The ultimate Fudgy Brownie Recipe! These homemade brownies are decadent and stay moist for days. Plus, there’s a secret ingredient that makes them super chocolatey without being overly sweet.
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Brownies Video Tutorial:
These brownies are unbelievably satisfying. Watch the video recipe and you’ll know why everyone loves this recipe!
The Only Brownie Recipe You’ll Need!
The inspiration for these brownies came from Ina Garten’s Outrageous Brownies in the Barefoot Contessa Cookbook. We made them fudgier and supremely chocolatey. Here’s why these are the best homemade brownies:
- Easy brownies – No fancy equipment or tools required. All you need is a saucepan, spatula, whisk, and a couple of bowls to make the batter.
- No Room Temperature Ingredients Needed – you don’t have to plan ahead and can start making brownies as soon as the craving strikes.
- Fudgiest Center – these literally stay moist and fudgy for days. I made the last batch on a Wednesday and ate the last piece on Sunday and it was still moist and satisfying.
- Rich Chocolate Flavor – adding the cocoa powder and chocolate chips make these intensely chocolatey without being overly sweet.
- Crackly Top – These brownies have that classic, irresistible crackly top.
The “Secret” Ingredient for Brownies:
Just like with our Chocolate Cake, adding coffee amps up the flavor of chocolate without tasting like coffee. We used Instant Coffee Granules. The rest of the ingredients are simple and will give you the perfect brownie texture.
How to Make the Best Brownies:
1. Melt Chocolate: In a saucepan over low heat, melt together 2 cups chocolate chips and butter. Set aside to cool 15 minutes.
2. Wet Ingredients: Whisk together eggs, sugar, instant coffee granules, oil, and vanilla extract. Whisk the cooled chocolate mixture into the egg mixture.
3. Dry Ingredients: Whisk together flour, cocoa, baking powder, and salt then fold these dry ingredients into the chocolate batter until no streaks remain.
5. Pour and Bake: Spread brownie batter into prepared pan, sprinkle the top with the reserved 1/2 cup chocolate chips, and bake at 350˚F for 35-40 minutes.
How Long to Bake Brownies:
Fudgy Brownies – Bake for 35-37 minutes. A toothpick inserted into the center will come out fudgy.
Soft and Moist Brownies – Bake for 40 minutes. A toothpick inserted in the center should come out with moist crumbs attached.
How to Store Brownies:
- At Room Temperature – Brownies can be stored at room temperature in a low humidity environment. To keep them fresh and moist, cover with plastic wrap directly over the brownies and store in an airtight container for 4-5 days.
- Freezer – brownies can be frozen for up to 3 months. To keep brownies moister, do not cut brownies until you are ready to eat them.
How to Serve Brownies:
Our favorite way to serve brownies is to top with a generous scoop of vanilla ice cream. You can also try a dollop of whipped cream drizzled with chocolate, or top with fresh raspberries.
For Frosted Brownies: cover them with Chocolate Ganache or Chocolate Cream Cheese Frosting.
What Mix-Ins Can I Add to Brownies?
Once you have a great brownie base like this one, you can change them up and make them your own.
- Caramel – Drizzle the top of the brownies with Homemade Caramel and a sprinkle of kosher salt.
- Walnuts or Pecans – chop 1 cup of walnuts and fold them in at the end, sprinkling a few over the top for walnut brownies.
- Chocolate Chunks – fold in some chocolate chunks in addition to sprinkling them over the top.
- Zucchini – if you want to sneak in some veggies, try our Zucchini Brownies
Can I Bake these in a Different Pan?
For this brownie recipe, we used a 9×9 square pan. Using different sized baking pans will affect the bake times, and the recipe. These tips should help.
- Bread Loaf Pan – Cut the recipe in half and bake as directed for a small batch of brownies.
- 8×8 Pan – this smaller pan will result in taller brownies that require a longer baking time (40-48 minutes) minutes).
- 12×9 Pan – this larger pan works, but the brownies will be flatter and will require less baking time (30-35 minutes).
- 13×9 Pan – Make 1 1/2 times the recipe or the brownies will be pretty flat. Bake about 40 minutes, or to your desired doneness.
Love Chocolate? More Chocolate Desserts:
- Chocolate Cake – so moist with the best frosting
- Chocolate Lava Cakes – with a gooey surprise center
- Chocolate Chip Banana Bread – with melty morsels of chocolate
- Chocolate Chip Cookies – stay soft for days
- Chocolate Mousse – a classic, chef-approved recipe
Fudgy Brownie Recipe
Ingredients
- 1/2 lb unsalted butter, (softened or cut into pieces if cold for faster melting)
- 16 oz semisweet chocolate chips, (2 1/2 cups by measuring cup), divided
- 4 eggs, large
- 1 1/4 cups granulated sugar
- 1 Tbsp instant coffee granules, (6.2 grams)
- 3 Tbsp light olive oil , or vegetable oil
- 1 Tbsp vanilla extract
- 2/3 cup all-purpose flour
- 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp salt
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350˚F. Butter a 9x9 pan and line with parchment paper.
- In a medium saucepan over low heat, Melt together 2 cups chocolate chips and butter while whisking then set aside to cool 15 minutes.
- In a second large bowl, whisk together 4 eggs, 1 1/4 cups granulated sugar and 1 Tbsp coffee granules, 3 Tbsp oil and 1 Tbsp vanilla extract.
- Stir cooled chocolate mixture into the egg mixture.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together 2/3 cup flour, 1/2 cup cocoa, 1 1/2 tsp baking powder and 1/2 tsp salt then use a spatula to fold mixture into the batter and fold just until combined. Do not over mix.
- Transfer batter to prepared pan and sprinkle all over with remaining 1/2 cup chocolate chips. Bake at 350 for 35-40 min depending on the desired doneness.* Cool until nearly at room temperature then cut into bars before serving.
Notes
Nutrition Per Serving
Filed Under
If you make this recipe, I’d love to see pics of your creations on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter! Hashtag them #natashaskitchen
Hey Natasha! Can I half this recipe? If so, what inch pan should I use?
Hi Sarah, check out our notes on pan sizes towards the bottom of the post.
Hi Natasha! I have been king for a brownie recipe on your blog ever since I found it out. Now I can finally try it! Looking forward to a blonde recipe too!
I hope you love this recipe!
can you use Starbucks VIA Instant & Microground coffee instead of plain instant?
Hi Donald, yes that should work fine. I hope you love the brownie recipe!
Hi Natasha. I read your recipe for the brownies. I bought some coffee granules from King Arthur flour. I hate the taste of coffee. My question is…. does the recipe that list coffee granules in brownies, cakes etc have a coffee taste??? So many chefs say they won’t taste it but I would like your opinion.
Hi Susan, you should not be able to taste the coffee BUT coffee is the secret in many recipes since it enhances the flavor of chocolate! I hope that is helpful!
Hi, looking forward to making these. If you can believe it, I’ve never made brownies. Two questions if you please: Is espresso powder the same as instant coffee granules? Can I use that instead? #2: How long in oven for a chewy brownie? Thank you in advance.
Hi Holly, Espresso powder is not the same but it should work fine in this recipe. I would bake at least 40 minutes or until the toothpick comes out with moist crumbs for a chewier browny.
Por favor como hago para traducir al castellano, sus recetas son increibles, muchas bendiciones
Hi Lucila, I do not have a translation service on the blog but we do use google translate to interpret comments like yours. I would maybe try using that?
Hi Natasha I want to double this recipe can I use your name by 13 dish
Hi Donna, check out my notes towards the bottom of the post (just above the recipe card) on using different-sized pans and my recommendations for those.
Hi….jus a small query…can I add little walnuts to this???? planning on making this tomorrow….
Hi Anitha! I bet that could work! I would love to know how you like this recipe if you experiment!
Would espresso powder work instead of the instant coffee granules?
Hi Leesa, I haven’t tried that but it should work well using espresso powder. If that is what I had on hand, I would use it.
Hi Natasha
Is there any substitutes for the eggs! Would Greek yogurt work?
Please let me know because these look heavenly.
Hi Avni, I haven’t tested a substitution for the egg so I can’t make that recommendation.
Looks yummy.
Can I use coconut oil or extra virgin olive oil?
Also I am making just for one person so if I half the recipe, what pan size is recommended with baking time and temperature?
Thank you.
Hi Anu, see the notes on using different baking pans towards the bottom of the post. I haven’t tried with either of those, but I would probably go with melted coconut oil. I hope you love the brownies!
Can I use decaf coffee? If so do I keep the same measurements as regular coffee?
Hi Maddie, I haven’t tried this with decaf to advise but it will still work great without the coffee. Someone else commented that they didn’t add coffee and still liked the result but coffee really amplifies the flavor.
Hello
Can I use brewed coffee instead of instant coffee?
Hi Tammy, I would leave out the coffee in that case since it may add too much moisture and throw off the balance of liquid to dry ingredients.
Can you bake these in a glass pan?
Hi Ashley, that should work, but the center can take longer to cook in glass so it’s a little easier to overcook. This article on baking in glass or metal might help.
Hi Natasha,
Would the baking time alter? Also, should I reduce the baking temperature?
Thanks!
I would watch it closely towards the end especially.
I am gluten-free, so I made adjustments on what type of flour I used, but it came out so divine. This is now my go-to brownie recipe. Thanks for the recipe!
That’s so great! It sounds like you have a new favorite!
Can we use canola oil in stead of butter
If yes then kindly tell the quantity
Hi Meha, I haven’t tested that with canola oil so I’m not sure how that would turn out or if it would blend with the chocolate properly. I just haven’t tested it to recommend it.
Can I leave out the coffee granules?
Hi Cindy, yes this brownie recipe will still work without coffee.
Hi Natasha! I plan on making these brownies. What I want to know: Can I not add the instant coffee granules? I know they are for flavor, but would the brownie still turn out ok? Also I have two 9 by 5 baking pans, so could I make the full recipe and divide it evenly between the two pans? Would I adjust the baking times at all, or not?
Hi Simone, it will still work great without the coffee. That should work but they might be slightly slimmer brownies so they could bake a little faster.
I can’t wait to make these but I do not buy instant coffee. Can I use regular coffee granules or will it not work? Thank you so much for all your wonderful recipes!!!
Hi Tracy, I would avoid using regular coffee granules as they would not dissolve. You can leave out the coffee granules and the recipe will still work.
These were heavenly! Just love how fudgy they turned out!
I’m so glad to hear you loved the brownie recipe! Thank you for sharing your great review.
Fudgy brownies are the best! These are nice & thick & of course, even better with the chocolate chips!
I completely agree, especially how the chocolate morsels become melty while the brownies are still a little warm. Such a treat!
I would really like to create this cake but I don’t understand the doses of the ingredients, please could you tell me in grams prego please
Hi Akhi, if you are at the recipe, you can click on Jump to recipe and click Metric and the ingredients will be converted to grams. Hope that helps!