Brownie Recipe
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The best Brownies recipe from scratch! They’re so easy and perfectly delicious, plus they use pantry staples so you can make them on any day when those intense chocolate cravings strike. They’re soft and tender, nicely gooey and chewy and perfectly chocolatey.
A chocolate lovers dream come true!
Brownies Recipe
This is my go to brownie recipe and after one bite you’ll see why! They have the perfect intensity of chocolate flavor, they’re sweet and rich, and they’re unbelievably satisfying.
And those little bits of melty chocolate chips in each bite will get you every time. This is how you do dessert. Nothing extravagant, just unadulterated cocoa meets sugar baked up into its superior form.
Plus with this method we’re just back to old fashioned basics. A no-fuss recipe using a mixing bowl, a wooden spoon and everyday ingredients. The best things in life are often the simplest.
Homemade Brownie Ingredients
- Unsalted butter – salted butter will work too just reduce salt to 1/8 tsp (and don’t forget to cover bowl when melting as salted butter splatters more).
- Granulated sugar – for a little extra chewiness you could try it with half brown sugar.
- Salt – table salt or sea salt work great. If using sea salt use a heaping 1/2 tsp because crystals are usually a little bigger.
- Eggs – 3 is the perfect amount to help bind the brownies together.
- Vanilla – I like to use a fair amount here for a boost of complimenting flavor.
- Unbleached all-purpose flour – if bleached flour is what you have on hand it will work too, I’m trying to use unbleached flour more as it’s not chemically treated so it seems like a smarter option and it tastes better.
- Unsweetened cocoa powder – standard unsweetened cocoa powder or dutch process cocoa both work great for this recipe.
- Chocolate chips – you can use any intensity you prefer even bittersweet, my family likes milk chocolate chips and they offer that nice crackly top on the brownies with the extra sugar.
How to Make Brownies
- Preheat oven to 300 degrees.
- Prepare baking dish: spray and 8 by 8-inch baking dish with non-stick cooking spray, set aside.
- Melt butter: place butter in a large microwave safe bowl. Heat in microwave until just melted.
- Mix in sweetener and salt: Stir in sugar and salt, let cool slightly if warm.
- Mix in wet ingredients: add in eggs and vanilla. Break yolks and stir with wooden spoon just until blended.
- Mix in dry ingredients: add in flour, cocoa powder and chocolate chips. Fold and stir mixture with wooden spoon just until combined.
- Add batter to pan: pour into prepared baking dish. Spread into an even layer. Bake in preheated oven just until barely set, about 40 – 46 minutes (toothpick may have a bit of sticky batter, careful not to over-bake).
- Cool before cutting (if you can wait!): let cool completely on a wire rack then cut into individual squares. Store in an airtight container at room temperature.
How Can I Make a Small Batch of Brownies?
This recipe is actually based off a reader favorite, my Small Batch Brownies it makes just 3 so if you don’t want a big pan-full to temp you they try the loaf pan size instead.
Can I Double the Recipe?
I actually don’t recommend doubling, rather I’d add 1/4 the amounts and bake in a 13 by 9-inch pan. Using 1 cup butter, 2 cups sugar, 3/4 tsp salt, 4 eggs, 1 Tbsp vanilla, 3/4 cup + 2 Tbsp flour (scoop and level), 3/4 cup cocoa and 1 cup chocolate chips.
How to Store Brownies:
Store brownies at room temperature in a well sealed airtight container so they don’t dry out. They are best enjoyed within 2 days but they should keep well 4 – 5 days.
Can I Freeze Brownies?
Yes, for a longer shelf life brownies can be frozen for 2 months wrapped in parchment or foil and sealed in an airtight resealable bag. Or refrigerate for about 8 days. Let brownies come to room temperature before enjoying.
Tips for the Best Brownies:
- Use good quality ingredients it will only taste as good as the ingredients you put into it.
- Add plenty of butter. This makes them fudgy and rich. A generous 3/4 cup is perfect.
- Don’t be shy with the cocoa. We want chocolate flavor! 9 Tbsp is a nice mid-level intensity you can also do 2/3 cup spoon and level cocoa it’s just less messy measuring in spoons.
- Better yet use a kitchen scale and measure in grams. Gram measurements are more accurate than cup measurements and will give you the most consistent results.
- Use a low oven temperature. Cooking at a low 300 degrees means brownies won’t be overly puffy and cakey.
- If you can wait to let them cool at least partially they’ll have a chewier texture and they’ll cut cleaner.
- Serve dusted with powdered sugar if you want to be fancy :). My family loves them this way.
- Don’t forget the milk. Freshly baked brownies just aren’t the same without a glass of ice cold, whole milk.
More Brownie Recipes You’ll Love:
- Chocolate Frosted Brownies
- Healthier Brownies
- Gluten Free Brownies
- Mint Brownies
- German Chocolate Brownies
- Snickers Brownies
- Ultra Chewy Brownies
- Red Velvet Brownies
Follow Cooking Classy
Brownies
Ingredients
- 3/4 cup (170g) unsalted butter*, cut into 1-Tbsp pieces
- 1 1/2 cups (300g) granulated sugar
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 3 large eggs
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 2/3 cup (98g) unbleached all-purpose flour (scoop and level to measure)
- 2/3 cup (56g) unsweetened cocoa powder** (spoon and level)
- 3/4 cup (128g) chocolate chips***
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Spray and 8 by 8-inch baking dish with non-stick cooking spray, set aside.
- Place butter in a large microwave safe bowl. Heat in microwave until just melted. Stir in sugar and salt, let cool slightly if warm.
- Add in eggs and vanilla. Break yolks and stir with wooden spoon just until blended.
- Add in flour, cocoa powder and chocolate chips. Fold and stir mixture with wooden spoon just until combined.
- Pour into prepared baking dish. Spread into an even layer. Bake in preheated oven just until barely set, about 40 - 55 minutes (toothpick may have a hint of sticky batter, be careful not to over-bake).
- Let cool completely on a wire rack before cutting into squares. Store in an airtight container at room temperature.
Notes
- *If you only have salted butter on hand that will work fine too just reduce salt to 1/8 tsp.
- **Regular or dutch process cocoa works great in this recipe. If it's easier for you 9 Tbsp cocoa scooped and leveled will give you the same weight as 2/3 cup spooned and leveled.
- **For more intensely chocolatey brownies you can reduce flour by 2 Tbsp and increase cocoa powder by 2 Tbsp.
- **If cocoa is clumpy sift it first.
- ***Milk chocolate chips give the crackly top. But use whatever intensity you like best, even bittersweet chocolate chips will work great. You can omit them if you don't have any on hand.
- A 9 by 9-inch pan will work great too just reduce baking time, it will take about 34 - 36 minutes.