Homemade Brownies from Scratch

Learn how to make fudgy homemade brownies from scratch. This recipe is quick and easy to make and you need just 9 ingredients. Crispy top, fudgy center, and melting chocolate chunks. Better than box mix brownies and crowd approved. It's literally the best chocolate brownie recipe. By the way, have you tried my air fryer brownies or my edible brownie batter yet?

Jump to:

• Ingredients notes and substitutions
• What pan size is best?
• Photo instructions
• How to do the toothpick test
• Expert tips for best results
• Cooling and cutting recommendations
• Why are mine not fudgy but cakey?
• Storing and freezing instructions
• More chocolate recipes to try
• Recipe

Ingredients notes and substitutions

• Cocoa - You can either use natural or Dutch-processed unsweetened cocoa powder. I tried this recipe with both and it works with both types of cocoa.
• Butter - European butter gives the best results due to its 82% fat content, but it works just as well with US butter (80%). You can replace butter with oil 1:1 if you like. I had great results with olive oil, coconut oil, and mild vegetable oil.

What pan size is best?

You get the most even baking results when you use an 8x12" (20x30cm) or 9x13" (23x33cm) baking pan, but you can also use a 9x9" (23x23cm) brownie pan. However, the baking results in a 9x9" (23x23cm) baking pan will be the most uneven, and the edges will turn out a little cakey.

Below you see a side-by-side comparison of the thickness. The brownies on the left are baked in a 9x9" baking pan and the ones on the right in a 9x13" baking pan. The ones on the left are about 1-inch thick.

Photo instructions

Combine melted butter, both sugars, eggs, and vanilla in a large bowl and whisk until combined about 1-2 minutes. Alternatively, consider using an egg substitute for brownies if needed.

Place a mesh strainer on top of the bowl and sift in the flour, cocoa, and salt. Whisk just until combined.

Add about 1 cup of the chocolate to the batter and whisk just to combine.

Transfer the batter to a parchment paper-lined pan and spread until even. Top with the remaining chocolate.

Bake until a toothpick in the center comes out lightly dirty with a few moist crumbs attached for lightly underbaked brownies with a fudgy texture. The center should no longer jiggle and the they are just set to the touch.

They will continue baking in the hot pan, so be sure that you don't overbake them.

How to do the toothpick test

The best method to tell when fudge brownies are done is with a toothpick test. A toothpick inserted into the center should come out slightly dirty with a few crumbs attached to it.  See the picture below to see how my toothpick looks like when I remove the pan from the oven.

Maybe you don't get perfect results for the very first time. Don't worry too much and learn for the next time. When you write down how long you baked them exactly, you can adjust the baking time in both directions for the next time.

I baked mine for exactly 27 minutes in a 9x13" and 33 minutes in a 9x9" baking pan. But it's very 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.

Cooling and cutting recommendations

After removing the fudge brownies from the oven, let them cool in the pan for about 15-30 minutes until you can lift them with the parchment paper out of the pan and transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

When the brownies are too soft to lift them out of the pan, then you might have baked them too short, and they are underbaked. In this case, just let them in the pan until they can be lifted out of the pan easily.

When they are too underbaked, the middle pieces will be very, very soft. Still delicious, of course, but you might need a fork to eat them.

Before you cut the brownies, let them cool completely. This makes sure that you get the most accurate cutting results. Use a sharp long knife for cutting. If necessary, clean the blade after each cut.

Why are mine not fudgy but cakey?

There are multiple reasons why they can turn out cakey rather than fudgy. If you follow this recipe, measure the flour correctly, and don't swap ingredients, all you have to do is make sure you don't overbake them, and you'll have super fudgy chocolate squares. Brownies should not be baked as long as a chocolate cake. The longer they bake, the cakier (=drier) they become.

Storing and freezing instructions

• Store them in a container at room temperature for up to 4 days or in the fridge for up to 5 days.
• If you freeze them, let them cool completely and then cut. Wrap single pieces in plastic wrap, place in freezer bags and freeze for up to 3 months. To thaw, unwrap and let sit at room temperature for about 1 hour. Reheat in the microwave if desired.

More chocolate recipes to try

If you don't get enough of these fudgy treats, I have you covered. Maybe you would love to try my peanut butter brownies, brownie cookies, brownie cupcakes, or chocolate brownie ice cream cake. Also in my cookbook is a whole chapter dedicated to them.

Recipe