This Super Easy Fudge Brownie Recipe is a family size recipe, full of deep chocolate flavor, fudgy on the inside, with the perfect chocolate crust on the outside.
Skip the box mix, and make these super easy homemade brownies instead! All you need are some basic baking ingredients, a few minutes of prep and you’ll be blown away at how delicious these fudge brownies are!
Homemade Fudge Brownie Recipe
- Start by melting a cup of butter, then let it cool slightly. Whisk in some sugar, eggs and vanilla extract.
- Add in the cocoa powder, flour, salt and baking powder. Use a sturdy wood spoon to gently stir until the mixture is no longer dry.
- Fold in some chocolate chips and pour into a 9×13″ baking pan.
BEST Fudge Brownie TIPS:
Even though you have the ingredients to make the BEST fudge brownies, doesn’t mean they’ll be the BEST. Here are a few tips to get you those AWARD WINNING brownies every time!
- EGGS – this recipe calls for 4 lightly beaten eggs. Make sure you lightly beat the eggs before adding them to the butter and sugar. We don’t want to over mix the brownie batter or you’ll end up with tough brownies.
- STURDY SPOON – Ditch the whisk when it comes to mixing the dry ingredients with the wet. Gently stir the batter together until there are no more dry lumps. Again, over mixing here will create air pockets in the batter, resulting in a more cake-like brownie.
- BAKE TIME – All ovens are a little different, so make sure you keep an eye on your brownies and don’t let them over cook. You’ll know the brownies are done when the top get a shiny gloss to it with a few cracks all over.
- PLASTIC KNIFE – Here’s a bonus tip for ya! Use a plastic knife to get perfectly cut brownies. It’s a game changer!
I loaded the inside of these brownies with mini chocolate chips for an extra chocolatey flavor. You can skip the chips, or try any of these fun variations:
Can I Add Extras To This Brownie Mix?
- Use quality chocolate bars that are coarsely chopped in place of chocolate chips.
- Try using chopped up kit kats, reese’s peanut butter cups, m&m’s or any of your other favorite candies.
- Swap out cocoa powder for dark cocoa powder for an extra dark chocolate brownie.
- You can even add your favorite nut! Pecans, walnuts, peanuts, etc.
Looking for an over the top brownie recipe? Try these Fudge Ripple Pecan Brownies!
The easiest way to get brownies out of the pan is to line the pan with parchment paper. Make sure you leave a few inches of parchment paper along the sides of the pan so you can easily lift the brownies out of the pan.
Should I Use a Metal or Glass Pan?
I prefer to make these brownies in my metal 9″x13″ pan because it gives the brownies a little more of a crisp edge to them. That being said, you can also get away with using a glass baking dish, just make sure the brownies are fully cooked before removing from the oven (glass may require a few extra minutes of bake time).
Can You Halve or Double This Brownie Recipe?
Yes! You can easily halve this recipe and bake it in a 9×9″ pan. The brownies would be a little thicker, but should be done around 20 to 23 minutes.
If you want to double the recipe, I would just bake in two 9×13″ pans. You can use the “2x” button in the recipe card to get the proper measurements.
There’s nothing better than that crackled, glossy top to these BETTER THAN BOX brownies!
One bite of these delicious fudge brownies and you’ll be hooked!
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Super Easy Fudge Brownie Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 cup butter
- 2 cups sugar
- 4 eggs, lightly beaten
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 2/3 cup cocoa powder
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1 cup mini chocolate chips
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a 9x13" baking pan or line with parchment paper. Set aside.
- Melt the butter and let cool slightly. Stir in the sugar, eggs and vanilla extract until combined.
- Add in the cocoa powder, flour, salt and baking powder. Use a sturdy wooden spoon or rubber spatula to gently stir the ingredients, just until combined. DO NOT whisk or over mix (this will add extra air to the batter and result in cake-like brownies instead of fudge-like ones).
- Fold in the chocolate chips and pour batter into prepared baking pan. Spread out evenly.
- Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, until the center is set. Let cool slightly before slicing. Enjoy!
Notes
Nutrition
I followed exactly the steps using a 9×13 pan but the there was no success. When I put the batter in the pan I noticed that it was really thin so I put my timer at 20’ but unfortunately the brownie came out like a cake..not moist at all!!!
Anyway I should have expected this because I saw that the batter was thin..
They’re so good. I substituted 1/2 of sugar for brown sugar and I only had half a cup of chocolate chips. I also threw in some chopped nuts and put some Halloween sprinkles on top and they’re delicious
Great recipe and so easy to make! This is my go to recipe for brownies!!
Hi
Do I use unsweetened cocoa powder or sweetened cocoa powder? I want to try this recipe but I didn’t know which kind of cocoa powder to use.
With two cups of sugar in the recipe, I have to assume that it’s unsweetened cocoa.
VERY GOOD I will be making these for now on-just will need to hide them from some people—because they wont be around very long.
Just finished eating a piece with a cup of black coffee. Perfect recipe. Although, I only used 1 stick of butter and only 3 very large eggs. This is super easy and a keeper. Thank you.
Can I use regular semi sweet chips? And if so how many?
Yes, that will work just fine. Use the same quantity as the recipe calls for.
Hi, can I bake these in a 9×9 pan so they’re thicker? If so, how long would I need to bake them? Thank you!
Shawn, are you SURE you don’t have a copy of my moms recipe box? Lol once again this recipe is almost identical to the one she always used. I have not made in a while, so I’ll have to try yours. My mom came to US from Europe after WW 2 and had lots of ways to Make simple ingredients “simply delicious”
Thanks again for all your great recipes!
I love this recipe. Have made them numerous times and are always a big hit. But I recently relocated and now I’m high altitude (6000). I have fixed them twice now and both times they have been off. More the texture than the taste. Not sure how to adjust the recipe or if it’s just a fluke.
I am at 6400 altitude. These are the changes I made because of the altitude:
1. add 2TBS of extra flour
2. cut baking powder to 1/4 tsp
3. reduce sugar to 1 3/4 cups
4. Add 2 TBS of extra butter
5. Bake at 375 degrees
6. Bake on rack 1 below the center rack
I recommend parchment paper. The plastic knife was great for cutting.
Do Not Over Bake. I baked mine for 22minutes. Tasted great. Melt in your mouth goodness.
Great recipe! I made the brownies last night with the following changes:
I cut the amount of sugar by substituting 1 c of Allulose for one of the cups of sugar.
I also used regular sized chocolate chips (69% dark chocolate).
Finally, I added about 1/3 c of chopped walnuts.
They are delicious! They did come out slightly cakey so I likely overmixed a bit.
Oh, I also baked them in a mini muffin pan and adjusted the baking time to 15 minutes. Yield: 26.
I’m so glad you were able to make them the way you wanted! Sounds delish!
Hi Shawn, everyone loves your recipe ! It was a big hit with my friends , families and colleagues. When folding in the flour and Cocoa powder , is it ok to have lumps in the batter ? Cos I tend to over whisk the mixture and it turned cake like instead of the fudge like brownies that I want to achieve . How do I avoid the lumps ? Or shall I just ignore it?
Shawn!!!!!!! Girlfriend!!!!! I followed your recipe this evening and I LOVE these brownies. Thank you for sharing.
Just made these as is (only difference is I used semi-sweet regular sized chips) and they are delish!!! Nice and fudgy, balanced sweetness. I tried one…and had another…and had another. Had to stop myself haha.
I love how simple + minimal the ingredients are, some brownie recipes can be daunting! You captured these babies so well too, gorgeous photos!
I’m so glad you enjoyed them Priya!
Hi! Would white whole wheat flour work for this recipe?
I haven’t tested this recipe with that type of flour, so I’m not sure. If you give it a try, let us know how it turns out!
Fantastic recipe. Used olive oil butter instead of dairy butter. Came out exactly as advertised. I won ribbons for my brownies, but will keep this recipe. Daughter laughed while eating them and said “who needs a mix.” They came together in 10 minutes, baked in 25.
I’ve been wanting a recipe for a good simple coco brownie, and this is it! I halved the recipe and baked in an 8 x 8 inch square metal pan. I melted the butter and sugar together to melt the sugar, and added the (dutch) coco to this mixture. When it had cooled a bit, I stirred in the beaten eggs, and then the flour, baking powder and salt. Folded in 3/4 of the mini chips, and baked for 20 minutes, and they came out perfect. Sprinkled the remainder of the chips on top after taking out of the oven. Beautiful shiny top, and nice chewy texture. Nice chocolate flavor. Did you use natural or dutch coco?
I’m so glad you enjoyed the recipe Shari!
I have used both, but I have found that the Dutch gives it a whole different flavor and it turns out really awesome. I only use Dutch now.
Had a bag of Mexican hot chocolate mix I didn’t want to re-gift as I avoid refined sugars. BUT I came across your recipe and decided to treat myself to a Christmas treat. I followed your recipe, less the 2 cups of sugar that the hot cocoa mix served as a replacement. I also used plant-based margarine sticks as that’s what I had on hand and butterscotch chips. They came out really good. Enough to get online after xmas and share with you! Thanks for sharing your recipe.
I’m so glad you were able to use your hot chocolate mix! Glad you enjoyed it Robert!
My family’s favorite brownie recipe. I’ve made it about a dozen times and every time the brownies come out perfect and delicious. My boyfriend puts a full can of frosting on top so massive sugar over load. I made them again today and just wanted to say thank you for the amazing and easy recipe!
That’s so wonderful to hear! Thanks for your comment!
Hi! I’m planning on making these for my coworkers next week. Do you use milk chocolate or semi sweet chocolate chips? Thank you!!
I use semi-sweet, but either would work well!
Would cacao powder work in place cocoa powder?
I’ve never used cacao powder before, but after doing a little research, it seems that you should be able to use it in place of cocoa powder. BUT it seems to be a much stronger taste, so you’ll want to use less of it. I’m not sure what ratio you’ll need to use. If you do experiment with it let us know how it goes!
Me and my son made these today. Took half hour and came out perfect. Brilliant easy recipe. We’re from the uk so used the metric measurements and added Oreos chocolates on top. Yummy.
I’m so glad you found the metric conversions helpful! Thanks for the comment Katie!
Should I Brown the butter when melting it?
No need to brown the butter, but I’m sure it would give it an extra level of flavor if you did!
I gave a piece to my mom and sister, my mom said I nailed it. Thank you for this. I will definitely try some of your other recipes!!!
That’s so great to hear! Thanks for the comment Gabriela!
Will it taste the same without the mini chocolate chips? I don’t have any but I really want to make this recipe.
You could leave them out and it’ll still taste great. 🙂
I have looked high and low for the simplest brownie recipe and this by far has been the best, my son loves them and my husband as well, this is the perfect brownie I have baked so far.
Woohoo!! So glad you guys enjoyed the brownies Abby!
Does the recipe make them as thick as shown or did you make double or use a smaller pan? I would like to make a good thick brownie. I don’t necessarily have to have the crackling as I might frost them.
They’re decently thick, I’d say about 1 inch thick.
Do you use salted or unsalted butter?
I typically only have salted butter in my fridge, so that’s usually my go-to. If you’re sensitive to salt, go ahead and use unsalted.
Can they be left out or do I need to fridge them
You can leave these out on the counter, just make sure to cover them so they do not dry out. 🙂
I love the recipe and it’s easy to make..
It was my 1st time to bake brownies from scratch and at first I had a problem with the crackly and glossy finish up top but I put it much longer in the over and sometimes taking it out every 3-5 mins so I saw the top hardening and crakling and also it doesnt over cook too.. it’s a delicious recipe
So glad you enjoyed them!
This recipe is great! I just made it for my mother and brother and they loved it! This was my first time making brownies (but ive made other desserts) and i must say that the consistency was perfect!
Greetings from México!
That’s great Mara! Thanks for your comment!
My daughter wants to try your recipe this weekend.
I wanted to ask in advance, 1 cup of butter, do I melt it first then measure 1 cup? Also which flour? Self-rising or plain flour?
You’ll need 8 tbsp butter (1 cup) and melt that down. Also, it’s all purpose flour. EnjoY!
1 cup would be 2 sticks of butter, 8 tbsis only half a cup..can you clarify ?
Correct, 1 cup is 2 sticks of butter or 16 tbsp.
8 tablespoons is on 1/2 a cup of butter. So is it .5 or 1 cup of butter for the recipe?
The recipe calls for 1 cup of butter. 🙂
Hi, just made these as we speak and they didn’t come out glossy or cracked on the top but they are done bc I checked them with a toothpick. I’m not sure why does anyone know? :/
Over beating the brownie mix can cause that to happen.
I had this same problem. Made two batches thinking I didn’t stir the batter enough. Neither resulted in a crackly top.
After doing some more testing, I think the trick to that crackly top is in beating the eggs a little extra! Whisk them really well (slightly frothy), then fold them into the dry ingredients just until combined.
Do you have any tips for high altitude (5,500 ft.). They tasted wonderful but they sunk in the middle. Thank you so much!
Just made these. I used 1/2 brown sugar and 1/2 white, added chocolate chips and walnuts. So fudgy! My new go-to brownie recipe! Thanks!
Halved the recipe, put in a bit less sugar and a little bit of coffee powder, cooked it 20 minutes, good but not fudgey at all, basically a cakey brownie. Still good, but not how described or shown in the pictures and not how I wanted it, I made this recipe because it said fudge brownie. I might try it again maybe adding more chocolate chips ( I had a little less then half cup ) and cooking it less.
Tasty, but pretty disappointed.
Hi Melissa. It sounds like you’ve created your own brownie recipe here. I would suggest trying my recipe as written and seeing if you get better results. 😉 Also- make sure you don’t over mix your brownie batter as this will result in cake-like consistency. Hope that helps!
Do know what i did wrong but the middle was still not done ?? After 45 mins help!
I would test your oven’s temperature to make sure it’s heating properly.
Just made it a double recipe! Came out wonderful crackled and glossy and it was super easy. Thanks for the brownie recipe!!!
Sweet! So glad you enjoyed the brownies!
I made these brownies last night and they were delicious, thank you so much for the recipe!
You’re welcome! So glad you enjoyed them!
Do you know how to make them cake like?
Hi Annette, here is what I would do to make them more cake-like. Add an additional egg and beat the eggs with the butter, sugar and vanilla. Increase the flour another 1/2 cup and increase the baking powder to a full teaspoon. Whisk it all together instead of folding it together. This should create more air in the batter, giving you a more cake-like brownie. Let me know if you give this a try!
I just made these, in the oven as we speak but I realized I used baking soda instead of baking powder which I did not have, is that OK?
Hey Ashley! Sounds like your brownies might not rise too much, but don’t worry, the baking soda wont make them inedible. Baking soda is also used as a leavening agent in baked goods, but usually when something more acidic is used to create a chemical reaction, like lemon juice, vinegar or buttermilk, etc. You’ll have to let us know how they turned out!
Just make it today, follow all the step, bake at 180c for 25 minutes in oven, top layer not shine yet, so l waiting and give another 10 minutes still not shine, so l decided to take it out. ( l keep in eyes all the time)
My brownie come overcook without shine.
Why my brownies never get any shine on top like glass as the intruction when it cook.
So sorry you didn’t get that shiny top Intan. If your oven isn’t properly preheated at first it can cause that top layer to have a dull finish. You can alway check the brownies for done-ness with a toothpick in the center as well.
Should the butter be unsalted? They seemed a little on the salty side, but still great flavor and texture.
Hi Michael, You could go either way with the butter, depending on your preferences.
These were great! I did reduce the sugar to 1 cup, plus 1/2 cup xylitol. So quick and easy, will be making these again.
I’m so glad to hear you enjoyed them!