The BEST brownie recipe! With crispy edges, fudgy middles, and rich chocolate flavor, these homemade brownies will disappear in no time.
For years, I couldn’t seem to find a recipe for brownies that met my standards. Anytime I made homemade brownies, I wanted them to be just like the ones I ate as a kid – super fudgy, moist, and chocolaty, with crispy edges and crackly tops. But the thing is, these brownies didn’t come from a recipe. We always made them from a box. Nowadays, I prefer to bake from scratch, but no brownie recipe I tried could live up to the chocolate brownies of my childhood.
So this fall, as I flipped through Michelle Lopez’s new book Weeknight Baking, her recipe for Boxed Mix Brownies, From Scratch caught my eye. Would I finally be able to make homemade brownies that would be just as delicious as the ones from a box?
The verdict: yes! I’ve had this brownie recipe on repeat since the first time I tried it. It calls for basic pantry ingredients, and it’s hardly more difficult than using a mix. As for the brownies, they’re true perfection – glossy, fudgy, and filled with rich chocolate flavor. Trust me, you’re going to want to make them ASAP!
Another thing you should do ASAP is check out Weeknight Baking! This book is packed with crave-worthy recipes that are meant for busy weeknights. Each one comes with fun variations (I have my eye on the matcha snickerdoodles) as well as tips for becoming a more efficient baker. After years of juggling a 9-to-5 job and running her blog, Hummingbird High, Michelle is full of wisdom on how to bake on a busy schedule. She writes, “We’re all doing the best we can with what we have. And I’m going to help you bake any night of the week that works for you.” If you love baking, you’ll love this book.
Homemade Brownie Recipe Ingredients
Back to Michelle’s recipe for brownies! In order for it to turn out like (aka better than) the boxed mix, Michelle uses granulated sugar, all-purpose flour, salt, and chocolate chips. Then, she adds these key ingredients:
- 2 eggs + water – Michelle uses a bit of water with the eggs to achieve the moist, gooey texture of boxed mix brownies without any commercial emulsifiers. And because this recipe doesn’t contain any baking powder, eggs are essential for helping the brownies puff up in the oven.
- Powdered sugar – The trick to making homemade brownies that are just like ones from a box! Powdered sugar contains cornstarch, which helps thicken the batter without the chemical additives you’d find in a mix.
- Unsweetened cocoa powder – Michelle recommends using Hershey’s Special Dark Dutch-processed cocoa powder (I used Whole Foods’ 365 Cocoa Powder). Make sure to sift it if it’s lumpy!
- Oil – While many recipes for brownies use unsalted butter, Michelle’s calls for canola oil, just like the boxed mix. I use olive oil because it’s what I keep on hand, and I love the rich flavor.
- Vanilla Extract – 1/2 teaspoon vanilla really amps up the chocolate flavor.
That’s it! These fantastic homemade brownies are so easy.
How to Make Brownies from Scratch
First, mix together the dry and wet ingredients in two separate bowls. Combine the sugar, flour, powdered sugar, cocoa powder, chocolate chips, and salt in a medium bowl. Then, whisk together the eggs, olive oil, and water in a large one.
Next, combine the wet and dry ingredients. Sprinkle the dry mixture over the wet one, and fold until just combined. The batter will be thick!
Then, pour the batter into an 8×8 inch baking pan lined with parchment paper. Use a rubber spatula to spread it to all four sides of the pan and to smooth the top. The mixture will be very thick – that’s ok.
Finally, bake! Transfer the pan to a 325-degree oven and bake for 40 to 45 minutes, until a toothpick inserted comes out with a few crumbs attached. Allow the brownies to cool completely before slicing and serving. Enjoy!
Store any leftovers in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days. They also freeze well for up to a month. Last time I made these, I doubled the recipe and stored the second batch in the freezer. It was so fun to have them on hand for a quick and easy dessert or afternoon treat!
Best Brownie Recipe Tips
- Better chocolate chips = better brownies. In her book, Michelle writes that one of the biggest secrets to making great brownies is using large, good-quality chocolate chips. She recommends Ghiradelli’s 60% Cacao Bittersweet Baking Chips, while I love Enjoy Life’s Dark Chocolate Morsels. Either brand would fantastic in this recipe!
- It’s better to pull them out too early than to leave them in too long. No one likes dry brownies, so err on the side of caution when you’re making this recipe. Bake them until a toothpick inserted comes out with just a few crumbs attached. If you’re on the fence, go ahead and take them out of the oven. They’ll continue to firm up as they cool!
- Wait for them to cool. Try your best to resist eating these guys straight out of the oven. Letting them cool makes them gooier and fudgier, and they’ll be less likely to crumble when you slice them. Plus, they’ll have an even richer chocolate flavor. Trust me, it’s worth the wait!
More Favorite Desserts
If you love this brownie recipe, try one of these yummy treats next!
- Perfect Oatmeal Cookies
- Easy Sugar Cookies
- No-Bake Cookies
- Best Peanut Butter Cookies
- Orange Zest Shortbread Cookies
- Vegan Coconut Macaroons
Best Homemade Brownies
Equipment
- 8x8 Baking Dish (this is the one I use so they don't overcook)
- Cooking Spray (I love this avocado oil one from Chosen Foods)
- Parchment Paper (this makes it so much easier to remove the brownies from the pan)
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar*
- 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
- 2/3 cup cocoa powder, sifted if lumpy
- 1/2 cup powdered sugar, sifted if lumpy
- 1/2 cup dark chocolate chips
- 3/4 teaspoons sea salt
- 2 large eggs
- 1/2 cup canola oil or extra-virgin olive oil**
- 2 tablespoons water
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 325°F. Lightly spray an 8x8 baking dish (not a 9x9 dish or your brownies will overcook) with cooking spray and line it with parchment paper. Spray the parchment paper.
- In a medium bowl, combine the sugar, flour, cocoa powder, powdered sugar, chocolate chips, and salt.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs, olive oil, water, and vanilla.
- Sprinkle the dry mix over the wet mix and stir until just combined.
- Pour the batter into the prepared pan (it'll be thick - that's ok) and use a spatula to smooth the top. Bake for 40 to 48 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out with only a few crumbs attached (note: it's better to pull the brownies out early than to leave them in too long). Cool completely before slicing.*** Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days. These also freeze well!
Notes
This is simply the best brownie recipe I have ever found…. and I’m not young anymore! They are perfect brownies every time! What a crowd pleaser! Thank you!
Hi Rhonda, I’m so glad you love the brownies!
Pretty good, we added some extra too it😉
So glad you enjoyed the brownies!
She’s not playing! These are literally THE BEST BROWNIES! I might try adding some yummy adaptogenic powders for a functional herbal medicine version. Thank you! 🙏🏼
Hi Jasmine, I’m so glad you love the brownies!
I want to try out this recipe, but don’t really like the taste of olive or canola oil. Would butter work in this instance or would I have to tweak the measurements of the other ingredients?
I use melted margarine and it worlds great
We used coconut oil instead, worked great! (Make sure to melt it before adding in)
Hi Liv, you could use melted butter here!
Hello I love this recipe
I’m so glad you love it!
So easy and so delicious! They are my husband’s favorite.
I have tried dozens of brownie recipes and they were never quite right. I tried this one because it had a 4.9 rating by 7,000 people. It was pretty good. The three things I would do to make them even better is 1) use Mexican vanilla 2) add walnuts 3) add a little bit of instant espresso powder to make the chocolate flavor even richer.
Hiii, these brownies turned out great!
I added raspberries to the mix and it was delicious, 100% recommend:)
While I love most of your recipes, this brownie recipe turned oily and unpleasant for me. I used olive oil. Not sure what happened?
For me, the recipe turned out perfect as is. I think sometimes cakes turn out oily if you put them in a not-pre-heated oven, maybe that’s the case? Try letting your oven heat up longer next time.
I really recommend giving it another try, my friends loved the brownies, it’s so worth it! 🙂
Mine came out oily too… oven was on for a while so it wasn’t cold. Idk I’m disappointed
Hi Sylvie, did you change anything about the recipe?
My 8×8 pan is glass. Is it recommended to bake these at 300 degrees instead of 325 and just add 5-10 mins?
Hello, what kind of sea salt. Is it fine? Coarse? Etc. I have fine sea salt at home not coarse. So I’m hoping it would work
Can I used milk chocolate instead of dark
Thank you for this fantastic recipe! I did them yesterday and they turned out great! I used just one cup of granulated sugar and about half of the powder sugar, and they were just perfect.
Love this recipe, produced perfect brownies for birthday gifts and bake sales on occasions past. Will it be possible to replace flour with almond flour on a 1:1 ratio for a friend who’s gluten free?
Hi Katherine, I’m so glad you’ve enjoyed the recipe. Almond flour is never a 1:1 swap – I would get a gluten free all purpose flour like Bob’s and substitute that instead.
If you don’t need to go dairy free, I would use Cup4Cup gluten free flour. Namaste and King Arthur gluten free flour is what I use for my daughter, who can’t have dairy. Bob’s Red Mill has an unpleasant texture and aftertaste, in my opinion. Good luck and hope this helps!
Love this recipe so much! Will it be possible to replace the flour with almond flour for a friend who is gluten free?
From a newly GF household, use the 1:1 King-Arthur flour GF flour substitute!! It works wonderfully!
I’m not sure why people are leaving negative comments. I love these brownies. I bake many cookies, cakes, etc. From scratch and I don’t think that this recipe uses too much sugar. The cocoa powder is unsweetened, so you need a lot of sugar. Plus if people want less sugar, they can just use less. No reason to be mean.
Hi Aimee, I’m so glad you’ve enjoyed them!
Do I leave them in the pan to cool completely or on a cooling rack?
Hi Helga, I leave them in the pan.
Have a sudden craving for brownies today. Made it after dinner and had a slice for dessert. Will definitely make it again. I used rice bran oil. Will try with less sugar next time and and some kind of nuts.
I’m so glad you loved them!
I’m sorry for that comment my sister did that
ILOVEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE IT