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Easy Fudgy Brownies

From Scratch (Our
Favorite)

1920 comments / 965 reviews

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WELCOME! WE ARE ADAM + JOANNE
This is my absolute favorite brownie recipe. We are so happy you’re here. We’re
They are rich, fudgy in the middle, and made Adam and Joanne, the creators of
completely from scratch. These brownies are so Inspired Taste. Here you will find easy
recipes for home cooks that you will
much better than the box, and I bet you have
want to make again and again. More
what you need to make them already sitting in about us…
your kitchen. Jump to the Easy Fudgy
Brownies Recipe ! " # $ % &

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love brownies that are rich and extra chocolaty.
These brownies with dense, fudgy middles and
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crinkly tops absolutely deliver! These are
perfect for boxed brownie lovers — the
dense, moist, and fudgy texture is not all that
different from what you can expect from the
boxed mixes. It get’s better, though. These
brownies are much more flavorful than anything
made from a box. They taste amazing.

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Brownie Ingredients READ MORE

These brownies require one bowl and come

together in minutes. There’s also a good TRENDING NOW

chance you already have the ingredients on

hand. Let me walk you through the steps for
making them. Now if you love simple recipes like
this one, take a look at these blondies or my
favorite chocolate chip cookies. Both are
excellent!

I bet you have most of what you need to make

HOW TO MAKE A PERFECT MOSCOW
these brownies already sitting in your kitchen. MULE
Here’s what you’ll need: Learn how to make the Moscow Mule
cocktail at home. Not too long ago, some
Butter adds so much more flavor than oil ever may have said the Moscow Mule was
making its way onto the “endangered
could. We use 100% butter in the recipe and
species…
don’t feel the need to add oil.
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HEAVENLY DARK CHOCOLATE

Sugar balances the bitterness of unsweetened TRUFFLES RECIPE
cocoa powder and adds to the texture of the We are in love with these chocolate
truffles. Here’s how to make the best
brownies. It makes the centers soft and the tops
homemade chocolate truffles. Jump to the
crinkly. Dark Chocolate Truffles Recipe How to
Make the…
Cocoa powder adds our chocolate element and
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makes these taste rich. I’ve used a variety of
cocoa powders. You can use natural cocoa
powder, Dutch-processed cocoa powder, or raw
cacao powder to make these. Use what you
love, but I love the flavor of Droste Cacao (a
Dutch cocoa powder) in these brownies.

Eggs add richness and provide structure to the

brownies.

EASY CREAMY POTATO SALAD

Salt and vanilla help to round out the flavor of
the brownies. Salt in baking might seem odd, but
just like in savory cooking, it awakens the flavors
of the recipe.
Hands down, this is my favorite creamy
potato salad recipe (and so many of our
readers agree, just read the reviews). See
how to make our homemade potato…

READ MORE

All-purpose flour is the last ingredient you

need, but you don’t need much. Remember,
we’re on the hunt for extra fudgy brownies, and
keeping the flour to a minimum helps with that.
Cakey brownie recipes will call for more flour.
While we have not tried this ourselves, if you
read through the comments below, there are
quite a few people who have had success using
a gluten-free flour blend (like the Bob’s Red Mill
blend).

Why Don’t You Add Chocolate?

This recipe is slightly adapted from Alice
Medrich’s Cocoa Brownies found in many of her
cookbooks. Medrich is a genius when it comes
to chocolate. Search on Google and you’ll see
that some brownie recipes call for chocolate that
is melted into butter, then mixed with sugar,
eggs, and flour. This recipe is different — and
smart.

Instead of using chocolate, Medrich calls for

cocoa powder. In removing the chocolate (as
well as the fat and sugar that goes along with it),
she was fine-tuned the brownies so that the
middles were softer and moist and the tops were
shiny and candy-like. The recipe is pure gold.

Since we are using cocoa powder, they aren’t

overly sweet. If you are like us and find yourself
reaching for dark chocolate over milk, these are
most certainly for you. Here’s another recipe that
is unapologetic about how much cocoa powder
is added to the batter.

If you want to add chopped chocolate or

chocolate chips, you can. These are your
brownies, after all! We recommend stirring a
handful of chocolate into the batter before
pouring it into the baking pan or scattering
chocolate on top of the batter in the pan.

How to Make the Best

Brownies
These brownies are simple to make. You only
need one mixing bowl, a small saucepan, and a
spoon. There’s no mixer or fancy equipment
required! To make them, I follow these steps:

Step 1, Melt the butter with sugar, salt, and

cocoa powder. Here is where the saucepan
comes into play. Make something called a
double boiler, a fancy term for a small saucepan
filled with an inch or two of water set over low
heat. I place a bowl with the butter, sugar, and
cocoa powder over the saucepan and watch as
they melt into a gritty-looking mixture.

This process helps to create that crinkly top we

all love. Heating the sugar like this helps move it
to the top of the brownies when they are in the
oven, which is how they get that shiny top.

Melting the butter with sugar, cocoa powder, and salt.

Alternate methods: You can complete this

process in the microwave (many of our readers
have). I prefer the stovetop method since I know
it helps achieve that beautiful crackly top. You
can also melt the butter into the sugar and cocoa
in a saucepan over medium-low heat. The
double-boiler is a fail-safe against scorching the
batter, but as long as you keep the heat to
medium-low and stay close by, you should be
fine.

Step 2, Add the vanilla and eggs. We use two

eggs to make the brownies, but I add them one
at a time. I add the first egg and mix it into the
butter, sugar, and cocoa powder. When the first
egg is mixed in, I repeat with the second egg.

After adding the eggs, the batter will transform from a gritty
batter to one that looks like shiny pudding.

Step 3, Add the flour. After mixing the flour into

the batter, I beat the batter with a spoon for 40 to
50 strokes. The batter will be thick. This extra
beating makes sure that the butter emulsifies
into the batter, which makes sure the brownies
bake perfectly in the oven. I usually tell you to be
careful not to over-mix batters on this blog, but
that’s not the case with these simple brownies.

You only need 1/2 cup of flour for these extra fudgy brownies.

Step 4, Bake them. The brownies bake in the

oven for 20 to 25 minutes. I’ve dedicated a
whole section below telling you how I tell when
brownies are ready to be pulled out of the oven,
because nobody wants an overbaked brownie,
right?

We bake the brownies in a 8-inch square pan.

What Pan Should I Use?

We bake the brownies in an 8-inch square
pan. Since posting the recipe, quite a few
readers have asked if it would be okay to use a
larger pan. You can, but you will need to double
the recipe.

If you double the recipe, a 9-inch by 13-inch

rectangular pan is perfect, and the brownies will
be slightly thicker.

It is best to use light-colored or shiny metal

baking pans since they cook more evenly. Dark
pans or non-metal pans like glass or ceramic
can affect bake time and the texture of the
brownies when baked. If these pans are all that
you have, just keep an eye of the brownies while
they bake and check on them 5 minutes before
the recipe suggests below, and then again every
5 minutes after that until they are done.

How To Tell When Brownies Are

Done
Telling when brownies are ready to come out of
the oven can be a little tricky, but don’t worry,
with my tips you’ll be a brownie pro in no time!

My first tip is to use a timer. I’m terrible at

getting distracted. Without a timer cueing me to
check on the brownies, I’m destined for
overbaked brownies! They should take 20 to 25
minutes, so to be safe, set the timer for 18
minutes. This way, you can keep a close eye on
them towards the end of cooking.

Use a toothpick. Stick it into the center of the

pan, and pull it out. If there is wet batter on the
toothpick, they need more time. If there are
moist crumbs on the toothpick, they are done,
and if there’s nothing on the toothpick, you might
have overbaked them so definitely take them out
of the oven.

Use your eyes. Perfectly baked brownies will

look a little underbaked in the middle. (Sounds
kind of strange, right). You see, as the brownies
cool, they continue to cook. So when the edges
look dry and the middle looks slightly underdone,
take them out of the oven. Even if it ends up that
you took them out a minute early, an underbaked
square in the middle of the pan is much better
than the whole pan being overbaked. Plus, if I
were at your house, I’d happily eat the
underbaked middle.

Why did my brownies take longer to bake?

After sharing this brownie recipe years ago,
some readers have found that they needed to
bake their batch for 5 to 10 minutes more than
we suggest in the recipe. These take 20 to 22
minutes in our oven, but ovens do vary, which is
why having visual cues for telling when
something is done is so important. If you find
that your brownies need extra time, I’d check the
oven temperature. Some in-home ovens are
uncalibrated, so while you think you’ve set the
temperature properly, the oven can be off by 25
degrees! Don’t worry though, a simple oven
thermometer set on a rack inside your oven can
tell you the real truth. All kitchen stores sell
them, I think ours was about $10.

What Our Readers Are Saying

If you don’t believe that our recipe helps you
achieve the best brownies from scratch, take a
look at what our readers are saying about the
recipe! More reviews are in the comments
section below.

“Hands down, best brownie recipe ever!”

– Michelle

“These brownies were the best recipe

I’ve ever made and I consider myself a
brownie connoisseur!” – Shana

“PERFECTION! This is my go to brownie

recipe and no matter what it always turns
out perfectly!” – Teas

“They are the best fudge brownies I have

ever had, much less made! This is a
keeper. Never again will I make any
other recipe!” – Ami

More Brownie Recipes

These Brownies are less bittersweet and
have chewier edges.
When we’re craving something chocolatey,
but just don’t have the patience to bake, this
Brownie In A Mug Recipe is where we turn.
If you love nuts, try these Rich and Fudgy
Salted Almond Brownies.
These Andes Mint Chocolate Cookies could
also be called brownie batter cookies. They
are so good!
Think of this Blondies Recipe as brownie’s
alter-ego. Instead of a chocolate batter, it is
vanilla.

Recipe updated, originally posted August 2013.

Since posting this in 2013, we have tweaked the
recipe to be more clear and added a quick recipe
video. – Adam and Joanne

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1920 comments / 965
reviews

Easy Fudgy Brownies From

Scratch (Our Favorite)
PREP 15mins COOK 30mins TOTAL 45mins

Say hello to our favorite brownies recipe from

scratch. You only need one bowl, a saucepan,
and a spoon. Melting the butter into the sugar
and cocoa powder ensures that shiny, crinkly top
that we all love.

These brownies are bittersweet. If you are like

us and find yourself reaching for darker
chocolate over milk chocolate, these are
certainly for you. Use natural or Dutch-process
cocoa powder (cacao powder works, too). For
brownies that are less bittersweet and that have
chewy edges, try this chewy brownie recipe
instead.

Makes 16 Brownies

WATCH US MAKE THE RECIPE

Our Favorite Easy Fudgy Brownies…

YOU WILL NEED

10 tablespoons (145 grams) unsalted butter
1 ¼ cups (250 grams) granulated sugar
3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons (80 grams)
unsweetened cocoa powder, natural or
Dutch-process
1/4 rounded teaspoon kosher salt, use
slightly less if using fine sea or table salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 large cold eggs
1/2 cup (65 grams) all-purpose flour
2/3 cup (75 grams) chopped walnuts or
pecans, optional

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