This easy Chocolate Brownies recipe is what you are looking for if you want to make the best fudge brownies. Crispy top, super fudgy center, and melting chocolate chunks. With 11 tips for making the best homemade brownies. It only takes 10 minutes of active preparation time, and you need 9 ingredients.

What you will learn:

• how to make Chocolate Fudge Brownies
• what makes Brownies chewy
• how to tell when Brownies are done
• when to cut brownies and how long to cool them
• how to cut brownies
• if brownies can be frozen

How to make Chocolate Brownies?

To make super homemade fudge brownies, you only need 9 ingredients and 10 minutes of hands-on preparation time.

In a large mixing bowl, using a whisk, stir together butter, white and brown sugar, eggs, and vanilla. Then sift in flour, cocoa, and salt. Fold in chocolate chunks. Transfer to the baking pan and sprinkle with more chocolate chunks. That’s it. That is the whole process of making homemade brownies.

Here are my 11 tips for the best chewy brownies:

1. Line the baking pan with parchment paper with an overhang on the sides that you can easily lift them out of the pan after baking.
2. The butter has to be melted but shouldn’t be hot. Melt the butter in the microwave by 2/3. Then stir until it is completely melted. This trick makes sure that the butter is not hot but warm when using it.
3. Do not mix the batter with a stand or handheld mixer. Use a whisk and stir by hand. This makes sure that you don’t mix in any air. The batter shouldn’t be light and airy. It should be dense and thick with no air pockets at all.
4. Don’t overmix the batter, just until combined. Once the batter is fully incorporated, stop stirring immediately.
5. Use unsweetened cocoa powder instead of sweetened one. Sweetened cocoa would make the brownies too sweet. 2 cups of sugar and 1 + 1/4 cups of chopped chocolate is enough sweetness.
6. I recommend using high-quality chocolate from a brand you love. The chocolate chunks have a high impact on the flavor. I used half milk chocolate and half dark chocolate and chopped them roughly.
7. This is the most important advice. Do not overbake the brownies. The perfect time to get them out of the oven is when they have no jiggle anymore in the center and are just set to touch. A toothpick inserted in the center should come out dirty.
8. Set the baking timer for 20 minutes for the first time. Then watch the brownies every 1-2 minutes until they reach the described consistency. Then write down the time, that you know how long to bake them for the next time.
9. Baking the brownies on the middle shelf in the oven in a 9×13″ baking pan leads to the best result for chocolate brownies.
10. Let the brownies cool in the pan for 10 minutes. Then carefully remove them from the pan and let cool to room temperature before you cut them.
11. Cut into 15 brownies (5×3). The brownies have then the perfect size.

What makes Brownies chewy?

There are 5 main factors for chewy brownies:

1. mixing with a whisk
2. no baking soda or baking powder
3. a high amount of butter
4. the usage of brown sugar
5. shorter baking time

This means: Mixing with a whisk makes sure that there is no air in the brownie batter. When not using baking soda or baking powder, the brownies don’t get lifted and stay compact. 1 cup of butter brings in lots of moisture and great taste. Brown sugar is naturally moist and keeps the brownies moister compared to dry white sugar. Brownies are not as long baked as a chocolate cake. The longer Brownies get baked, the cakier (=dryer) they get.

How to tell when Brownies are done?

The best method to tell when brownies are done is with a toothpick test. The toothpick should come out dirty and not clean. See the photo below for clarification.

Maybe you don’t get PERFECT brownies at the very first time. Don’t worry too much and learn for the next time. When you write down the minutes you bake them, you can adjust the baking time in both directions for the next time.

I baked mine for exactly 27 minutes. But it’s so important to find out the baking time for YOUR oven. Every oven works differently. Older ones maybe don’t have the full power anymore. There are so many different reasons why baking time is never the same in different ovens.

How long do Brownies need to cool?

After removing the Brownies from the oven, let them cool in the pan for about 10 minutes. They still keep baking in the hot pan. Then transfer them with the parchment paper to a wire rack to cool completely.

When the Brownies are too soft to lift them out of the pan without any problems, then you might have baked them too short, and they are slightly undercooked. In this case, just let them in the pan until they can be lifted out of the pan easily. When Brownies are a little undercooked, the middle pieces will be very, very soft. Still delicious of course, but you might need a fork to eat them.

When to cut Brownies?

Let the brownies cool completely before you cut them into pieces. This makes sure that you get the most accurate cutting results.

How to cut Brownies?

The long side is 13″ (33cm), and the short side is 9″ (23cm). To get 15 almost equally sized brownies, lay a ruler along the first long side and make little notches with a knife every 2.6″ (6,6cm). Repeat with the second long side. Then lay the ruler along the first short side and make little notches every 3″ (7,6cm). Repeat with the second short side.

Then use a long sharp knife, match up the notches on both long sides, and cut all the way through to the bottom. Clean the knife after every cut. Repeat with the short side.

That is the most accurate and cleanest method for cutting brownies.

Can Brownies be frozen and how?

Yes, Brownies are perfect for freezing. The question is, do you want to freeze the whole pan of brownies or just single pieces?

For freezing the whole pan after baking, chill the brownies for about 4 hours in the fridge after they are cooled completely. Then place them with the pan in the freezer until the brownies are firm, for about 2 hours. Remove brownies from the freezer and the pan and tightly wrap in plastic foil twice. Then wrap two layers of tin foil around. Place in a large freezer bag and remove as much air as possible.

For freezing single pieces, also make sure that they are cooled completely. Then wrap each piece tightly in plastic wrap and place in a freezer bag. Remove as much air as possible.

They freeze well up to 2 months.

For thawing, unwrap the brownies and let come to room temperature. The whole pan of brownies will take 3-4 hours, single pieces about 1 hour.

You get the most even baking results when you bake brownies in a 9×13″ (23x33cm) baking pan, but you could bake this recipe also in a 9×9″ (23x23cm) baking pan if you are looking for 1-inch thick brownies. In this case, bake them about 3-5 minutes longer. Check with a toothpick again. However, the baking results in a 9×9″ baking pan will be uneven, and the edges will turn out a little cakey.

Olive oil in brownies

It is possible to replace the vegetable oil with olive oil 1:1. Keep in mind that this substitution is going to change the taste of the brownies. They are more fruity with a slight bitter note when baked with olive oil. If you want to substitute the vegetable oil with olive oil for brownies, then use olive oil with a milder flavor that it doesn’t stand out that much in the brownies.

You may also like Soft and Moist Chocolate Banana Muffins, Best Oreo Cheesecake Recipe, Easy Blueberry Bread Recipe, Mirror Glaze Galaxy Cake Recipe, or click here to see all recipes.

If you make this gooey Brownie Recipe, leave a comment, rate it and tag a photo #alsothecrumbsplease on Instagram! Would love to see your snap!

5 from 9 votes

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Gooey Brownie Recipe

Prep Time

10 mins

Cook Time

25 mins

Total Time

35 mins

 

This easy Chocolate Brownies recipe is what you are looking for if you want to make the best fudge brownies. Crispy top, super fudgy center, and melting chocolate chunks. With 11 tips for making the best homemade brownies. It only takes 10 minutes of active preparation time, and you need 9 ingredients.

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Keyword: best brownie recipe, chocolate brownies, easy brownies, fudge brownies, gooey chocolate brownies, homemade brownie recipe

Servings: 15 brownies

Calories: 381 kcal

Author: Sabine

Ingredients

• 1 cup butter, melted and cooled (226g)
• 1 cup granulated white sugar (200g)
• 1 cup brown sugar (200g)
• 4 large eggs
• 2 vanilla beans* (or 2 tsp vanilla extract)
• 1 cup all-purpose flour, spoon and level (120g)
• 1 cup dutch-processed or unsweetened natural cocoa powder, spoon and level (84g)
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 + 1/4 cups high-quality chocolate, roughly chopped (7.5oz / 220g)

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350°F / 175°C (in the video stands 375°F but this is a typo, the 350°F are correct). Line a 9x13" baking pan with parchment paper with an overhang on the sides to easily lift the brownies out of the pan after baking. Set aside.

2. In a large mixing bowl stir together butter, sugars, eggs, and vanilla* just until combined. Don't use a hand or stand mixer or you have too much air pockets in the batter, and this makes the brownies cakey instead of fudgy. Stir by hand with a whisk. Sift in flour, cocoa, and salt and stir just to combine. Fold in 3/4 cup of chopped chocolate. Spread evenly into prepared pan and sprinkle the remaining chocolate on top. 

3. Bake for 23-30 minutes until the brownies don't jiggle anymore and are just set to touch. A toothpick should come out dirty. Don't overbake the brownies or they are getting cakey. Because every oven is different, set the timer for 20 minutes for the first time and check every 1-2 minutes until the brownies are done. Then write down the time the brownies needed in your oven for the next time. Maybe they are perfect at the second time you bake them. I baked mine for exactly 27 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool for 10 minutes. They will keep baking in the pan. Then carefully transfer with the paper to a wire rack and let cool completely. Cut into 15 brownies (5x3) before serving. Store in an airtight container at room temperature up to 3 days. 

Recipe Video

Notes

*First, cut off the straight end of the vanilla bean. Then place the tip of your sharp knife below the curled end and cut the vanilla bean through the middle of the bean lengthwise. Although you don't need to cut it all the way through, it's ok when you do so. Then open the vanilla bean and scrape out the flavorful seeds with the back of your knife. Just use the seeds.

RECOMMENDATIONS:

• Watch the video for better understanding.
• Look through the process shots to see the consistency.
• The photo of the toothpick test will bring clarification when it's time to remove the brownies from the oven.
• Reed blog post above for plenty of useful tips on how to make the best gooey brownies, how to cut them, freeze them, etc.