This homemade brownies recipe makes rich, chocolatey squares with a shiny, crackly top and a soft, fudgy middle. It uses real melted chocolate and cocoa for deep flavor, and simple changes let you make them fudgier, chewier, or more cake-like.
Brownies are easy, but small details make a big difference. After the recipe, you will also find fixes for dry brownies, raw centers, flat tops without a crust, and brownies that sink.
Homemade Brownies Recipe at a Glance
- Prep time: 20 minutes
- Bake time: 25–30 minutes
- Cooling time: at least 1 hour
- Pan: 20 cm (8-inch) square metal pan
- Makes: 16 brownies
Brownie Ingredients
- 170 g (¾ cup) unsalted butter
- 200 g (7 oz) dark chocolate (55–70% cocoa), chopped
- 150 g (¾ cup) granulated sugar
- 100 g (½ cup packed) light brown sugar
- 3 large eggs, at room temperature
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 95 g (¾ cup) all-purpose flour
- 25 g (¼ cup) unsweetened cocoa powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- Optional: 100 g chocolate chips or chopped walnuts
How to Make This Homemade Brownies Recipe
- Prepare. First, heat the oven to 175°C (350°F). Line the pan with baking paper, leaving an overhang on two sides.
- Melt the chocolate and butter. Next, melt the butter and chopped chocolate together over very low heat or in short bursts in the microwave. Stir until smooth.
- Add the sugars. Then whisk both sugars into the warm chocolate mixture. Let it stand for 2 minutes so the sugar starts to dissolve.
- Whisk in the eggs. After that, add the eggs and vanilla and whisk hard for 1–2 minutes, until the batter is thick, glossy, and slightly lighter. This step is important because it creates the shiny crackly top.
- Fold in the dry ingredients. Sift in the flour, cocoa, and salt. Fold gently with a spatula only until no dry streaks remain. Then fold in chocolate chips or nuts if using.
- Bake. Then spread the batter evenly in the pan. Bake for 25–30 minutes, until the top is shiny and set and a skewer in the center comes out with moist crumbs, not wet batter.
- Cool completely. Finally, cool in the pan for at least 1 hour. Then lift out with the paper and cut with a sharp knife, wiping it between cuts.
Homemade Brownies Recipe: Fudgy, Chewy, or Cakey
- Fudgier: reduce the flour to 75 g and bake for the shorter time.
- Chewier: use 200 g brown sugar and 50 g white sugar, and add 1 extra egg yolk.
- Cakey: increase the flour to 130 g, add ½ teaspoon baking powder, and beat the eggs and sugar until pale and thick before adding the chocolate.
Homemade Brownies Recipe: Common Problems and How to Fix Them
Why are my brownies dry?
Cause: They were overbaked, or too much flour was used.
Fix: Take brownies out while a skewer still shows moist crumbs. After all, they keep cooking in the hot pan. Weigh your flour, or spoon it into the cup and level it instead of scooping.
Why don’t my brownies have a shiny crackly top?
Cause: The sugar was not partly dissolved and the eggs were not whisked enough.
Fix: Add the sugar to the warm chocolate, then whisk the eggs in vigorously until glossy. Real chocolate in the batter also helps. For a full explanation, read our guide to getting a crackly top on fudgy brownies.
Why are my brownies raw in the middle?
Cause: The pan was too small, made of glass, or the oven runs cool.
Fix: Use a metal pan of the size given. However, glass pans need 5–10 extra minutes at a slightly lower temperature. Also, check your oven with an oven thermometer.
Why did my brownies sink in the middle?
Cause: Too much air was beaten into the batter after the flour went in, or they were underbaked.
Fix: Fold the flour in gently. However, a slight dip in very fudgy brownies is normal and is not a problem.
Why are my brownies greasy?
Cause: The chocolate and butter were overheated and separated, or the eggs were added while the mixture was too hot.
Fix: Melt gently and let the mixture cool slightly before adding the eggs.
Tips for Success With This Homemade Brownies Recipe
- Use good chocolate. It is the main flavor.
- Also, do not skip the salt. Instead of tasting salty, it makes the chocolate taste richer.
- For the cleanest squares, chill the cooled brownies for 30 minutes before cutting.
How to Store Brownies
Once cool, store brownies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 4 days. To freeze, wrap them individually and freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw at room temperature.
A Short History of Brownies
Brownies are an American invention. Early recipes appeared in American cookbooks in the late 1890s and early 1900s, and the popular story credits the Palmer House Hotel in Chicago with creating a chocolate and walnut bar for the 1893 World’s Fair. Since then, they have become one of the best-known chocolate desserts in the world. You can read more about the history of the chocolate brownie on Wikipedia.
Homemade Brownies Recipe FAQ
Can I make brownies with only cocoa powder?
Yes. Replace the chocolate with an extra 40 g cocoa powder and increase the butter to 200 g. However, they will be slightly less fudgy.
How do I know when brownies are done?
The top looks set and shiny, the edges pull away slightly from the pan, and a skewer in the center shows moist crumbs.
Can I double this recipe?
Yes. Bake it in a 23 × 33 cm (9 × 13-inch) pan and start checking at 30 minutes.
Keep baking with us. If you enjoyed this homemade brownies recipe, our digital cookbook collects 31 of our favorite desserts, from knafeh to cheesecake, in one easy download.
