If you thought you couldn’t make fudgy brownies without a box mix…you were wrong. This recipe is chock full of tips to make homemade brownies fudgy!
A truly fudgy brownie is hard to find
I know you. You’re like me. How do I know this?
Well, if you’re reading this page, you have an interest in the real kind of baking; the creaming butter, sifting flour, whisking in eggs, folding in chocolate kind of baking.
Some people say they like baking, but when they say that, they really mean the “dump mix into bowl with water oil and eggs” kind of baking. And don’t get me wrong – there is a time and place for that kind of baking, and there’s no problem with it, if that’s your thing.
But we all know, that’s not my thing.
I’m a get-your-hands-dirty, make-your-own, homemade-is-best kind of girl, and I’m not ashamed to admit it. I make my own nut butters and cinnamon rolls, and you will not see me using a cake mix unless I have run out of all other ingredients and it’s an emergency.
But brownies. Brownies, particularly homemade brownies that are actually fudgy…well, they’ve given me some trouble.
But how to make homemade brownies fudgy?
I’ve been trying for years (honestly, years) to concoct a homemade, from-scratch fudgy brownie recipe that was ACTUALLY FUDGY, and not essentially chocolate cake hinting at fudginess or bordering on fudgy. I kept wondering to myself: why is it that all homemade brownie recipes seem to produce dry and cakey brownies, no matter how fudgy they promise to be? Are we really unable to replicate the luscious, deep chocolate flavor and texture of a boxed brownie at home?
Yet again and again, I tried and failed. So, embarrassingly, up until now, when I’ve wanted fudgy brownies, I’ve resorted to a box mix. I am not proud of this.
(I will say that Trader Joe’s Truffle Brownie Mix is insanely, insanely good for a box mix. But still, it irked me. I knew I could do better.)
Answer: You Need Melted Chocolate AND Cocoa Powder For Fudgy Brownies!
You see, some brownie recipes use melted chocolate, and some recipes use cocoa powder mixed with butter (and they are on the cakey side, like my Midnight Brownies). I surmised that maybe using cocoa powder added too little fat and resulting moisture, meaning the brownies became drier and more cake-like as they baked. So I tried a couple recipes that used melted chocolate, and more butter, instead. They were slightly better, but I found them overpoweringly rich and still just not the right texture. I wanted my perfect fudgy yet still chewy brownie!
It wasn’t until I saw the recipe Sally’s Baking Addiction posted for fudgy brownies that I realized the secret: you have to use melted chocolate AND cocoa powder, not either or. I messed around with some ratios in my normal brownie recipe, and …Eureka!! Fudgy brownies with intense chocolate flavor! Sally is a genius.
So, there are not one, not two, but THREE forms of chocolate in these brownies that makes them both fudgy and chewy with perfectly rich chocolate flavor:
- melted chocolate,
- cocoa powder, and
- chocolate chips.
If I’m going to make something chocolatey, you better believe I’m going all the way.
Brian has declared these “the best brownies he’s ever had” which, to me, is quite a compliment. He’s eaten quite a few brownies in his life. I clearly have too, and I have to say, I don’t think I need another brownie recipe. This is the one. It has the texture and flavor of the deepest chocolate fudgy brownies, and to be honest, I think it’s even better than a box mix.
Fudgy Brownie Recipe Tips
- Don’t skimp on the sugar. A cup of sugar may seem like a lot, but since we’re using unsweetened cocoa powder here, we need make up for it. The sugar adds moisture and creates that beautiful shiny papery crust we all love so much.
- Don’t use a mixer – a bowl and a spoon is the name of the game here. You don’t want to whip too much air into these brownies because we want them to be dense, and it’s way too easy to overmix with a mixer.
- The recipe calls for a small amount of espresso powder, which enhances the chocolate flavor without tasting like espresso. You can buy it at most grocery stores or Amazon. It’s ok if you don’t have it, but I HIGHLY recommend it.
- Definitely put coarse sea salt on top once the brownies are baked. Similar to the espresso powder, the salt brings out the sweetness and chocolate flavor. They were made for each other.
Ok, let’s do this! I hope you love these homemade fudgy brownies as much as we do. If you make the recipe, please leave a star rating and review, and tag me on Instagram @katiebirdbakes so I can see your bakes!
More Brownie Recipes
- Peanut Butter Brownies
- Dark Cocoa Powder Brownies aka Midnight Brownies
- Salted Brownie Cookies
- Small Batch Brownies in a Loaf Pan
Favorite Fudgy Brownies
Equipment
- 1 8×8 inch square pan
Ingredients
- 6 Tablespoons (85g) unsalted butter
- 1/4 cup (1.5 oz; 43g) chopped dark chocolate or chocolate chips
- 1 cup (200g) granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon espresso powder (optional)*
- 1/2 cup (42g) cocoa powder
- 1/2 cup (60g) all-purpose flour
- 1/2 cup (85g) chocolate chips
- Coarse sea salt, for sprinkling on top
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F. Grease an 8×8 square pan or line with parchment paper. Set aside.
- In a large microwave-safe bowl, melt the butter and 1/4 cup chopped chocolate or chocolate chips in 30-second intervals, stirring in between, until melted and smooth. This took about 1 minute in my microwave.
- Whisk in the sugar. If the mixture is really hot, let it cool for a minute before whisking in the eggs one at a time (you don’t want to cook the eggs!), until fully combined.
- Whisk in the espresso powder, vanilla, salt, and cocoa powder until the mixture is smooth and well-combined. Stir in the flour just until the mixture is smooth and you no longer see clumps – but do not overmix, and don’t use a mixer. We don’t want to incorporate too much air in the batter, or the brownies won’t be fudgy.
- Stir in the chocolate chips, then scrape the batter into the prepared pan. Bake for 30-32 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean or with a couple crumbs attached.
- Sprinkle coarse sea salt over the top, and serve brownies warm, preferably with a generous dollop of vanilla ice cream.
Notes
Like this recipe for fudgy homemade brownies? Please rate it and leave a comment, and sign up for my email list to receive my recipes straight to your inbox every time I post!
Another go-to recipe! I’ve made these so many times over the past few years. The parchment paper trick was a revelation for me (so easy! so few dishes!).
I love to hear that! thank you!!
Super easy a delicious! I used leftover Easter candy and it was a hit! I chopped up a chocolate bunny to melt with the butter and subbed chocolate chips with Reese’s Pieces. Definitely going to make again. The cook time was exactly 30 mins in my oven too.
Awesome! Thank you Trudy!
I haven’t tried this recipe yet, but it looks good and the comments are great. Can you replace the chocolate chips with nuts?
Yes you can!
So good! Rave reviews from my husband and son who stopped home for a short time and I gave him a plate to take back to his apt so I don’t eat them all! And so easy to whip up. It took almost an hour to bake for me and I did the toothpick check every 5 mins
Thanks so much Cathy! I just made these again tonight too 🙂
Fantastic recipe and very easy!
Thank you so much!
The perfect brownie recipe. Just go make these right now!
Thank you Lisa!!
This FUDGY BROWNIE recipe made my day!! I tried at my husband’s birthday party and all my family members are loving it.
It pains me to give bad reviews, but these brownies just weren’t it for me. I followed the recipe exactly and the result was extremely dry, not at all fudgy brownies. Good flavor and the top has that nice crackly crust, but they just weren’t good.
Hi Isa – I appreciate your honest review. I’ve never found these brownies to be dry though. Sorry to hear it didn’t work for you.
These brownies were a crowd-pleaser. However, I did not find them to be the most fudgey brownies I’ve ever tasted. I attribute this to me subbing gluten free flour (Namaste brand from Costco) for regular flour which I’ve noticed often makes things more cakey. I look forward to trying these again with all purpose flour.
Glad you enjoyed them – let me know what you think when you try it with AP flour!
I love your recipes they are so simple!! I tried out the cookies and everyone loved them!! So I’m looking to make these brownies but my onlh problem is the measurements are slightly confusing as I use grams, not cups. So how many grams would 1/2 cup of all purpose flour be?
If I had to suggest an improvement, maybe create a page that converts cups to grams on your website? I’d really appreciate it. But apart from that, I love your website and recipes so I’ve signed up to email notifications!!
Hi there – sorry, I’m not including gram conversions at this time, but I always refer back to King Arthur Flour’s weight chart when in doubt and I think it will help you too! https://www.kingarthurflour.com/learn/ingredient-weight-chart
This is the only brownie recipe that bakes perfectly, exactly according to the time you set. I’ve made other brownies and they’ve ALL been under-baked in the middle, including Ina Garten’s. Not a little underdone, complete batter, even after I continued baking for 50-60 minutes. After trying another brownie recipe that once again came out underdone in the middle (nothing’s wrong with my oven), I’m sticking with your recipe.
THANK YOU so much Carol. I strive to create accurate recipes and am so glad it worked perfectly for you 🙂
Hi Katie
This recipe looks amazing-just wanted to check, can I freeze these brownies? I would need to make them a week in advance so please could you advise the best way to keep them.
Thanks, Nic
Hi Nic – yes, you can bake these, cool completely, then put in a container and freeze them. Take them out a few hours before you want to serve and let them defrost at room temp!
Hi, the brownies look amazing ! Can I substitute the unsweetened chocolate with semi-chocolate chips to melt with butter ? As right now I have only semi-choco chips on hand. Will it be still fudgy ?
Hi Afnan – yes, semisweet chocolate chips will work just fine! Note the recipe calls for dark chocolate, NOT unsweetened chocolate. Semisweet is similar to dark chocolate and works perfectly. Let me know if you have any other questions!
I came across your site when I was looking for easy chocolate cookies cause my son loves them and I had never baked. Made the cookie sticks cause it was just so easy to follow and make. He loved it !!!
So made the brownies today again on his demand .. and just didn’t want to google at all. I knew your recipe would be simple n great. The brownies came out yum! The only difficulty I find is measuring the butter 🤣. Thank you Katie !!
Thank you so much, Meghna! Your feedback means a lot to me and I’m so glad you trust my recipes <3