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
These were actually very good! I was scared at first because the batter was thick and I used a 9×9 pan but oh my gosh!! These were the best brownies ive ever tried. I usually don’t want brownies and I just made them because my dad lies them. I baked them for about 24 minutes, but I will bake them for 27-30 next time for a firmer brownie.
Hi Belle, I’m glad you all loved them!
Served these at a family dinner and nobody took more than a bite. The olive oil taste was horrible. The whole batch went into the trash. The repeat with Canola not much better. A waste of ingredients unfortunately. Not sure where good reviews coming from.
Hi Jenna, I’m sorry these weren’t for you.
Hi! I really want to make this recipe (it looks AMAZING), but I only have a 9×13 pan. If I doubled the recipe, would that work?
yep, that’ll work.
I do, and they come out okay.
how good could this recipe be?
SO. GOOD. I took them out 5 min early because I put marshmallows in them and they were PERFECT.
These turned out really great! Chewy texture, very chocolatey. You do really need to let them fully cool before they are cut
These were great! I only have a 9 x 9 baking pan so I baked for 30 minutes only and they were perfect. My son smiled after his first bite, that is a winner!
i absolutely LOVE this recipe, but would it be okay if i heavily greased the pan if i don’t have parchment paper?
would it be okay if i heavily greased the pan, if i don’t have parchment paper?
I only have a 9 x13 pan. Wondering how long should I bake if I double the recipe and use that pan?
These are perfection! I used the olive oil and WOW. They were gobbled up faster than any dessert I’ve ever made. Thank you!
If I doubled this recipe could I use a 9×13 inch pan? There’s another recipe I have that used boxed brownies to make a cake roll! I would rather rather make brownies for scratch! Love your recipes!
Hi Carroll, I’m so glad you’ve been enjoying the recipes! That sounds delicious, but this recipe is super fudgy and I don’t think it’ll roll well.
I never leave comments on recipes, but I just wanted to say these have the BEST texture: gooey and fudgy on the inside, and a nice crust on top and around the edges.
I didn’t have an 8×8 pan, so I baked them at the noted temp for 30 minutes, and I did the 1 c of sugar and the canola oil. Perfection! Next time, and there will most definitely be a next time, I’m adding walnuts.
I’m so glad you loved them!
This is the best brownie recipe I’ve ever made. I followed it exactly as written. 10/10 no notes !!
Hi Mary, I’m glad you loved them!
For those who prefer a brownie that firms up and is kinda between fudgy & normal, I did 3 medium eggs, a tablespoon extra of oil, 1 cup granulated sugar, 3/4 cup brown sugar, and 1/4 cup water instead. Everything else the same. Came out great
Love this recipe! I used half olive oil and half applesauce so that I would not get an olive oil taste. I did cook it longer than 50 minutes, but I watched it carefully.. It is absolutely amazing with ice cream. This is a keeper.!
FWIW a type of olive oil called Arbequina has absolutely no taste and therefore excellent for baking, for making homemade mayo where you don’t want a strong olive flavor, and so on. If yr health conscious / organic this will def do the trick.
Great brownies! I followed the recipe except for one thing. I traded out the water for 2 Tbsps of strong coffee. This is my new “go to” brownie recipe. I think I’ll add nuts next time.
Tasted ok, too sweet and too much salt. Took over an hour to bake. Very chewy despite not over mixing. Expected more.
Hi Greta, I’m sorry these weren’t for you. Did you use fine sea salt? They shouldn’t bake for over an hour so that could have been why they were chewy.
I love that idea, I’m so glad you enjoyed them!
I made this recipe omitting the chocolate chips and replacing them with chopped walnuts. I also used a mini muffin pan instead of a rectangular brownie pan. Made delicious mini bite-sized brownies!!
Hi Mary, I’m glad you enjoyed them!
How long did you cook? this is what I was planning on doing.
Wonderful recipe, tasted awesome. made these with the reduced sugar tip in the comments and they were perfect, nice and fudgey. I used peanut butter chips + nuts on top.
Just leaving this comment to say: if you’re considering this recipe and are reading the low score reviews first, make note! A lot of people who are complaining about things being undercooked in the middle and having to leave it in the oven for over twice the time simply didn’t read the whole recipe! the author repeats over and over again that these will come out looking underdone in the middle and need to be left to set over a couple hours. This is true! Mine were very goopy in the middle immediately after coming out of the oven, and firmed up to proper brownie texture within an hour. There is no soup, as long as you don’t change any ingredients without knowing what you’re doing. Give these a try! Thanks for the sweets 🙂
Hi Micah, I’m so glad you loved them!
Hi DW, these brownies freeze well for up to 3 months! They thaw fairly quickly at room temp, or you can defrost them in the air fryer or microwave.
Hi Flo, for a less sweet brownie, we recommend using 1 cup granulated sugar instead of 1 1/2. Using dark chocolate chips instead of semi-sweet or milk chocolate is another way to reduce the sweetness.