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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I made these this weekend for my friends birthday, and they turned out incredible!!!! I followed the recipe exact. The only thing I did different was I chose to use Lindtt chocolate instead. The brownies had the perfect slight crunch on the outside and gooey inside. These are going to be my new go to desserts!
Hi Jenn! I am really looking forward to making these brownies for a party tomorrow. As I only have white castor sugar and salted butter, I want to know how much I have to adjust all the ingredients by? I’m worried that it might now work as well. Thank you so much!
Hi Aaliyah, I hope I’m not too late answering your question! I would omit the salt but keep the sugar the same (so you’d need 2 cups caster sugar).
Jenn, how do you think dark brown sugar would work in this recipe? Sometimes I use dark brown sugar in cookie recipes and think it tastes better. I’m making these for my grandson who loves brownies. Thank you so much!
It will work perfectly fine, Carolyn – I’ve used it many times in this recipe.
Dear Jenn, I want to ask, how can I adjust the other ingredients if I use 52% or 55% dark chocolate? and if I don’t use dark brown sugar, will it taste so different?
Thank you
Hi Jeng, you shouldn’t need to make any adjustments with 52 or 55% chocolate. You mentioned not using dark brown sugar — would you be using light brown sugar instead?
Thank you for replying Jenn. How about using 62% or 75% dark chocolate? should i add sugar? No, i mean if i use granulated sugar, not light brown sugar.
Hi Jeng, any of those percentages should work; they will just be a little more or less sweet depending on which one you go with. And yes, you can use granulated sugar here if necessary.
Have made these twice now.. the last time I made them my toddler turned the oven right down and I had to guess how long to cook them once the oven was back up… they still worked out well 😂 love the recipe
For the brownies do I bake at the same temp if lining a glass pan with the parchment paper?
Hi Margie, I’d reduce the oven temp by 25°F.
These brownies are aahh-mazing! I’m not a big brownie lover, but I made them for my husband, who is. I could not stay away from them. They’re slightly crunchy/crusty on the top and fudgy in the middle. Just wonderful!
I have a recipe for cooked chocolate frosting for on top of the brownies. Would that be to much rich chocolate on these brownies?
Hi Pat, These brownies are rich and fudgy alone but I don’t think adding a frosting would hurt. 🙂
These were just “okay”. I followed the recipe exactly and lined my pan with parchment. I did add chopped walnuts because we like them in brownies. I took them out at 42 minutes and felt they were still overdone. A little disappointed in the final result.
Hi,
Thanks for the recipe. Not sure what I did wrong but they came out cakey and not fudgy. I reduced the white sugar a bit and used a ceramic casserole dish. Could those things have been the issue? I also wonder if stirring too much was a problem once I added the chocolate to the flour.
Thanks.
CC
Hi CC, Did they seem overdone? Were they burnt around the edges?
Yes, dry/over done – the kiss of death for a brownie – but not burned. I baked them for less than 40 minutes as my oven runs hot.
Hi CC, Dryness can be caused by measuring the flour incorrectly. Did you use the spoon and level method to measure the flour? Even a few extra ounces can make a big difference. This article/video explains it nicely.
Thank you so much for the article/video on measuring flour! Hugely helpful!!! I will try the recipe again.
This is the same recipe my mother made in the 1940s. She baked them at 300 degrees for about an hour. I’ve been making it ever since I was old enough to bake. And yes it is the best!
🙂