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 brownies are amazing! There very flavorful and just the right size. Although i didn’t use chocolate chips they were still amazing! i recommend this recipe to anyone who is interested!
I’m so glad you loved them!
these brownies were really easy and delicious. I will definitely be using this recipe again!
These are literally the best brownies I’ve ever made. My brownies are usually flat and undercooked. (bc so much better than overcooked.) I was thrilled at how tall these got – while still remaining gooey. I used 50% Droste and 50% basic cocoa. Light olive oil. I make my own powdered sugar, so I added 1/2 TB corn starch and cooked for 38 min. PERFECT
These are the best brownies I’ve ever made! And the recipe is pretty simple. My son wants me to make another batch cause he says the 8 x 8 pan doesn’t make enough! Thank you, will for sure try some of your other creations!
I’m so glad you both loved them!
Hi Can I use light chocolate chips?
You can, if you’d like.
Can I use unsweetened Cacao Powder? Would that taste bad?
Thank you for this recipe, i made some today and they turned out great
This is to Jeanine specifically, hope you read this!:
So I made my brownies in a larger pan which is of course discouraged but because I have prior baking expirenece I tried something. I dont know if you bake pies, but when you have to prebake a crust for like a pumpkin one, you make a foil crust around it when you put it back in? What i mean is when the outside of the brownies are done, instruct people to put a foil covering around the edges if they can because it helps keep it not so baked. Hope this helps at all?
Hi Abi, thanks for the tip!
If I wanted to bake these in individual mini silicone pans how would I adjust cooking temp and time?
I would probably start with 25 minutes to be safe, adding 10 minutes at a time more if they are still moist. the best way to check if they are moist is the insert a toothpick into the center of the brownie.
made this today it was delicious! but wasnt able to achieve the crackly top 🙁 do you know why?
Hi Mary, the crackly top happens best with finer sugar (different brands can vary). I’ve also found that humidity can affect it. Also, if you reduced the sugar, that changes it too. Hope that helps!
wish youd give exact measurements, how much is a “bit” of water?
Hi Nathan, scroll to the bottom of the post for the recipe box with the recipe (with measurements).
Absolutely delicious! Thank you for this recipe.
I was really craving chewy brownies, and having had a disappointing experience when experimenting with another recipe, I followed this recipe exactly, except that I used melted unsalted butter instead of vegetable oil. I also used the lower amount of sugar 1 cup instead of 1.5 cups (but you mentioned that as producing good results so I still felt I was following the recipe.
The results were cakey instead of chewy. Maybe I left the brownies in a minute too long, but the innermost pieces are very soft, so I don’t think so. Would using butter instead of oil cause the cakey texture?
Another and bigger problem was that the brownies tasted oddly a little too salty to me. Should I have reduced the salt when I reduced the sugar?
Hi Susan, did you change anything else about the recipe (egg amount, flour type, or the butter/oil ratio?) and did you use an 8×8 pan? I’ve never gotten cakey results. Did you use fine grain sea salt or perhaps another type?
Hi Jeanine,
I so appreciate your quick reply! As far as I can see, I only made the changes that I mentioned, but I may have used 6 tablespoons instead of 5 of melted butter (I just cut it off the cube). I may try again, but using canola oil and perhaps a trifle less salt.
I think what irritates me the most about you people that change the given recipe and ten expect it to come out the same and then have the audacity to give it a low-star rating. If you are going to review something, review the actual recipe – not the changes you made to it because what you are reviewing is your own changed recipe and that says something for YOU.
I’m an 8th grader, and I love baking. Can’t wait to try these. xD
I almost never leave comments for recipes, but this deserves my time. I actually only had a 9×9 pan so I halved the baking time. I also added about half table spoon of cornstarch since my powdered sugar didn’t contain any and since you are so detailed in your description before the recipe I learned why it is you put powdered sugar! Thank you for that because I wouldn’t have understood why and wouldn’t have known to add some since my powdered sugar is one I make myself without any. Perfectly chewy brownies with a crunchy top!! I may experiment with reducing the sugar a bit but that’s just for some of my friends who are picky. These are perfectly delicious and amazingly chewy chocolaty goodness! This is the first brownie recipe that has worked out for me! Thank you!
Hi! Would there be any major difference if I were to use semi-sweet chocolate rather than dark chocolate? Thanks 🙂
Hi Taylor, they’ll be a bit sweeter since semi sweet is sweeter than dark chocolate. If you like a sweet brownie, it’ll be just fine.
Well there are certainly a lot of glowing reviews here! I just made these following the recipe exactly. I baked them for 40 minutes and they were horribly over baked. Dry and almost burned! They were also fairly flat. My pan was the correct size and I made no substitutions. Not sure what happened. I will try again and check for doneness starting at 25 minutes.
Made it again tonight, baked for 34 minutes and it’s perfect. These definitely lack a flavour that butter would bring to it, so next time I might do half oil half butter to give it that extra flavour. Other than that they are very good, chocolatey and fudgy indeed! We don’t really eat boxed brownies here in NZ (maybe that’s why I noticed the lack of buttery flavour), I am impressed with how easily these come together. I made it in one bowl, mixing the wet ingredients first, then adding the dry and mixing again.
I’ve made other recipes but this is by far (and I mean really far…so far I can’t even see the other recipes) THE best recipe. It’s chewy and gooey. Definitely keeping this one on file for life.
These brownies are amazing! I have made them a couple times before and have not been disappointed. I usually would add 1/4 cup of milk to the batter and add 10 minutes on the oven to get that satisfying texture. I shared them with my family and had to make another batch the next night.
I used a 9×9 pan and had to cook for an hour and 5 minutes. After it was done, they were the best brownies I have ever tasted and I’ve eaten LOTS of brownies! Thank you so much for this amazing recipe!