These Chocolate Chip Brownies will change your life. Skip the box mix because this homemade brownie recipe is easy to make and turns out fudgy and delicious every time. You will want to make these easy chocolate brownies all the time!
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What is your baking style? Do you like plain desserts or jazzed up desserts? I'm team jazz all the way!
Why else would I add Dr Pepper to a chocolate cake? Sounds crazy? Maybe. But if you tried this Dr Pepper chocolate cake you would be amazed.
I personally like to embellish these chocolate chip brownies with extra candy and toppings. But my family asks for "plain" brownies or regular chocolate chip cookies all the time.
I found this fudgy brownie recipe in an old church cookbook from Goodwill. After a few rounds of recipe testing and tweaking I came up with a dense brownie with a rich dark chocolate color that tastes amazing!
Why These Homemade Brownies Work
- Easy to make. These batter for these easy homemade brownies comes together in minutes with just a few ingredients.
- Rich dark color and taste. Using dark cocoa powder and chocolate chips gives these brownies an amazing color and chocolaty flavor.
- Seriously the best homemade brownies! They are fudgy and moist with a crackly top.
Key Ingredients
This simple brownie recipe comes together in minutes with just a few ingredients that you probably already have in your kitchen.
- Butter - Adds the moisture and fat needed. Melting the butter before adding it to the sugar stops air bubbles from forming when you beat them together. This keeps the brownies from rising too much and baking fluffy.
- Unsweetened Cocoa Powder - We like to use Hershey's special dark cocoa powder to give these homemade brownies the rich dark chocolate flavor and color.
- Eggs - The protein in eggs brings everything together as it bakes and adds richness and tenderness.
- Sugar - Sweetens the batter, and also makes them light and tender.
- Vanilla Extract and Salt - Adds flavor and balances out the sweetness.
- All Purpose Flour - Adds structure to the brownie recipe. We want them to be dense and fudgy, so you will not use a lot.
- Baking Powder - Just a little bit gives the lift you need in these fudgy brownies.
How to make Chocolate Chip Brownies
We have had this brownie recipe from scratch on repeat for years now. All you need are a few basic pantry ingredients and a mixing bowl.
- Line a baking pan with foil or parchment. This makes it easier to lift the brownies out of the pan later. You can also spray the pan with baking spray.
- Melt the butter and whisk in the cocoa powder. Let it cool slightly.
- Beat the eggs, granulated sugar, and vanilla until light yellow and frothy.
- Pour the cooled butter and cocoa mixture into the eggs and beat it again.
- Stir together the dry ingredients and slowly mix them in.
- Gently stir the chocolate chips or any other mix in you like into the batter. Spread in a greased pan.
- The chocolate chip brownies are done when a toothpick inserted in the outside center comes out with some sticky crumbs on it.
Storage Recommendations
On the Counter - Keep the cooled brownies in an air tight container at room temperature for 4-5 days.
In the Freezer - Place in a freezer safe bag with parchment paper between layers and freeze for 1-2 months. Thaw before serving.
Other Brownie Mix-ins
These chewy, chocolate brownies are delicious on their own. But if you are looking for an extra decadent treat, change the brownie recipe up with some of these extra ingredients. We love these Oreo brownies.
- Chocolate Chips - white, milk, dark
- Nuts - walnuts, pecans, macadamia nuts
- Toffee Bits
- Candy - M&M's, Reese's Pieces, Peanut Butter Cups
- Cookies - Oreos, Nutter Butters
Tips and Tricks
- Make sure to beat the sugar and eggs long enough. The mixture should be pale yellow and frothy.
- Mix the cocoa powder into melted butter before adding it to the batter. This mixture gives you a better fudgy texture.
- Do not over bake the brownies! You do not want to end up with dry and crumbly bars, so take them out as soon as a toothpick inserted in the sides comes out with a few crumbs on it. They will continue to bake in the hot pan.
- Let them cool for at least 30 minutes before cutting into squares. Hot brownies tend to crumble if you cut them too soon. Give them time to cool and firm up into the fudgy treat you are looking for.
Recipe FAQs
Beating the eggs and white sugar longer results in a flaky crackly brownie top when it comes out of the oven. This increases the top layer which is actually just a meringue.
This is determined by the flour to fat ratio. A fudgy brownie will call for more butter or oil in the recipe. A cakey brownie will have more flour.
Let them cool completely before cutting with a warm knife. Warm brownies fall apart very easily.
You can also use a plastic knife to make perfectly cut brownies. Another option is to chill the pan of brownies in the refrigerator before cutting them.
More Brownie Recipes
- Coffee Brownies
- Reese's Brownies
- Marshmallow Brownies
- M&M Brownies
- Little Debbie Cosmic Brownies - easy copycat
- Dark Chocolate Brownies
- Brownie Dessert
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Recipe
Chocolate Chip Brownies
A pan of these Chocolate Chip Brownies will satisfy any and all chocolate craving you may encounter. This fudgy homemade brownie recipe is easy to make and tastes great.
Ingredients
- ½ cup unsalted butter, melted
- ¼ cup dark cocoa powder
- 2 large eggs
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½ teaspoon table salt
- ¾ cup all purpose flour
- ¼ teaspoon baking powder
- ½ cup mini chocolate chips
- powdered sugar, optional
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°. Line an 8x8 baking pan with foil and then spray with nonstick baking spray. (the foil is optional)
- Whisk together the melted butter and cocoa powder and set aside.
- Beat the eggs until light in color. Add the sugar and vanilla and beat again.
- Add the chocolate butter mixture into the eggs and beat until mixed in.
- Sift together the flour, salt, and baking powder and slowly add to the egg mixture. Do not over beat.
- Stir in the mini chocolate chips by hand.
- Pour the batter into the prepared pan. Bake for 25-30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out mostly clean.
- Let cool completely before cutting into 9 squares. Dust with powdered sugar, if desired.
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 9 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 339Total Fat: 15gSaturated Fat: 8gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 5gCholesterol: 68mgSodium: 150mgCarbohydrates: 51gFiber: 1gSugar: 41gProtein: 3g
Nutrition facts are an estimate and are not guaranteed to be accurate. If you need special diet advice, please see a registered dietician.
*The post for Homemade Chocolate Chip Brownies was first published on September 2013. It was updated and republished on March 2021.
Marla T
First time I’ve made Brownies from scratch. They were fabulous. My husband said they were better than boxed. I didn’t have dark cocoa, so I just added extra cocoa powder (probably around 2 Tablespoons). I also only had regular chocolate chips, not mini. I used a glass baking dish and cooked for 30 min. They were perfect.
Barbara
Hi there, I'm wondering if you are using the new Speical Dark Hershey's formula. A few years ago they switched from a dutched/natural blend to an all dutched recipe, and since your recipe calls for baking powder it makes a difference. I have the all dutched special dark and need to know if I should add some natural.
Jocelyn
I just looked at the container I always use, and it is the special dark 100% dutched cocoa powder. You should be fine to use the powder you have. I hope you enjoy the brownies!
Ali
I want to make these but I only have margarine instead of the butter?
Jocelyn
I personally only use butter for all my baked goods because I think it has a better taste and texture. Using margarine in brownies will work, but they may have a slightly different texture and taste.
Bambi
I followed the recipe. I even baked less time at 20 min at 350 def because my oven cooks faster than most. I don’t understand why they came out dry. The flavor is pretty good, just dry. Do you know why?
Jocelyn
My guess is they still were over baked even with baking them less time. Have you ever checked your oven temperature with an oven thermometer? I wonder if your oven runs hotter which is why things would bake so much faster.
Bunny
It sounds like your oven may not be calibrated correctly. Perhaps test w/ an oven thermometer to see. Your oven’s manual should have instructions on how to recalibrate the knob that sets temps, or perhaps your oven needs a new thermostat. It’s a shame that you are ruining baked items. There’s nothing more disappointing than eating something that’s overbaked. The only truly accurate way to test baked items – cakes, pies, breads, cheesecakes, custards, cookies, brownies, etc. is by testing the internal temp w/ an instant-read thermometer, like you would test a steak for doneness. The internal temp of any baked item can be found by googling. For moist fudgy brownies, the temperature should be between 180℉ (82℃) & 190℉ (88℃). For cake-like brownies, bake til an internal temp of 210℉ (99℃).
Mary DeLano
I made this today and just sampled the brownies with my husband after waiting two hours. They are perfectly baked and very, very good! He had no idea they were made from scratch having had nothing but boxed mixes while living down here in the country of Panama. The recipe is incredibly easy and will be one of my staples for sweet treats. Thank you!!
Lori H.
I found this recipe tonight and made it. Hands down the absolute BEST brownie recipe I've ever made! I did have to make one slight adjustment; due to baking so much over the past couple of weeks I was just shy of 1/4 cup of cocoa (eek!) so I melted just a handful of the semi-sweet chocolate chips with the butter in the microwave to supplement the chocolate. Also, your advice regarding beating the eggs/egg mixture longer made a clear difference to ME (I have recently made another brownie recipe that was a flop). I beat the eggs/sugar until it resembled my usual pound cake batter. The top of the brownies came out shiny! and crinkly! And for once in a long time I did NOT overbake them. LOL Your advice was so helpful and clear. I think I've been looking for a clean toothpick as opposed to some crumbs, so my brownies have been dry. So in love with this recipe. Thanks so much.
Jocelyn
Wow! Thank you so much for the awesome review! I am so glad you enjoyed the brownies and used all the tips. They are a family favorite here too. 🙂
Oluseyi
How long do these last for in the fridge?
Jocelyn
We usually keep a tightly covered pan of brownies on the counter for 3-4 days. If you are going to refrigerate them, make sure the container or bag is tightly sealed, so they don't dry out. This way they should last for 4-5 days. You can pop a square in the microwave for a few seconds to warm them up and get that "fresh from the oven" taste. I hope that helps and you enjoy the brownies!
Kim
Oh. My. Gosh. I made these for my husband's 60th birthday. I was hesitant to try a new recipe on his special day, but no more. I used chocolate chips and added chopped walnuts. I sprinkled with a light dusting of powdered sugar just for a little flair. Pretty much the only thing I did differently was that I baked the brownies in an individual square "cupcakes" pan in paper cups. Next time I will use my silicon cupcake holders as they don't stick at all to the cakes. What made this a good idea is that the individual cakes give that little crispness on the edges. They are "to die for!" 😀
Soridalys Cruz Torres
Hi- how long for your tool to bake? He recipe said 25-30 minutes but we honestly had ours over 40 minutes and they kept coming out undercooked in the middle. We used same type of pan. Unsure why they took so long.
Jocelyn
Brownies will continue to bake and set up after you take them out of the oven. What size pan did you use and also what type...glass or metal? I have used this recipe in both types of pans and have never bake them longer than 28-30 minutes. Did you try them after they had cooled all the way?
Dre
Is there a way to make them more chewy? I feel I did all the steps correctly but the brownies came out more like cake. Thank you. <3
Jocelyn
How long did you bake them? We honestly make these brownies all the time, and I've never had them be cakey. In fact, they are always soft, chewy, and fudgy. I'm wondering if your oven runs just a little hotter than mine, so you might need to pull them out a little sooner. Also, what type of pan did you use? Glass or metal? Sometimes different pans can make brownies bake differently. Although, for this recipe, I have used both types and not seen a huge difference in texture.
Ryan
Made these yesterday but change it so much it's essentially just ratios and measurements that I used.
What I changed for fun was
Almond instead of vanilla flavoring + doubled amount.
Used dark brown sugar instead of white. Whipped that with the cocoa and butter plus 1/8c milk Then two eggs and whipped til as near as could to peaks forming then added the flour and whipped again until light and fluffy.
Then I folded In a handful plus a few milk chocolate chips and an equal to slightly lesser amount of espresso chips and topped with walnuts then baked according to this recipe.
Obviously my changes gave it more of a cake texture. It's a very dense looking texture but melts in your mouth. I'm also about 98% sure I omitted the backing powder by accident.
Jocelyn
Way to be creative with the recipe! It sounds delicious!!!
isabela
does this recipe really work like that
Jocelyn
Yes, it does! I use this recipe for all my brownie creations!
Brownie lover
What do I do if I do not want to put my butter in a cup?
The brownie looks great.
Thanks,
Jocelyn
I'm not sure what you mean? In order to melt the butter, you need to place it in a cup...or melt it in a pan on the stove.
Lilian-Anne Gutierrez
Made these tonight. Oh my, they were decadent!!! Added choc chips ontop of mine after they were cooked as well as in the batter, so good!!
Candice
These were absolutely delicious. Don’t need the powdered sugar. New family favorite
Brittny
My husband is VERY picky about his brownies from sweetness to consistency…he LOOOOOVED these! They are so good (I added a few more chocolate chips though haha). THANK YOU!
Jocelyn
That's awesome to hear...thank you for sharing! I am SO happy he enjoyed these brownies!!!