table of Contents
“The name does not lie!! These are hands-down the BEST brownies I have made!!! My entire family devoured them.”
What You’ll Need To Make The Best Brownie Recipe
- All-Purpose Flour: The base of your brownies, providing structure. Be sure to measure it using the spoon and level method for accuracy.
- Sugar and Brown Sugar: White sugar adds sweetness and a light texture, while brown sugar contributes to moisture and a deeper flavor due to its molasses content.
- Eggs: Essential for binding the ingredients together. Eggs also add moisture and help create a rich texture in the brownies.
- Unsalted Butter: Adds richness and flavor. Using unsalted butter allows you to control the amount of salt in the recipe.
- Vanilla Extract: Complements the chocolate and adds depth of flavor.
- Salt: Balances the sweetness and enhances the overall flavors of the brownies.
- Semi-Sweet or Bittersweet Chocolate: The star of the show. It’s crucial to use good quality chocolate, like Ghirardelli or Guittard, because the chocolate flavor is prominent in brownies. Opt for real chocolate bars instead of chocolate chips. Chocolate chips contain stabilizers and are designed to retain their shape when baked, making them less suitable for recipes that require melted chocolate.
- Jump to the printable recipe for precise measurements
Step-by-Step Instructions
Begin by melting the butter in a microwave-safe bowl.
Add the chopped chocolate. (You can just break it apart with your hands; no need to dirty a cutting board.)
Whisk until the chocolate is melted. The heat of the butter should be enough to melt the chocolate completely, but if not, heat the mixture in the microwave for 20 seconds or so and whisk again.
Meanwhile, whisk the eggs in a large bowl.
Add the sugars, salt and vanilla.
And whisk to combine.
Whisk in the chocolate-butter mixture.
Then add the flour.
Whisk until just combined.
Line a 9×13-in baking pan with parchment paper, then either spray the paper with non-stick cooking spray or grease with butter. Be sure to leave an overhang; this makes it easy to lift brownies out of the pan before cutting. Pour the brownie batter into the prepared pan.
Bake for about 45 minutes, or until the top has formed a shiny crust and the batter is moderately firm.
Cool completely on a rack, then use the parchment overhang to transfer the un-cut brownies to a cutting board.
Use a sharp knife to trim the hard edges (those are for the cook!).
Cut the brownies into squares and enjoy!
Frequently Asked Questions
To keep brownies fresh, store them in an airtight container at room temperature. They typically keep well for up to 4 days. Brownies can also be frozen for up to 3 months. After they are completely cooled, cut them into squares, wrap tightly in foil, and then place them in an airtight container or sealable plastic bag. Thaw overnight on the countertop before serving.
Absolutely! You can customize your brownies by adding a variety of mix-ins. Popular choices include chopped nuts (like walnuts or pecans) or chocolate chips or chunks.
The main reason cocoa powder is often used in brownie recipes is due to its convenience and ease of use. Cocoa powder, being a dry ingredient, can be easily measured, and it eliminates the extra step of melting chocolate. However, in my opinion, brownies made with melted chocolate are far superior—fudgier, denser, and just much more delicious!
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Video Tutorial
The Best Brownie Recipe
If you’ve been searching for the ultimate homemade brownie recipe, look no further. This is it!
Ingredients
- 2 sticks (½ pound) unsalted butter
- 8 ounces bittersweet or semisweet chocolate, roughly chopped (I use Ghirardelli bars)
- 4 large eggs
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1 cup firmly packed dark brown sugar
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 cup all-purpose flour, spooned into measuring cup and leveled off with knife
Instructions
- Set the rack in the middle of the oven and preheat to 350°F. Line a 13 x 9 x 2-inch pan with parchment paper (bring parchment up sides of pan so there is a slight overhang) and grease with butter or nonstick cooking spray.
- Place the butter in a medium microwave-safe bowl and melt in the microwave until bubbling. Add the chocolate and whisk until the chocolate is completely melted. The heat from the butter should be enough to melt the chocolate completely, but if not, place the chocolate-butter mixture in the microwave and heat for 20 seconds or so, then whisk again. (Alternatively, combine the butter and chocolate in a heat proof bowl and set over a pan of simmering water. Stir occasionally until melted.)
- Whisk the eggs in a large bowl. Add the salt, granulated sugar, brown sugar, and vanilla; whisk until smooth (be sure no lumps of brown sugar remain). Whisk in the chocolate-butter mixture, then add the flour and whisk until the batter is uniform.
- Pour the batter into the prepared pan and spread evenly. Bake for about 45 minutes, until the top has formed a shiny crust and the batter is moderately firm. Cool completely in the pan on a rack. If not serving right away, store them at room temperature, for 3 to 4 days. To extend their shelf life for a day or two, you can refrigerate them.
- To cut brownies, first lift them out of the pan using the parchment overhang and transfer them to a cutting board. Separate the parchment from the edges. Using a sharp knife, trim away the edges and cut the brownies into 2-in squares.
- Freezer-Friendly Instructions: The brownies can be frozen for up to 3 months. After they are completely cooled, cut them into squares, wrap tightly in foil, and then place them in an airtight container or sealable plastic bag. Thaw overnight on the countertop before serving.
Nutrition Information
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- Serving size: 1 brownie
- Calories: 212
- Fat: 11g
- Saturated fat: 7g
- Carbohydrates: 27g
- Sugar: 22g
- Fiber: 1g
- Protein: 2g
- Sodium: 66mg
- Cholesterol: 51mg
This website is written and produced for informational purposes only. I am not a certified nutritionist and the nutritional data on this site has not been evaluated or approved by a nutritionist or the Food and Drug Administration. Nutritional information is offered as a courtesy and should not be construed as a guarantee. The data is calculated through an online nutritional calculator, Edamam.com. Although I do my best to provide accurate nutritional information, these figures should be considered estimates only. Varying factors such as product types or brands purchased, natural fluctuations in fresh produce, and the way ingredients are processed change the effective nutritional information in any given recipe. Furthermore, different online calculators provide different results depending on their own nutrition fact sources and algorithms. To obtain the most accurate nutritional information in a given recipe, you should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe, using your preferred nutrition calculator.
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Made these today for St Patrick’s Day tomorrow. I had only half the amount of chocolate but they are still wonderful! I know because I dutifully cut off the edges per instructions and ate them!! Very easy to make and a real keeper!!
Jen, I note you made a change in the recipe where you say to microwave the butter. I tried that today and the butter exploded all over the microwave and my stove! I went back to the previous method—boiling water in a saucepan, turning off the heat and melting the butter and chocolate in a metal bowl placed over the saucepan—similar to a double boiler. But five stars for the brownies.
So sorry you had a problem with melting butter; sounds like a mess — You definitely have to watch it very closely if you are microwaving it! Glad you enjoyed the brownies despite the mess. 🙂
Delicious!
Holy Moly!! These are so delicious. I couldn’t keep them in the house or I’ll eat them all. They are soft and chewy and just the way I like them!! Thank you for the perfect brownie recipe!! They are sooooo good, even 4-5 days later. I used a dark Belgium chocolate and they came out amazing.
Hi, Jenn, Thanks for all of your wonderful recipes! I’ve found several that have become family favorites! I want to try these brownies, but I have to watch out for ingredients that may contain nuts or have soy, which unfortunately eliminates most chocolates, including Ghirardelli. Could I use chocolate chips, specifically “Enjoy Life” brand? I can only get semi-sweet mini chips and dark chocolate regular chips (69% cacao). I’d combine the two in an attempt to get around 60% cacao. Would that work? I think chocolate chips are coated with something so they may not melt as well as the bars. If they won’t work, do you have any other ideas? Thank you!
Hi Donna, You’re right that chocolate chips do have a stabilizer in them to help retain their shape when heated, but if you can’t find any chocolate bars that work with your allergies/restrictions, you might be able to get away with morsels for this recipe; I just can’t say for sure because I haven’t tried it. Please let me know how it turns out if you do!
These are definitely the best brownies I have ever made! The only change I made was to add a cup of chocolate chips to the batter because my husband likes chocolate chips in his brownies. You definitely have to let them cool before cutting or they are just too gooey to cut.
5 star brownies. I make these exactly as written except I used slightly less sugar . This is my go to brownie recipe.
Oops Judy – you accidentally only rated the brownies one star…I’m just a regular human being by the way and I’m about to try my hand at making these from scratch…so wish me luck!
Wondering if I could substitute powdered cocoa for the chocolate bar? (It’s just what I have on hand right now.)
Hi Christy, I’d stick with the chocolate bar for this – sorry!
Jenn-I generally love all your recipes. Last week I made the double chocolate chip cookies to rave reviews. I made these brownies yesterday and unfortunately don’t love them. For me, the predominant flavor in these is butter, not chocolate. I was wondering if adding 1/4 cup of unsweetened cocoa powder would enhance the chocolate taste. Have you ever tried this?
Hi Suzie, Did you use bittersweet or semisweet chocolate? I think you could definitely add 1/4 cup of cocoa powder to these. You could also add a teaspoon of espresso powder to enhance the chocolate flavor.
I used Hershey’s dark chocolate bars. I guess I should’ve gone with your recommended chocolate. In the meantime, my husband is perfectly happy eating the brownies the way I made them! Thanks for your quick response.
If I want to add coco powder, should I reduce flour amount as well?
Thank you Jen
Hi Erlina, You could add up to 1/4 cup of cocoa powder without adjusting the amount of four. Hope you enjoy!
Oh my goodness! Absolutely awesome! Make these immediately!