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 incredible brownies for a friend for his birthday. He and my husband could not stop eating them! They both said they have never had a better brownie. I caught my husband eating one the next morning! I am not a huge chocolate fan but I ate the crusty edges and actually, that was the best part! They are super easy to make , and you don’t need a mixer. The timing is about right also. We live in Denver but no need to alter for altitude-they were perfect! Glossy and crispy top and soft rich inside. Served with a scoop of vanilla ice cream and they were absolutely perfect. This is now my “go to” brownie recipe. Note: use a good chocolate like Ghiradelli’s-makes a difference.
My Hubby is a brownie brat, never good enough…. except these, they were perfect and he wants no other recipe! I only had dark chocolate on hand, however they still turned out well! Thanks Jenn…👍🏼
Super easy and the best brownies I’ve ever made.
Wow, so many 5 star reviews, but for me they turned out totally cakey and not fudgy at all. My kids did not like them 🙁 I wonder if it has to do with technique as my usual “go to” recipe from smitten kitchen (https://smittenkitchen.com/2012/08/my-favorite-brownies/) works like a charm and it’s super close to this one with slight variation of chocolate-to-sugar ratio.
Hi Jenn,
I love your recipes. I just have one question. Why doesn’t my brownies crackle on the top like yours? What did I do wrong? Help.
Lucy
Hi Lucy, that happens when air bubbles are created when you are stirring the batter. The air bubbles expand in the oven and, when the brownies cool, they shrink and make the top crack a bit when sliced. I would be careful not to overmix them, but if you want a bit of that cracking, try mixing them a tiny bit more.
Hi Jenn – Thanks for an amazing brownie recipe!
I am thinking of warming my brownie squares before I serve them to my guests with a scoop of vanilla ice cream. What should the duration and oven temperature should be please?
Best.
Glad you like the brownies! You could just microwave individual brownies for about 15 seconds or, if you want to warm the whole batch, I’d wrap them in foil, and put them in a 300-degree oven for about 10 minutes. Hope that helps!
Hi Jenn. I’ve sure had fun looking through some of your stuff as you share. Very good.
Regarding these brownies they are about a simple a recipe and if folks will follow your directions I really don’t see how they can miss.
I made these the other day and shared them at work. This will definitely be my go to brownie.
Totally outstanding. Thank you for sharing.
Perhaps my oven runs hotter than others but these turned out dry and did not have the crispy, crackly surface as pictured.
Hi, Need a little help. The oven that I use is a fan forced oven and the temperature can only be increased in increments of 10, so getting 175ºC is impossible. Any suggestions as to what temperature I should bake so that I don’t burn the brownies? Also can I reduce the amount of sugar, either dark or granulated?
Hi Teesha, if you’re using a fan-forced oven, the rule of thumb is to reduce the oven temperature by 25° so that will get you to an even 150°C. And regarding the sugar, you could cut about a quarter cup from either the brown or granulated. Hope that helps and that you enjoy the brownies!
Hi Jenn!
I made these today and they were delicious! The only thing I didn’t do was use parchment paper because I was out, so I just heavily greased the pan- which worked just fine because they did not stick. My family really liked these with some homemade ice cream I made. I would definitely recommend these and be making them again!