These homemade brownies will be the only brownie recipe you ever need. Made with a combination of both cocoa powder and melted chocolate chips, they give you a rich, fudgy brownie that’s way better than anything you can make from a box. Once you’ve made brownies from scratch once, you may never go back!
Want to save this recipe?
Enter your email below and we’ll send this idea straight to your inbox (plus you’ll receive fun weekly ideas from us too!)
The Best Homemade Brownie Recipe
I used to think the best way to make brownies was from a box. That was until we played around with making our own homemade brownies and now, I wouldn’t go back to a box for any reason.
To come up with this brownie recipe, we spent days testing out what would happen if you made brownies with various combinations of melted chocolate chips, cocoa powder, powdered sugar, and white sugar. At one point I think we had twelve different brownies we were taste testing.
We finally narrowed it down to six finalists and let the parents on my son’s baseball team have the final say. We took little pieces of brownies of four different variations to practice one day and the recipe in this post is the overwhelming favorite of everyone (including us).
We ended up using a combination of powdered sugar and white sugar plus a combination of melted chocolate and cocoa powder to get the perfect balance of fudgy, chewy, and not overly sweet but still sweet enough.
I took the leftovers from our last batch to the girls I teach at church and have sense been known as the leader who makes amazing brownies. They’re really that good.
Why People Love These Brownies
- Rich and chewy – this recipe turns the entire pan into the perfect center bite.
- Simple ingredients – you should have everything at home and ready to bake whenever the craving hits. Trust me, you can’t make these once.
- Better than store-bought – these underwent countless rounds of testing to ensure they are better than the box brownies, even the Ghirardelli ones.
Ingredients
Ingredient Notes & Substitutions
- Powdered sugar – this makes all the differences in giving it the chewy thick texture. If you go all white sugar, you’ll get a totally different texture.
- Cocoa Powder – both Dutch-process cocoa powder and regular cocoa powder will work just fine for these brownies.
- Vanilla – don’ switch out the vanilla for another extract. If you want to add a flavor such as almond extract, add 1/2 a teaspoon (or more to taste)of the other flavor in addition to the vanilla.
- Oil – these were developed with vegetable oil but any flavorless oil will work. You can also use melted salted or unsalted butter for the same results.
- Semi-sweet chocolate – There is no substitution for this, it’s what makes it gooey and gives it the rich chocolate flavor (combined with the cocoa powder). Baking chocolate is always my first choice because it melts the easiest, however in a pinch, chocolate chips will work as well. If you want something darker, you can use a darker chocolate in place of semi-sweet but a milk chocolate will be too sweet.
How to make Homemade Brownies
These homemade brownies taking just a little more time to make than box mix brownies, but the extra time is totally worth it. And they’re almost as easy!
1 – Prep the ingredients
As with most baked goods, you will start by preheating the oven to 325 degrees.
Grab an 8×8 glass pan and line it with parchment paper. The best way to make the parchment paper fit is to get it slightly damp and crumple it up then add it to the pan. It sounds weird but it really does allow you to fit the paper into the baking pan easily.
2 – Melt the Chocolate
Melt the chocolate in either a double boiler or microwave until it’s nice and smooth.
How to Melt Chocolate
For a microwave, place the semi-sweet chocolate into a microwave safe bowl and heat it for 30 second increments, stirring in between each one until fully melted.
For a double boiler, simple place chocolate in the top bowl and put the bottom pot with water on the stove over medium heat. Let the water heat up to melt the chocolate, stirring constantly until chocolate is fully melted.
Once melted, set the chocolate aside to cool slightly while you work on preparing the other ingredients.
3 – Combine Other Brownie Ingredients
In a large bowl, combine the all purpose flour, white sugar, powdered sugar, cocoa powder, and salt. Whisk thoroughly until there are no lumps.
In another large bowl, mix the eggs, oil, water, and vanilla extract until the ingredients come together.
With all your ingredients prepped, take your wet ingredients and add it into your dry ingredients. Mix lightly until the there are no visible dry clumps.
4 – Finish Batter
Next, fold the melted chocolate into the batter mixture, folding until everything is just combined.
5 – Bake the brownies
Grab your prepared baking pan and pour the delicious brownie batter into the prepared pan, making sure to scrape the sides. Once you’ve got it all in there, spread it out into an even layer.
Place the brownies into the oven to bake for 45 minutes or until it passes the toothpick test where a toothpick pressed into the center comes out clean.
Remove from the oven and allow to sit for twenty minutes before serving. I find it easiest to let them cool then pull the entire batch of brownies out of the pan using the parchment paper and cut into squares on the parchment paper.
Or if you can’t wait, you can always just cut and eat right out of the pan!
Serve them with homemade raspberry sauce and ice cream for brownie sundaes or as the base to make things like Christmas tree brownies or brownie balls, or just eat them by the pan full – we guarantee you’ll want to!
How to Store Brownies
Store brownies at room temperature for up to a week making sure they’re covered tightly in an airtight container or with plastic wrap.
You can freeze these brownies by wrapping them individually in plastic wrap then placing into a large zipper top freezer safe bag. Then just grab however many you want at a time and let them come to room temperature before enjoying! It’s a great way to have brownie sundaes on demand!
Secrets for Perfect brownies
If using a nonstick spray instead of parchment paper, run a knife around the edges of the pan as soon as it comes out to help prevent sticking. I highly recommend using parchment paper on the bottom at a minimum but really recommend using it up the sides as well!
Any flavorless oil will work for this such as avocado. I do not recommend coconut oil because the flavor will seep into the brownies.
For a richer flavor brownie, you can use darker chocolate. I recommend using baking chocolate for smoother results, but chocolate chips will also work. Just take care to not over-melt them.
Store brownies at room temperature for up to a week making sure they’re covered tightly in an airtight container or with plastic wrap.
For smooth lines when cutting, use a disposable plastic knife.
Recipe FAQs
Can I make these ahead of time?
Yep, these fudgy brownies are as good on day three as they are on day one when covered properly. The only downside of making them ahead of time is you don’t get them warm. I would recommend not cutting into them until you are ready to serve them to keep them from drying out.
Can I double the recipe?
Absolutely, if you need a larger batch simply double the recipe and bake it in a 9×13 for 45-55 minutes or until the toothpick comes out with little crumbs.
Can I add chocolate chips or nuts into the recipe?
Of course, I recommend about a cup of chocolate chips or nuts if you want to add them. I will warn you these are really fudgy to begin with so maybe try the recipe by itself once before you start adding even more chocolate – I recommend walnuts if you want to add nuts!
How long are homemade brownies good for?
I recommend eating these homemade brownies within a week of when you make them. Or if you can’t eat them within a week, freeze them using the instructions above!
More Easy Brownie Recipes
If you like brownies and want something different than just traditional homemade brownies, try these next!
- Cookie Oreo brownies – these three layer brownies combine all three treats into one delicious bar!
- Peanut butter brownies – layers of chocolate and peanut butter make these a peanut butter lover’s dream!
- Brownie pie – made in a slow cooker, this brownie pie is easier than you’d ever imagine!
- Snickers brownies – layers of brownie, caramel, and Snickers candy bars make these a must-try!
- Chocolate brownie cake – a sheet cake brownie cake topped with a chocolate icing, just like grandma used to make! This is more of a cakey brownie rather than a fudgy one!
Want more Goodies?
Want more delicious recipes just like this one? Enter your first name and email address in the form below to join the Play Party Plan community! You’ll receive weekly recipes and party ideas directly to your inbox!
Homemade Brownies
Ingredients
- 4 ounces semi-sweet chocolate
- 1 ½ cup powdered sugar
- ½ cup sugar
- ¾ cup flour
- ¼ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2 eggs
- ⅓ cup oil
- ¼ cup water
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 325 and line an 8×8 pan with parchment paper.
- Using a microwave-safe bowl, melt ounces of chocolate. Microwave for 30 seconds then stir. Return to the microwave and heat for 15 seconds. Remove and stir. Continue to heat in 15-second increments until it is fully melted and silky. Set aside to cool slightly, not all the way.4 ounces semi-sweet chocolate
- Mix powdered sugar, sugar, flour, cocoa powder, and salt in a large bowl. Whisk until fully combined and there are no lumps.1 ½ cup powdered sugar, ½ cup sugar, ¾ cup flour, ¼ cup unsweetened cocoa powder, 1 teaspoon salt
- In a small bowl mix eggs, oil, water, and vanilla.2 eggs, ⅓ cup oil, ¼ cup water, 1 teaspoon vanilla
- Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and mix just until you see no dry patches.
- Fold in the melted chocolate until just combined.
- Transfer the batter to the prepared pan, spreading the batter evenly throughout the pan.
- Bake in preheated oven for 45 minutes or until a toothpick can be inserted with just a few crumbs sticking to it.
- Allow to cool for twenty minutes until just slightly warm to the touch to set. Remove from pan then serve.
Tips & Notes:
- Powdered sugar – this makes all the differences in giving it the chewy thick texture. If you go all white sugar, you’ll get a totally different texture.
- Cocoa Powder – both Dutch-process cocoa powder and regular cocoa powder will work just fine for these brownies.
- Vanilla – don’ switch out the vanilla for another extract. If you want to add a flavor such as almond extract, add 1/2 a teaspoon (or more to taste)of the other flavor in addition to the vanilla.
- Oil – these were developed with vegetable oil but any flavorless oil will work. You can also use melted salted or unsalted butter for the same results.
- Semi-sweet chocolate – There is no substitution for this, it’s what makes it gooey and gives it the rich chocolate flavor (combined with the cocoa powder). Baking chocolate is always my first choice because it melts the easiest, however in a pinch, chocolate chips will work as well. If you want something darker, you can use a darker chocolate in place of semi-sweet but a milk chocolate will be too sweet.
Leave a Reply