Best Brownie Recipe
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The search for the very best brownie recipe ends here. These brownies are fudgy, deeply chocolaty, and absolutely worth making from scratch.
I’ve made a lot of brownie recipes over the years, but I always come back to this one. The brownies are thick, deeply chocolatey, irresistibly fudgy in the center, and topped with a paper-thin, crackly crust. The secret? While most brownie recipes—and nearly all boxed mixes—rely solely on cocoa powder, this one is made with real melted chocolate for exceptional richness and flavor.
The recipe originally comes from pastry chef Nick Malgieri’s Chocolate cookbook. It’s been around for decades and featured in numerous cooking publications, such as The New York Times, Saveur, and The Splendid Table. Try it for yourself and see why people have been making it for so long.
Why You’ll Love This Brownie Recipe
- One bowl and no mixer required
- Perfectly fudgy with crackly tops
- Made with simple ingredients
- Easy to make ahead and freeze
- Perfect for parties, bake sales, and gifting
- A time-tested recipe that’s been loved for decades
“The name does not lie!! These are hands-down the BEST brownies I have made!!! My entire family devoured them.”
What You’ll Need To Make Homemade Brownies
- Unsalted butter: Adds richness and moisture, creating the brownies’ signature fudgy texture. Using unsalted butter lets you control the amount of salt in the recipe.
- Bittersweet or semisweet chocolate: Since chocolate is the star here, use a good-quality chocolate bar, such as Ghirardelli or Guittard. I recommend bars instead of chocolate chips, which contain stabilizers that prevent them from melting as smoothly.
- Eggs: Provide structure while keeping the brownies rich and chewy. Use large eggs, and let them come to room temperature if possible so they blend more easily into the batter.
- Granulated sugar: Helps create the brownies’ signature shiny, crackly top while adding sweetness.
- Dark brown sugar: Adds moisture along with a subtle molasses flavor that makes the brownies even richer and fudgier. Light brown sugar will work in a pinch, but you’ll get a milder flavor and slightly less moisture.
- Vanilla extract: Enhances the chocolate flavor without overpowering it.
- Salt: Balances the sweetness and makes the chocolate taste even richer.
- All-purpose flour: Just enough flour gives the brownies structure while keeping them dense and fudgy instead of cakey. Measure using the spoon-and-level method for the best results—packing the cup or scooping straight from the bag adds too much flour and dries out the brownies.
- Jump to the printable recipe for precise measurements
Step-by-Step Instructions
Step 1: Melt the butter and chocolate. Melt the butter until it’s hot and bubbling, then add the chopped chocolate. Let it sit for about a minute before whisking; the residual heat from the butter is usually enough to melt the chocolate completely. If a few pieces remain, microwave the mixture briefly and whisk again until smooth and glossy.
Step 2: Mix the eggs, sugars, and flavoring. Whisk the eggs with the sugars, vanilla, and salt until smooth, making sure there are no lumps of brown sugar. You don’t need to whip a lot of air into the mixture—just whisk until everything is evenly combined.
Step 3: Finish the batter. Whisk the melted chocolate into the egg mixture, then stir in the flour just until no streaks remain. The batter will be thick and glossy. Avoid overmixing at this stage, which can make the brownies a bit tougher.
Step 4: Bake. Line the pan with parchment paper, leaving an overhang on two sides so you can easily lift the brownies out after baking. Spray the paper with nonstick cooking spray, then spread the batter evenly into the corners and bake until the top is shiny and set. If you’re unsure whether they’re done, it’s better to err on the side of slightly underbaked than overbaked. The brownies will continue to set as they cool.
Step 5: Cool and cut. As tempting as it is to cut into warm brownies, letting them cool completely gives them time to finish setting, making them easier. Once cool, use the parchment overhang to lift them from the pan, then trim the crispy edges (chef’s treat!) and cut into squares. Store in an airtight container for up to 4 days, or freeze for longer storage.
Choosing Your Pan
This recipe is written for a 9×13-inch metal pan (24 brownies). Some helpful adjustments:
- 8×8 or 9×9 pan: Halve the recipe. Start checking for doneness around 30 minutes.
- Two 8×8 pans: Keep the full recipe and split the batter between two pans (great for trying different mix-ins). Bake about 30 minutes.
- Glass or ceramic instead of metal: Drop the oven to 325°F rather than adding time at 350°F. Both retain heat more than metal and can burn at the edges before the center’s done. Glass is the more stubborn of the two; ceramic tends to be a bit more forgiving.
Variations and Mix-Ins
- Add nuts: Fold in ½ to 1 cup of chopped toasted walnuts or pecans along with the batter for crunch.
- Deepen the chocolate flavor: Add 1 teaspoon of instant espresso powder to the melted chocolate-butter mixture. You won’t taste coffee; it just intensifies the chocolate.
- Go extra chocolatey: Fold in ½ to 1 cup of chocolate chips along with the flour for pockets of melted chocolate throughout.
Video Tutorial
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Best Brownie Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter
- 8 oz bittersweet or semisweet chocolate, roughly chopped (I use Ghirardelli bars)
- 4 large eggs
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1 cup (packed) dark brown sugar
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 cup all-purpose flour, spooned into measuring cup and leveled-off
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C) and set a rack in the middle position. Line a 9 x 13-in (23 x 33-cm) pan with parchment paper (bring parchment up sides of pan so there is a slight overhang) and grease with butter or nonstick cooking spray.
- Place the butter in a medium microwave-safe bowl and melt in the microwave until bubbling. Add the chocolate and whisk until the chocolate is completely melted. The heat from the butter should be enough to melt the chocolate completely, but if not, place the chocolate-butter mixture in the microwave and heat for 20 seconds or so, then whisk again. (Alternatively, combine the butter and chocolate in a heat proof bowl and set over a pan of simmering water. Stir occasionally until melted.)
- Whisk the eggs in a large bowl. Add the salt, granulated sugar, brown sugar, and vanilla; whisk until smooth (be sure no lumps of brown sugar remain). Whisk in the chocolate-butter mixture, then add the flour and whisk until the batter is uniform.
- Pour the batter into the prepared pan and spread evenly. Bake for about 45 minutes, until the top has formed a shiny crust and the batter is moderately firm. Cool completely in the pan on a rack.
- Use the parchment overhang to lift the brownies out of the pan, transfer them to a cutting board, and separate the parchment from the edges. Using a sharp knife, trim away the edges and cut the brownies into 24 (2-in) squares.
Notes
Nutrition Information
This website is written and produced for informational purposes only. I am not a certified nutritionist and the nutritional data on this site has not been evaluated or approved by a nutritionist or the Food and Drug Administration. Nutritional information is offered as a courtesy and should not be construed as a guarantee. The data is calculated through an online nutritional calculator, Edamam.com. Although I do my best to provide accurate nutritional information, these figures should be considered estimates only. Varying factors such as product types or brands purchased, natural fluctuations in fresh produce, and the way ingredients are processed change the effective nutritional information in any given recipe. Furthermore, different online calculators provide different results depending on their own nutrition fact sources and algorithms. To obtain the most accurate nutritional information in a given recipe, you should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe, using your preferred nutrition calculator.
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I made these for dessert after making your amazing burger recipe for dinner tonight. My oven must bake hotter than yours so I took them out at 40 minutes. I probably should’ve taken them out at 35. They’re still delicious but aren’t as moist as I imagine they will be with less baking time.
Okay, this is the best homemade brownie recipe I have ever had in my life! This was a big hit with my two boys. My husband don’t eat a lot of sweets and he said they were REALLY GOOD! Jen…you rock girlfriend!!
Hi Jenn!
Should the ingredients be @ room temperature to begin? (eggs, butter)
Hi Erica, Typically, all ingredients should be room temp when baking but with this recipe it doesn’t matter. Enjoy 🙂
The best thing about this recipe is that it makes a lot of brownies, because these are always in demand when I make them. I think you can tell a good brownie by the crispy, crinkly top and I was not wrong with these. In my house everyone loves the edges so I did not cut them away. As a raffle prize I bake monthly for a colleague at work. This recipe was his favorite of all the things I made!
OMGGGGGG!!! So Good and So Easy!! These are so decadent and chocolatey, I cut these up into little two bite brownies to make the perfect sweet treat for my family!! Although, we may all grab a bit more than one!
These are my favorite brownies ever…but even if I cool my brownies overnight, I cannot get them to cut properly. I bake them in a 13 x 9 x 2 pan and line my pan with parchment paper that has been greased on both sides…but still, my brownies crumble and break apart when I try to cut them. Sometimes, the parchment paper sticks to the bottom of the brownies. Do I need a better knife? Out of 24 brownies, I only get about 12 decent looking ones. Any tips? Thank you!
Hi Victoria, Happy to help troubleshoot. Are the brownies hard to cut because they are too dry or wet? What brand of parchment are you using? Are you making any substitutions?
I have found that cutting brownies with a plastic knife keeps the brownies from falling apart when cut.
I cannot comment on the recipe as I have yet to make it but I would like to second the “plastic knife” suggestion. I too was having trouble cutting brownies and found that suggestion. I found a plastic picnic knife and tried it. Cleaned it after each swipe. Worked wonders. Also, perhaps you are “sawing” when you cut. Don’t. Try to cut with one swift motion decisively. Also, are you cooking at altitude? That matters.
Hope these suggestions help.
Super Natural brownies indeed! This recipe is by far the easiest and tastiest batch of brownies I’ve ever made. The texture and flavor is so rich and moist. It’s light, but fudgey, and filled with chocolate goodness. Yum and Yum! My daughter dubbed it our new gourmet brownie 🙂
I just have one question. Is there a variation of this delightful recipe to make it a cream cheese brownie?
So glad you enjoyed, Aminah! I don’t have a tried n’ true cream cheese variation as of right now, but will add it to my list for sure 🙂
Oh dear. I did not have great success with this recipe, and I really expected to. I’m a little puzzled–the only substitution I made was Ghirardelli bittersweet chips instead of a bar (and I weighed out 8 oz of them). Other than that I followed precisely, with careful measurements. I baked for exactly 45 minutes, the top was shiny and the batter seemed fairly firmly set. I didn’t test with a toothpick as I figured it would not come out clean, even when done, on a fudgy center. I cooked in the pan for several hours, and lifted them out and let cool another hour or so before cutting. That’s when my problems became clear–the outside squares were fabulous, but the inner squares were just goo. Delicious, chocolatey goo. I’ve got them in the fridge thinking maybe they’ll set up better. But I wonder if I need more baking time? A little more flour? I am at a fairly high altitude which sometimes affects my baked goods. These didn’t sink at all–they just were not as set as I’d like.
Hi Jolie, I think high altitude is probably the issue — you may need to increase the oven temperature and add a bit more flour to strengthen the structure of the brownies. Here’s a good link to baking adjustments for high altitude: http://www.kingarthurflour.com/recipe/high-altitude-baking.html
I’m always looking for THE perfect brownie, this recipe nails it! You have people who prefer the cakey variety and those who prefer them fudgier. This is the perfect combination of both and they have an amazing chocolate flavor and what makes them even better…they are super easy to make!
I didn’t have any parchment paper left, so I used foil and that worked just as well, I also added a half teaspoon of instant Espresso powder to bring out the chocolate even more. Just delicious!
These are the best brownies I have ever baked. I have made them several times now and they never last long! Thank you for the great recipe!