Homemade Brownies
An easy recipe for homemade brownies made in one bowl using just a few simple ingredients. This is the only fudgy brownie recipe you will ever need!
There are a few recipes I feel everyone should have in their recipe box. The first one is a really good chocolate chip cookie recipe and the second one is a simple brownie recipe. Not just any brownie recipe though, but a super chocolatey, fudgy, and dense one.
This brownie recipe from scratch delivers all of that, plus it’s so easy to make you’ll feel like you’re doing something wrong. Or wondering if something so delicious can really be that easy. The answer is YES!
You only need one bowl, 7 ingredients (including the vanilla extract and salt!), and about 10 minutes to prepare these brownies. You don’t even need a mixer or anything fancy to make them either. It really doesn’t get much easier than that!
Ingredients For This Recipe
This easy brownie recipe is made using cocoa powder rather than melted chocolate. But don’t worry, these still turn out perfectly fudgy every time! Here’s what we’ll be using to make this simple brownie recipe:
- Unsalted butter: I recommend using unsalted butter since the amount of salt in salted butters can vary between different brands.
- Granulated sugar: Sweetens these homemade fudgy brownies without taking away from the rich cocoa flavor.
- Eggs: I suggest room temperature eggs because they incorporate into the batter more thoroughly. If you forget to set them out ahead of time, just fill up a small bowl with some warm water and let the eggs sit in it for about 5 minutes.
- Vanilla extract: Pure vanilla extract is best, but imitation vanilla extract works too.
- Unsweetened cocoa powder: Makes these easy brownies from scratch taste super chocolatey.
- All-purpose flour: The batter is pretty thick so be sure to spoon your flour into your measuring cup and level it off with the back of a knife. Too much flour can lead to a cakier brownie and we’re going for fudgy ones here!
- Salt: Balances out the sweetness in these brownies and enhances the chocolate flavor.
How To Make Homemade Brownies
1. Melt some unsalted butter and set it aside to cool for a minute or two. You don’t want the butter piping hot, otherwise, you may end up with some scrambled eggs in your batter.
2. Once the butter has cooled for a couple of minutes, whisk in some granulated sugar.
3. Mix in a few room temperature eggs and vanilla extract.
4. Sift in some all-purpose flour, unsweetened natural cocoa powder, and a little bit of salt. I really suggest sifting in the dry ingredients so that you remove any lumps of cocoa powder.
5. Whisk or stir in the dry ingredients until just combined. You can either use a rubber spatula or whisk for this step.
6. Once the batter is mixed up, you’ll pour it into your prepared baking pan. It’s also important to spray your pan really well with nonstick cooking spray, otherwise, the homemade brownies may try to stick to the pan.
For easier cleanup, I like to line the pan with aluminum foil first and then spray it with nonstick cooking spray. This will also make it easier to lift the fudgy brownies out of the pan and slice them.
FAQ’s
How long do I bake brownies?
I suggest keeping an eye on the brownies and checking them at about 25-26 minutes. A toothpick inserted into the center should come out mostly clean with just a few moist crumbs.
Can I use a smaller baking pan?
If you don’t need to make an entire 9×13-inch pan of homemade brownies, feel free to cut the recipe in half and bake the brownies in an 8×8-inch baking dish instead.
How long do they last?
They will keep for 3-4 days at room temperature in an airtight container.
Can I freeze them?
Yes! If you need to store them longer, you can freeze the brownies, thaw overnight in the refrigerator, and bring to room temperature before serving.
How do I make brownies more interesting?
You can top them with some chocolate ganache, chocolate buttercream frosting, or some ice cream and homemade magic shell!
Baking Tips
- Make sure to let the melted butter cool slightly before whisking in the rest of the wet ingredients.
- I suggest using room temperature eggs for this recipe. To get your eggs to room temperature quickly, simply place them in a bowl with warm water and let them sit for 5-10 minutes before using them.
- When measuring your flour, avoid scooping it from the container. Instead, stir the flour around, spoon it into your measuring cup, and level it off with the back of a knife.
- Make sure to sift the dry ingredients before adding them to the wet ingredients. This will remove any lumps of cocoa powder in your brownies.
More Easy Brownie Recipes to Try!
- Cheesecake Brownies
- Raspberry Cheesecake Brownies
- Salted Caramel Brownie Bites
- Fudgy Peanut Butter Cup Brownies
- Raspberry Brownies
Recipe Video
Homemade Fudgy Brownies
Ingredients
- 1 cup (230 grams) unsalted butter melted and slightly cooled
- 2 1/4 cups (450 grams) granulated sugar
- 4 large eggs room temperature
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 cup (85 grams) unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1 cup (125 grams) all-purpose flour (spooned & leveled)
- ½ teaspoon salt
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F (177°C). Line a 9x13-inch baking pan with foil, making sure to leave some overhang for easy removal, spray the foil well with nonstick cooking spray, and set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the melted butter and sugar until well combined, then whisk in the eggs and vanilla extract until fully combined.
- Sift in the cocoa powder, flour, and salt and continue whisking until just combined, stopping to scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed.
- Pour the batter into the prepared baking pan and spread it around into one even layer. Bake at 350°F (177°C) for 26-32 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean with just a few moist crumbs.
- Remove from the oven and allow to cool before slicing into bars.
Notes
Thought I could offer some advice to those who love this recipe but had it stick… Cooked mine in a glass pan, generously coated with shortening and dusted with cocoa powder before adding the mix. Came out perfect. Absolutely no sticking
Thanks for sharing!
Hi. Does the tray have to be lined with foil or can I just line it with baking/greaseproof paper?
Can’t wait to make and try these. Xxx
It’s not necessary, it just makes it easier to remove them from the pan. You can just grease the pan or use parchment paper instead.
I have made this recipe so many times and it us so easy! I have been experimenting by using half cocoa powder and half salted caramel drinking chocolate ( a good brand).Absolutely gorgeous! Also tried substituting half rich fine ground coffee to cocoa mix and walnuts.My family can’t get enough!
So glad you liked the brownies, Louise!
Hi Danielle,
Haven’t tried your recipe yet, but I’m wondering if I use salted butter and omit the extra salt, will I still get a good result?
Thank you for answering and for sharing your wonderful recipes!
Ximena
That should be fine. If the butter doesn’t have too much salt in it, I would still add a tiny pinch or about 1/8 teaspoon.
I’m so happy that I stumbled across your website a few months ago when I made your lemon blueberry bundt cake for the first time. It was such a huge hit that I kept coming back to your website for more recipes. I tried the zucchini bread next and that was a huge hit and I made that 4 times now. I decided to make these brownies this past weekend and it was also a big success! It was fudgy just like you mentioned and my friends loved them. I cut back on the sugar a bit and put 2 cups. I just wanted to say a big THANK YOU! I’ve only started baking recently and everything that I have made off your website has turned out amazing. I have always received compliments from my family, coworkers and friends. I’ve picked this up as a new hobby and I’m so excited to try out more of your recipes. Thank you for testing them until its perfect and sharing it with your readers!
Thank you so much, Lisa! I appreciate that! I’m glad you’re enjoying the recipes. 🙂
Excellent recipe. Super simple, easy to follow and mine turned out EXACTLY like the picture. I love that they are One bowl brownies! Can’t go wrong with that! My family of 5 devoured them. Thanks for such a simple, delicious recipe!! Will be making again! 🙂
So glad to hear that, Whitney!
Did you have that crust on the top too?
Hi
Just wondering if I use brown sugar or coconut sugar would the texture be different?
It would probably make them a little chewier and change the taste slightly, but it should be okay to use.
Thank you very much for the recipes. I have also done the best white cake recipe – WOW! I want to comment on the “CLICK’ to download “PDF converter” for recipe thing at the top. I have tried this on several other websites and I absolutely HATE IT! It never works and it messes up my computer internet until I figure out to clean it off. It NEVER actually installs, but it partially installs, and then I have to search about how to uninstall whatever it has done. I did NOT do it from your website so I don’t know if it would do the same shenanigans.
Glad you liked the cake, Paul! As for the download you’re referring to, I’m not quite sure what you mean. Is this an ad that you’re seeing on my site?
Well, I looked for that “link” just now, and it is NOT there. Maybe I dreamed it. Sorry.
There is not any baking soda or powder added to this recipe. Is this correct? I’ve never made brownies without it.
Yes, that’s correct. Omitting the baking soda/powder is what helps keep them dense and fudgy.
Hey Danielle, have you ever tried make fudge brownies with dark chocolate compound? I’ve tried another recipe using melted chocolate but the brownies is more cakey i think but the taste is great, i want try your recipe soon ?
I haven’t tried it, I really find the cocoa powder to be perfect in these brownies. I do have a brownie cookie recipe I’ll be posting soon that uses melted chocolate though!
Have you made a brownie for an 8-inch pan? I only have an 8-inch pan but I want to try………………….
You can cut the recipe in half for an 8-inch pan.
I don’t leave comments really on anything, but I’ve got to say this is the BEST not to mention, easiest, brownie recipe I have tried. I always have the ingredients on hand and those ingredients produce the most fudgey decadent brownies I have ever had!!! Thank you!!! Throw away the boxes!!!
Thank you, Kimberly! So glad you liked the brownies!
Just made it today. Love the taste. I added chocolate chips on top of the other half and pecans on the other half. I just noticed , though, my brownies came out moist but crumbly. What could I have done wrong?
Did you let them cool completely first?
Hi Danielle,
I would like to make these brownies but am allergic to dairy and can’t use butter, do you think these would work with earth balance? Thank you!
I haven’t tried it, but I think it would be okay.
Danielle, I made a half batch today with earth balance and walnuts, they are fabulous!! They are in the fridge calling my name !
So glad the brownies turned out great for you, Lynn!
Can you tell me if I need to adjust the temperature if I’m using a glass pan?
I always use a glass pan for these brownies, so there’s no need to adjust the temperature.
These are the best brownies I have ever made! I love how they are dense instead of cake like.
Thank you, Mikah! Glad you liked the brownies!
I never leave comments but this time I had to! I have looked and found many recipes for brownies that have ended in disappointments because they have either come out too dry or they get as hard as a brick, but this recipe did none of that!! I absolutely love it and it will be the only one I will use from now on! My search for the perfect brownie is over!!!! Thank you so much!
Thank you, Ana! So happy to hear that!
I have these in the oven now , will post picture when finishe ! Thanks for the recipe
Hope you enjoyed the brownies, Sandy!
Is the 1 cup of butter, one cup before melting or after melting?
It’s before melting.
This recipe sounds fabulous! I haven’t made this yet but definitely plan too! Wish I had this one at the Christmas Holidays! The only thing missing, IMO, as I am a Southern cook, will be 69 this year. I grew up with always but always icing my brownies and putting walnuts in my brownies, my entire family did. My maternal grandmother had 11 children, 7 which were girls. All my aunts, cousins and nieces iced their brownies and put walnuts in them. When I was about 8 or 9 years old, I went for a sleep over at my teachers house. She made brownies with icing and walnuts. I thought how can this be, this was my family’s thing. I quickly found out that it was a Southern thing and that brownies without icing and walnuts in them were known as naked brownies. I never came across too many people that made naked brownies until I was around northerners. Then later, much later in life, the thing to do was to add chocolate chips to them of which I’ve never been a fan of them in my brownies, cookies great, brownies, no. So I will definitely be icing and adding walnuts to this wonderful recipe. Can’t wait to try them!!
These would be fantastic with some chopped walnuts and icing, Sheree. I hope you enjoy the brownies!
I see the calorie summary. What is the serving size? I’ll be baking these soon!
It’s for one brownie if you cut them into 16 servings.
These are wonderful. I replaced white sugar with Organic Coconut Sugar and you could enjoy the Chocolate so much better than the white sugar. I used parchment paper with a little spray and they came out perfect. Thanks for the wonder recipe..?
Coconut sugar is another great option! Glad they turned out great for you, Rebecca!
Hi Danielle, I wonder what does the asterisk after eggs mean?
Bebe
I meant to put that after room temperature, not eggs. I just made a note for how to get your eggs to room temperature quickly in the recipe notes. All fixed now! 🙂
I loved the taste of these brownies! I ended up eating them straight off the foil with a spoon which leads me to … they were super stuck! I did use butter instead of nonstick cooking spray, I guess that must have been the problem? I also ended up cooking them for quite a bit longer than the recipe called for, probably an extra 20 minutes or so! But like I said they tasted awesome and I ended up serving the corner bits I could get lifted off and others also loved them. I guess I will invest in some non stick cooking spray or maybe try parchment paper next time instead of foil and see how it goes.
Thanks for the recipe! Love the simplicity xo
Hi, Alison! I find that nonstick cooking spray works a lot better than butter. If you make the brownies again, try using nonstick cooking spray and see if that helps. I’m glad you liked the taste of the brownies!
My daughter was requesting brownies and to her disappointment couldn’t find any mixes in the pantry. I googled homemade brownies and up popped your recipe. We made this and they were delicious and super easy! I used special dark unsweetened cocoa powder (it’s all I had) and threw in 1C chocolate chips (choc lovers.) Will make this again and again, thanks for the great recipe!!
You can’t go wrong with adding some chocolate chips to these, Michelle! I’m glad you liked the brownies!
Hi Danielle, thank you for this recipe I haven’t tried it yet but can you send me the recipes that have no dairy or gluten in them because I have friends well one friend in particular that are allergic to gluten, dairy and eggs but eggs not so much
Hi Madeleine! I don’t have much experience with gluten or dairy-free baking, so I don’t have any recipes that I could share for that.
I substituted gluten free cup for cup flour in this recipe to make gluten free brownies and they came out pretty good! The texture of the brownies was a little grainy but the flavor is absolutely amazing!
This is a fantastic recipe. I made with dark cocoa powder, worked out just fine. So delicious.
Glad to hear that the dark cocoa powder worked great, Sam!
Hi Danielle, If I double this recipe, could i bake it in a 12×18 pan or would it be best to use 2 9×13 pans? Would it change the baking time and or texture? I have to bake a large batch today ASAP
Thank you very much.
I think it would be fine to double this recipe and use 2 9×13 pans. I honestly don’t own or use a 12×18 pan, so I’m not sure how they would turn out in it. The 12×18 pan may work fine, I imagine that the brownies would be thicker though.
Hi Danielle, I’m looking at making this recipe, but I’m wondering if it would be possible to add chocolate chunks to it? If so how much would you recommend?
Thank you.
Yes, absolutely! I would probably use about 1 to 1 and 1/2 cups, then add more if you think it needs it.
i havent made your brownies yet but your Chocolate Chip cookies are the bomb. the brownies that are pictured here “Are they made in a 13×9 pan”? the reason why im asking is that i love brownies but the ones in the packages for the 13×9 pan size are just to small as in depth, i like a thick fudgy brownie. im wanting to know if i can make this in a 8x8m or a 9×9 pan to make a thick fudgey brownie?
Yes, the brownies in these pictures were baked in a 9×13 pan. I haven’t tried this recipe in an 8×8 or 9×9 pan yet. When I make a batch of brownies in a smaller pan like either one of those, I cut this recipe in half. I think it may be almost too much for a pan that small and they may not bake up properly. You could try an 11×7 pan? Or you could use a muffin pan and make some deep dish brownies?
Hello, I made these brownies in a 9 by 9 pan and didn’t cut the recipe in half. My brownies came out very gooey and some would even fall apart! I put these in for38 minutes at 350 Fahrenheit I was wondering if they are supposed to be that gooey or if I did the recipe wrong . Thanks!
If you used a 9-inch square pan you would want to cut the recipe in half. 38 minutes wouldn’t be long enough to bake the full recipe in that size pan, so that’s likely why they fell apart. If you make them again, I would cut the recipe in half or bake it in a larger pan (11×7 or 9×13).
Hi Danielle,
Could you please tell me whether the heat in the oven has to be from the bottom or the top or both.
Thanks so much
Hi, Kanika! You just need to preheat your oven to 350°F (177°C). I just bake these on the center rack in the oven.
Let me first say, I love how this taste! Bless you, for sharing!
I just made this today and I wasn’t so pleased with how some of the brownies are sticking to the aluminum foil. I confess I used 5 eggs instead of 4 because our eggs here in this country are relatively smaller. Could that have been it? Any idea where else I went wrong? I also added 1/2 cup macadamia nuts. Other than that this is definitely a crowd pleaser!
Hi Jade! I’m glad you liked the taste of the brownies! I always make sure to spray the foil generously with nonstick cooking spray otherwise they do tend to stick to it. Did you make sure to do that?
Hi Danielle, I didn’t have the spray type so I smothered it with canola oil instead. Do you think I should’ve gone a little crazier with that?
It may not hurt to use more if you make them again. I like to use foil just because it makes it easy to remove them from the pan, but you could try parchment paper instead. Or you could just grease the pan with some butter and dust it with cocoa powder. Hope that helps!
I want to substitute Stevia for regular sugar to serve to some diabetic friends. Any suggestions to ensure my success?
I’ve never tried these with Stevia, so it’s hard to give suggestions.