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
I just made these. They turned out really good!! They were thick and chewy. My kids loved them. I was a little concerned about the other reviews, but they were great! I will probably do just one cup of sugar next time.. I set my timer for 40 mins. At. 325 and they were done. My oven does cook faster on everything though.
Hi Ashley, I’m so glad you loved them!
These came out really well. I used rapseed oil and added mre dark chocolate. They took 40 minutes to cook. Using olive or avocado oil I think would make the texture and taste not so good.
My bf begs me to make these brownies every week!!
I make them in one bowl so there’s minimal wash up and takes 5 mins to throw the ingredients together.
The first time I made them they were rock hard because I left them for 30 mins in my fan oven – thanks to the reccomendation I changed the settings to conventional and just baked for 20 mins. I use 1 cup sugar instead of 1.5 and I use canola oil instead of olive because it’s cheaper and they come out perfect every time
These brownies come out
These are the best homemade brownies ever! I kept them in my oven for an additional 8 minutes and they are perfect!
Best taste, best texture, perfect consistency. Very very good.
I start by whipping the eggs and sugars until pale and fluffy, then add the remaining liquids, then finally fold in the flour and cocoa. Whipping the eggs and sugar first gives me the shiny, crackled top you see on the box mix. I also swapped the oil for melted butter last time and that was a big hit.
These brownies have been dubbed hands down the best by anyone whos eaten them. One thing that may need to be amended in the recipe is the doneness youre looking for. It says to look for a crumb attached to a toothpick, but then that they are too gooey to cut. Clarification around this might help a lot of people.
This recipe is absolute garbage if you like brownies with EVOO you’re sick!! I thought I’d give you a chance to try something new but bleh!!! Genuinely gross.
Really did not like these. Followed the recipe to a T. Too oily. I had about two bites then had to throw out the whole thing 🙁
Technically this recipe made brownies. It took an extra 20 minutes of baking at 350° after the original 48 mins at 325°. They’re mid. Caramel sauce and extra chocolate chips helped but I wouldn’t make them again. I’m sure I didn’t make any mistakes with the recipe. Not sure how this had such a high rating when I was looking for recipes!
This recipe baked up nicely, you really have to watch the time though. I set my timer for 30min and they were perfectly done, had I left them in for the recommended 10min more they would have been way over done. Also next time I’m going to cut the sugar amount, I think 1 cup would have sufficed.
Never using this recipe again the taste is just awful and the texture as well I don’t recommend
I made these a couple weeks ago . I’m back to make these again. Everyone loved them. Mine were fudge and so yummy. Thanks!
I’m not sure what went wrong here, but these brownies have been cooking for an extra 20 minutes so far and are still soup
i don’t know either maybe you forgot an ingredient because it’s not a soft runny mix at all in fact when it’s done properly it’s almost like a very soft play doh kind of consistency when you put it in the pan you press it down or smooth it out with your fingers or whatever.
i just made a batch, maybe soft play doh was a little too dry, this batch was much smoother but still not runny. Good luck!
Hello! Sorry to hear that you brownies are still liquid-ish but brownies typically have a very think texture, even before baking so either you added too much of something or this recipe is not brownies.
This is my absolute favorite, go-to brownie recipe. I sometimes just chop up whatever chocolate bar we have around instead of using chocolate chips and they’ve turned out amazing every time.
Perfect! My whole family loved them and they are super simple to make! Definitely recommend.
these are so goood!! we used lavender instead of vanilla and it was incredible!!
these are so goood!! we used lavender instead of vanilla and it was incredible!!
Love this idea!! So glad you enjoyed the brownies!
This is my go to recipe for brownies. Personally, I skip the chocolate chips as a preference but follow everything else and I love how fudge and chewy they end up.
I’m so glad you love them, Susan!
Made it. My family loved it. Followed recipe exactly written. Moist, gooey and delicious. Thank you for sharing…Aloha Elyce
I’m so glad you loved the recipe, Elyce!
How much of the ingredients. With all due respect, this is extremely complex chemistryI can’t work off of vibes I need a fucking number also don’t make ingredients up halfway through the recipe tell me all the ingredients at the start
The amounts and ingredients are all listed in the recipe, didn’t have to go off vibes at all when making the recipe
These were absolutely disgusting ( sorry) and didn’t look anything like your pictures….
came out like cardboard
You did it wrong then 😭
A lot of sugar