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.
This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy.
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
I made your meatloaf tonight and it was delicious. I say was because every morsel was gone in 20 minutes.
Thank you for a wonderful recipe 😊🤗
I’m so glad you liked it, Iris!
Wow these are so delicious! I made these in 8×8 since I didn’t have the right container and also filled a couple ramekins to not overflow the 8×8. It turned out so good! I love your channel and I love watching you on YouTube you’re so funny and I’ve never had a failed recipe so far thank you for all the hard work you do on making the videos! By the way I have your cookbook love it!
Thank you so much, Liz! I hope you’re enjoying the cookbook.
I’m baking my first batch and they smell delicious! That added coffee really kicks them up a notch! Thank you, you are my go to for all things recipes!!!!♥️
You’re very welcome, Donna! I’m so glad you’re enjoying the recipes.
Hello! I want to bake these on Saturday for a party. I have ground coffee at home. Can I use that as a substitute for instant coffee grounds? I don’t drink coffee (my husband does), so I don’t know.
Hi Bethany! Instant coffee granules work best because it dissolves into the batter leaving behind flavor without effecting the texture. If you use ground coffee beans, it can have a grainy texture since they don’t dissolve.
Natasha, these brownies are superbly delicious! And I love the chips sprinkled on top – they add to the delight! I do have a question for you. The brownies are prone to being a bit crumbly. Is that the nature of this recipe? I baked them for 37 minutes and let them cool completely before slicing. Would baking a couple of minutes less eliminate some of the crumbling? Thank you for being you!
Hi Wanda! You’re very welcome. I’m glad you’re enjoying the recipe. Baking a few minutes less could help, but make sure to measure your flour correctly. I have a How to Measure Ingredients (Wet and Dry) VIDEO here.
One of my batches came out that way when I accidentally slightly over baked them. (Still delicious though) but for your particular oven. (Kinda like mine) we probably needed to get it out of the oven while it was a bit fudgyer
Question. Why did the center of brownies sink in from the weight of chocolate chips? I live in high altitude so I usually reduce temperature by 25 degrees.
Hi Pam, its hard to say without being there, it could be due to high altitude, I don’t have experience with high-altitude baking but you can find more tips on High Altitude Baking HERE.
Thank you for the link! They still taste delicious! I am new to high altitude baking!
You’re so welcome! I’m hope it’s helpful.
A staple for birthdays and love adding walnuts
I have made this many times fantastic brownie recipe. Moist fudgy!
I’ve made this recipe 2 different times. One with milk chocolate and one with bittersweet since I am not a fan of dark chocolate. I preferred the milk chocolate one but I do not care for the brownies. I think I should leave the coffee out because they taste just way too bitter for me. I like a sweet and hint of bitterness but the coffee just makes it too bitter. I do appreciate the recipe but I will try leaving the coffee out on my third attempt.
This Brownie Recipe is the very best one I’ve ever tried. Moist, decadent. A wonderful treat of Chocolate Heaven!
I’m so glad you loved it, Dottie!
I actually made the recipe once and used a 9x 13 pan. They were delicious! (Would love to upload pics) Now, I am going to make a large pan and a half for a church event! (Which is why I asked about the large portioned recipes.) Thank you so much for your ministry!!! It’s a blessing!
You’re very welcome, Shawnda! You can tag me on facebook or instagram in a picture if you’d like. #natashaskitchen
How many servings are in this batch? Also, do you have the recipe with 2xs, 3xs, 4xs the ingredients???
Hi Shawnda, I recommend clicking “Jump to recipe” at the top of the post, it will take you to our printable recipe where you’ll have the option to change the number of servings. Hover over the number of servings highlighted in red and slide it to how many servings you would like to make. I hope that helps!
I love how Natasha talks while providing ingredients and procedures. You will really learn just by watching her. I hope to meet her and watch her baking in her kitchen.
I absolutely love your antics with the videos in your kitchen!! Your recipes are the best !! Thank you .
Absolutely fantastic recipe from natasha …..I made this and they came out perfect sending season’s love and greetings all the way from kenya 🇰🇪
Thank you, Monique! I’m so glad you enjoyed this recipe.
Absolutely fantastic recipe from natasha …..I made this and they came out perfect sending season’s live and greetings all the way from kenya 🇰🇪
Just watched this video. You are hilarious!
Can’t wait to try this recipe for our kids Christmas Party. I’ve tried many of your recipes without any fails so far. Love you recipes and your videos. Thank you for all you do.
I was wondering if it was possible to use this recipe but cook them as brownie bites? If so, any recommendations as far as temperature and cook time goes? Greatly appreciate! Love your recipes!
Hi Amy! I haven’t tested it myself to provide specific instructions. The temperature will likely be the same, just check them a lot sooner. I would think they’d take about 12-15mins.
I made the chocolate brownie but for some reason it over flowed the pan ?
Did you use the recommended size of pan? you can check the recommended pan sizes in this part of the recipe “Can I Bake these in a Different Pan?”
It came out really well. Loads of appreciation as well.
H Natasha u made the brownies for some reason it went over my pan and I even used a 9×9 inch pan it just over flowed and in my oven .what went wrong ?😑
Hi there, I just made this recipe. It turned out good but would have been a whole lot better to use a 9×13 pan. The instructions for a 9×9 pan is toooooo small.
You probably used baking soda instead of powder. Many people have been complaining about that problem lol. 😆