These Homemade Chewy Brownies are thick, fudgy, and made completely from scratch. You’ll never need a box mix again!!
Chewy Brownies
These are my go-to fudgiest brownies, and I make them all the time! They are thick and gooey brownies, so easy to make and a reader favorite!
My other favorite easy desserts are these No Chill Soft Chocolate Chip Cookies and No Bake Chocolate Peanut Butter Bars.
When I first created this chewy fudgy brownies recipe, it took me a lot of recipe fails to create what I call my perfect brownie. I had several boxes to check to call these my go-to brownies!
The great news is, that I finally nailed it and these chewy chocolate brownies are perfection.
Chewy brownies have a dense interior but not so dense that there isn’t any crumb. There should be a little crumb. Having thick brownies also helps them to stay chewy.
Why You’ll Love Gooey Brownies
- Ultimate chewy fudgy brownies
- Cures your sweet tooth
- Perfect for taking to parties and potlucks
- Can add in all your favorite brownie ingredients
- Everyone loves the dense chocolate flavor
Ingredients For The Fudgiest Brownies:
Sugar: Sugar is what creates the crust on top of the brownies. So there has to be a certain amount, or the crust disappears. I know 1 1/4 cups of sugar is a lot, but it was the lowest amount I could use and still have the crust on top.
Unsweetened chocolate: These are the baking bars of chocolate sold in the baking aisle. I like to use Ghirardelli, but use whatever brand you prefer. Using unsweetened chocolate really amps up the chocolate flavor in these brownies.
Flour: I used all-purpose flour and haven’t tested these with Gluten-Free Flour. However, Bob’s Red Mill Gluten Free 1 to 1 Baking Flour is a good choice. Cake flour and whole wheat flour will not work in this recipe.
Cocoa Powder: This is what makes these homemade brownies similar to that boxed version. Cocoa powder helps make chewy brownies and gives them that familiar taste. I prefer using natural cocoa powder and had the best results with it.
Chocolate Chips: I like adding chocolate chips because what’s more fun than biting into a pocket of melted chocolate??? Use whatever % chocolate you prefer!
Baking Powder: My original recipe (found below the recipe card) used 1/2 teaspoon baking powder. I lowered it to 1/4 teaspoon after a lot of readers complained about the brownies being too cakey. I find using a little leavening necessary to create a little lift. Otherwise, the brownies are too dense and lose their chewiness.
Salt: Salt is very important in baking, so don’t leave it out!
Eggs: Help bind everything together and also lend to the chewiness of the brownie.
Oil: Fat is necessary in these chewy chocolate brownies to prevent them from drying out. And it also helps make chewy brownies.
Vanilla
Expert Tips For Chewy Fudgy Brownies:
What may turn out for my family may not turn out for yours, and I definitely have experienced that with this recipe.
Maybe my definitions of cakey and chewy are different from yours??? When I think of cakey, I think of, well, cake, and I don’t consider these to have the same spongey texture of a cake.
These are my tips for making the fudgiest brownies….I can’t guarantee success because, unfortunately, chewy chocolate brownies are just one of those desserts that vary from person to person and can be difficult to master.
- Melt the sugar/chocolate mixture just until the chocolate has melted. Don’t boil.
- Don’t overmix anything. Just mix until combined, and that is it.
- Don’t overbake. It should have some moist crumbs on the toothpick when you test it. Leave the brownies in the pan, and they will finish cooking.
- Cool your brownies completely. This is a must if you don’t want your brownies to fall apart.
- Also, I highly, highly recommend you get an oven thermometer. I found that my oven wasn’t completely preheated after the beeper told me it was. It was 15 degrees cooler than it needed to be. Thanks to a thermometer, I now know when my oven is at the correct temperature. And don’t think that just because you have a brand new oven that you don’t need to worry about this, because mine is new too.
Frequently Asked Questions
After making these chewy brownies over and over, I have learned a few things when it comes to cutting them. First of all, it’s best to let them cool down before you ever cut them.
Secondly, using a plastic knife to slice the gooey brownies is a game changer. The plastic knife allows it to make clean slices, and fewer brownie crumbs will stick to the knife.
Be sure to wipe off the knife after each pass if there are crumbs.
These chewy fudgy brownies are incredible as they are, but you can also add all sorts of yummy ingredients. Here are a few ideas:
Andes Mints, chopped
White chocolate chips
Nuts, pecans, walnuts, or chopped hazelnuts
Dried fruit like cherries, cranberries, or raisins
Chopped candy bars
Mini Reese’s peanut butter cups
Peanut butter chips
Butterscotch chips
More Chocolate Dessert Recipes To Try:
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Homemade Chewy Brownies
Ingredients
- 1¼ cups (265g) sugar
- ¼ cup (60ml) water
- 2 ounces (56.5g) unsweetened chocolate, chopped into small pieces
- ¾ cup (100g) all purpose flour
- ⅓ cup (30g) regular not dutch process unsweetened cocoa powder
- ½ cup (45g) semi sweet chocolate chips
- ¼ teaspoon baking powder
- Pinch of salt
- 2 large eggs, lightly beaten
- ½ cup (120ml) vegetable oil
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (177 degrees C). Line an 8×8 or 9×9 baking pan with parchment paper or foil and lightly grease with cooking spray. Set aside.
- In a small saucepan combine the sugar, water and unsweetened chocolate. Cook over medium-low heat just until chocolate is melted and smooth. The sugar will not be completely dissolved. Let mixture cool slightly (about 5 min).
- In a large bowl add mix together the flour (spoon flour into measuring cup and level off with the back side of a knife for accurate measurement), cocoa powder (spoon cocoa powder into measuring cup and level off with the back of a knife for accurate measurement), chocolate chips, baking powder and salt. Mix until combined.
- Pour in the oil, eggs, and vanilla. Pour in the melted chocolate and stir just until combined. Don't overmix!! Spread evenly into prepared pan and bake for 30-40 minutes or until a toothpick inserted comes out with SOME MOIST CRUMBS. DO NOT OVERBAKE if you want moist and chewy brownies. Cool completely before cutting.
Video
Notes
- Overbaking will result in drier, crumbly brownies. I accidentally overbaked them once and they were very crumbly. The toothpick needs to have a few moist crumbs on it. Some readers like to test them 5 minutes before the suggested time.
- This recipe may be doubled and baked in a 9×13 pan. You may need to add a few extra minutes to the bake time.
- Nutrition facts: Since different brands of ingredients have different nutritional information, the information shown is just an estimate.
Nutrition
Original Recipe
1 1/4 cups sugar
1/4 cup water
1 ounce unsweetened chocolate, chopped into small pieces
3/4 cup all purpose flour
1/3 cup cocoa powder (dark or regular)
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
Pinch of salt
1/3 cup semi sweet chocolate chips
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line an 8×8 or 9×9 baking pan with parchment paper or foil, lightly spray with cooking spray. Set aside.
- In a small saucepan combine the sugar, water and unsweetened chocolate. Cook over medium low heat until chocolate is melted and smooth (about 5 min) Let cool slightly.
- In a large bowl add in the flour, cocoa powder, eggs, oil, vanilla, baking powder, salt and chocolate chips. Pour in the melted chocolate and stir all just until combined. Don’t overmix!! Spread evenly into prepared pan and bake anywhere from 25-40 minutes or until a toothpick inserted comes out with SOME MOIST CRUMBS. DO NOT OVERBAKE if you want moist and chewy brownies. Cool completely before cutting.
Absolutely love this recipe, I’ve been making these brownies for almost 3 years now and every time they come out amazing. The brownies are always rich and packed with that chocolate flavor you look for in a gourmet brownie. My family and friends LOVE them, thanks for sharing this recipe!
Thank you SO MUCH! Your comment truly made my day!!
I have made several brownie recipes and none of them can touch this recipe. The most perfect most and delicious brownie you will ever eat!
WOW!! Thank you so much for your kind comment!! I really appreciate it!
These brownies did not disappoint! They were rich and chewy and delicious! Baked in an 8 x 8 pan for 35 minutes! Yum!!
Thank you very much! And thanks for sharing!
When brownies first came out, I let them cool for 30 mins and ate some, it was just ok. I was ready to give up this recipe. Once it’s 1 day old, this is the best recipe I have ever got. Chewy, not too sweet and easy! Thank you for sharing.
Yes, I agree they are better the 2nd day but I didn’t include that in the post because I was afraid what people would say! I didn’t realize there were such strong opinions about brownies, lol! Thanks for sharing!!
Please don’t let people who don’t know how to be kind deter you from sharing you wonderful love of baking. Everyone has a different “taste profile” and not everyone understands how exactly to bake to achieve a certain recipe. Actual baking is a science. Oh for all the times I have seen people cram a scoop full of flour and then complain about dry dense outcomes. The recipe didn’t fail, their misunderstanding on how to scoop flour did. Yet sadly instead of asking questions or finding positive ways to solve things, people can be unkind and blameful.
Your recipe is lovely. It is a successful recipe and please take that as a compliment from a person who bakes daily for a number of people. I don’t eat processed foods so I am well versed in cooking in general. I wish I was half as smart to make a blog and post my recipes. Instead I take joy in trying and learning other hoping to improve my skills and test for better methods.
Please know you have any excellent brownie recipe… If you could make a complaint it would be that I had to do the math to make it bigger. I bake for a 9×13. Please have a lovely day!
Yes, baking is a science and a person definitely has to practice baking in order to become good at it! Thank you VERY MUCH for your very kind comment!! I really appreciate it!!
I do want to say I was not commenting directly to the person who wrote this thread, they were kind. I saw your saying how you couldn’t believe people had such strong feelings about baking brownies. I had read several comments where I felt compelled to say something because I have made these and I know it’s a solid recipe. I truly believe in sharing reviews and I have made recipes that just didn’t work for me, but kindness is important. I really wanted you to know that this is a truly good recipe. Have a happy holiday!
I understand what you meant. Thanks again! I really do appreciate it as comments like yours are what keep me wanting to publish.
The worst, dont call a cake recipe brownies just so people will look at it, quit rampling how you found the recipe, and be better in general.
Hello My brownies didn’t get the crackly top I baked them in an 8×8 pan and followed the recipe to a T
Hi! I’m sorry they didn’t turn out as you hoped. Brownies are a finicky thing I have found out and it’s hard to say why the crackly top didn’t happen. When I did research to write that post I found all sorts of answers and some even conflicted with one another!
Hi Malinda!
If I bake these in a glass pan (Borosilicate) do I make any changes to the baking temperature or time?
Hi Ulka! Typically when baking in a glass pan you will want to REDUCE the temperature by 25 degrees. Also check the brownies earlier as they may cook quicker. Hope that helps and let me know how you like them!
I made this recipe of brownies and i was hoping to get chewy brownies like promised. these turned out crunchy on the sides and a little chewy in the middle and i baked them for half the time in a 8×8 pan. my opinion is this recipe has WAY to much sugar. you can taste the sugar in the brownies.
Hi Vera! I am sorry these didn’t turn out as you had hoped! Brownies are a hard recipe to please everyone! However, I value your opinion and thank you for sharing with me!
The perfect brownie I’d been looking for
I followed the recipe exactly (the notes were really helpful) and the flavour was amazingly chocolatey (I thought the 3 types of chocolate would be too much). I accidentally used Dutch processed cocoa and just doubled the amount of baking powder to compensate and it worked out fine for me. They were dense, chewy and with the perfect crackly top.
I am so glad you liked the brownies!! And thank you so much for sharing your comment!!
Just made these. Will never be able to make brownies from a mix again these are awesome.
Thank you so much Rick!! So glad you liked them and thank you for sharing!
These taste okay but came out like chocolate cake 🙁 I’m very sad
I’m sorry they didn’t come out to your liking. Thanks for sharing!
I love these brownies! Such a great post! Thank you for sharing, I only substitute coconut oil for vegetable oil. So delicious! They are always gone within a day or so 🤤💗👏🏻
Thank you so much for sharing about the coconut oil! I’ve been wanting to test with coconut oil. So glad you liked them!
Made these but doubled the recipe and substituted extra 72% chocolate for chips and used coffee instead of h2o. Delicious!
Oooh, I love the extra dark chocolate!! So glad you liked them!
These are disgusting, you should take this recipe down. What a waste of my time.
These came out a little too sweet and not very chewy. Followed instructions well; don’t know why they came it like this.
So sorry you didn’t like the brownies. I have found over the years brownies are a very controversial topic because everyone has their own opinion on how they should be. Thanks for sharing though!
Excellent, excellent, excellent, Did I say excellent!! Now, being a guy and learning to cook like my Mom (little bit of this, little bit of that) I had to “play” with it. I made them first as directed, then “altered” it slightly. I used almond flour, coconut oil, 3 tsp. of vanilla and for my chocolate I used Guittard chips, Guittard bars, and Guittard cocoa powder. I soaked the chips in Grand Marnier. I agree that I didnt want the coffee flavor. Oh, I also used toasted almonds since i like nuts in my brownies. thanks for a wonderful recipe!!
Thank you so much!! And thank you for sharing your changes!!
Made these for a long meeting at work today. People RAVED about them. This was a universally loved bake and will be my new go-to when I’m craving a chocolatey treat. Thanks for putting in all the work to find the perfect recipe!
Thank you so much for your comment!! It truly made my day! I am so glad everyone liked them!
Just made a batch of these delicious chewie and crunchy brownies. I did not have any vegetable oil at home but used coconut oil instead also didn’t have any choc chips but still turned out to be the best brownies I’ve ever had. I’m not even a desert person and yet I loved these! I found it a very easy recipe to follow along.
Thank you so much for your wonderful comment and thanks for sharing about the coconut oil!! So glad you liked them!!
Did you use weight or cup measurements? They don’t match up. Ex. 100 grams of flour when I scooped into my measuring cup yields almost one cup of flour.
Hi, so sorry I didn’t answer your question sooner. When I was making this recipe spooned the flour into the measuring cup then weighed it. Different brands of flour can weigh differently because of their different protein amounts, also how finely ground the flour was, and also the environment (humidity) can play a factor in how much flour can weigh. I would just stick to the weight of the flour and not worry about the cup measurement. Hope that helps and thanks for asking!
How does the chocolate melt with the water? Won’t it seize?
Hi, it is melted using a lower heat just until the chocolate is melted as shown in the video. Thanks for asking!
why are these brownies not moist and thiq