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.

Fudgy brownies stacked on a parchment paper

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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.

Ingredients for brownie recipe with chocolate chips, egg, cocoa, flour, sugar, butter, coffee granules

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.

Step by step tutorial how to make brownies

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 to make chocolate brownie batter step by step photos

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.

Baked brownies in baking pan sliced

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.

Brownie served with a scoop of vanilla ice cream

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

Brownie slice on a spatula with chocolate chips added

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:

Fudgy Brownie Recipe

4.94 from 406 votes
fudgy brownies stacked on parchment paper
The ultimate Fudgy Brownie Recipe - super chocolatey without being overly sweet! These homemade brownies are decadent and stay moist for days.
Prep Time: 13 minutes
Cook Time: 37 minutes
Cooling Time: 15 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour 5 minutes

Ingredients 

Servings: 12 people

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

*For fudgy brownies, bake 35-37 minutes and a toothpick should come out fudgy. For soft and moist brownies, bake 40 minutes and a toothpick should come out with moist crumbs attached. 

Nutrition Per Serving

526kcal Calories49g Carbs6g Protein35g Fat19g Saturated Fat97mg Cholesterol126mg Sodium379mg Potassium4g Fiber35g Sugar570IU Vitamin A69mg Calcium4mg Iron
Nutrition Facts
Fudgy Brownie Recipe
Amount per Serving
Calories
526
% Daily Value*
Fat
 
35
g
54
%
Saturated Fat
 
19
g
119
%
Cholesterol
 
97
mg
32
%
Sodium
 
126
mg
5
%
Potassium
 
379
mg
11
%
Carbohydrates
 
49
g
16
%
Fiber
 
4
g
17
%
Sugar
 
35
g
39
%
Protein
 
6
g
12
%
Vitamin A
 
570
IU
11
%
Calcium
 
69
mg
7
%
Iron
 
4
mg
22
%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Keyword: brownie recipe, fudgy brownies
Skill Level: Easy
Cost to Make: $
Calories: 526

Filed Under

Natasha's Kitchen Cookbook

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4.94 from 406 votes (227 ratings without comment)

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Recipe Rating




Comments

  • Cynthia
    September 30, 2020

    I made this today and it was absolutely delicious!! I love all your recipes!

    Reply

    • Natashas Kitchen
      September 30, 2020

      That’s just awesome Cynthia! Thank you for that wonderful review!

      Reply

  • Debbie Johnson
    September 28, 2020

    Haven’t made these but whenever I make brownies, the sides always cook faster and get hard, what am I doing wrong?

    Reply

    • Natashas Kitchen
      September 28, 2020

      Hi Debbie, it could be due to the pan you are using or an oven temperate issue. I would make sure your oven is calibrated.

      Reply

  • Shirin
    September 27, 2020

    Hi Natasha,
    I followed your recipe and made these brownies. Although they tasted delicious, they puffed up around the edge amd caved in the middle! What did I do wrong? Thank you

    Reply

    • Natasha
      September 28, 2020

      Hi, did you possibly use the wrong leavening? I’ve had that happen with a cake when I accidentally used baking soda instead of baking powder (baking soda is 4x stronger). I’m not sure why else that would be. Make sure to bake on conventional bake made and not convection.

      Reply

      • Alyna
        September 29, 2020

        Hi Natasha, I also baked these brownies today. They tasted delicious but caved in the center. I used baking powder not soda.

        Reply

      • Faiza
        October 6, 2020

        Hello sweetie
        I make the brownie rec twice today as I mentioned before.. I have melted 200gram butter with 2 cup semi sweet chocolate and the other one 150gram butter with 2 cup semi sweet chocolate still I’m facing the same problem soft in the middle.. By the way I’m using electric oven.. Is it from the oven?? Or I’m doing something wrong.. Appreciate your help and feedback
        Regards
        Faiza

        Reply

        • Natasha
          October 6, 2020

          Hi Faiza, I would highly recommend making the recipe exactly as written without modifications and also it is supposed to be moist in the center, but not wet. I have an electric oven so that shouldn’t be the culprit unless your oven runs colder in which case you would need to bake a little longer.

          Reply

  • Madara
    September 27, 2020

    I am dying to try this recipe but I do not have any instant coffee. Is there a substitute or can I leave this step out?

    Reply

    • Natasha's Kitchen
      September 28, 2020

      Hi Madara, 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.

      Reply

  • Donna
    September 26, 2020

    I made these in egg cups in the instant pot! Excellent

    Reply

    • Natashas Kitchen
      September 26, 2020

      That’s a great idea! Thank you so much for sharing that with us!

      Reply

  • Erlinda
    September 24, 2020

    Hi Natasha. Loved your brownie recipe. It was moist and not overly sweet. My family and friends loved it will make them again. Thanks heaps

    Reply

    • Natashas Kitchen
      September 24, 2020

      You’re welcome! I’m so glad you’re enjoying our recipes!

      Reply

  • Susan
    September 21, 2020

    Hi natasha! Love your charm and aura ! I havent tried this fudgy brownies of yours so im excited to make mine in the next few days. however, is it ok to replace unsweetened chocolate powder with the cocoa bar?

    Reply

    • Natasha
      September 22, 2020

      Hi Susan, without trying that substitution, I’m not sure how it would affect the recipe.

      Reply

  • Amna
    September 21, 2020

    Thankyou Natasha. My whole family absolutely loved these brownies!

    Reply

    • Natashas Kitchen
      September 21, 2020

      That is the best when the entire family loves what we parents make. That’s so great!

      Reply

  • Linda Bonner
    September 20, 2020

    Just made these brownies.. Is the centre supposed to almost taste like it needs another 10 miinutes to bake?? I keep reading reviews and mine was definitely not “cakey” in the centre.. is that the way they are supposed to be? Other than that, they look exactly like your picture… not sure I will make them again..

    Reply

    • Natasha
      September 21, 2020

      Hi Linda, they are supposed to be fudgy in the center. Keep in mind, once they have cooled completely, they will set more and dry a bit. You can bake more if you prefer a dryer brownie.

      Reply

  • Allyson Dyar
    September 15, 2020

    How much is 1/2 lb of butter?? When I googled it, it said 16tbsp! Surely that can’t be right!

    Reply

    • Natasha
      September 15, 2020

      Hi Allyson, that is correct – 1/2 lb is 2 sticks or 16 Tbsp of butter and makes these very rich, decadent and fudgy.

      Reply

  • Trupti
    September 15, 2020

    Tried n “tasted” and everyone loved it .. (though I personally like brownies that have a crispy crust on the top).. this one tasted heavenly chocolatey

    Reply

    • Natashas Kitchen
      September 15, 2020

      I’m so happy you enjoyed this recipe!

      Reply

  • Andz
    September 14, 2020

    I want to try this recipe but I only have baking chocolate bars. Can I use that instead of chocolate chips?

    Reply

    • Natashas Kitchen
      September 15, 2020

      Hi Andz, I haven’t tested with that to advise. If you experiment please let me know how you like that.

      Reply

  • Rosmary
    September 14, 2020

    Can I bake this in a 9×13 inch pan, or should I double this first? Also can I use ground coffee?

    Reply

    • Natasha's Kitchen
      September 14, 2020

      Hi Rosmary, please see my note in the recipe about making this in a 13×9. Regular coffee grounds would not work in this recipe. It should be either instant coffee or instant espresso.

      Reply

  • Beatrice Hardt
    September 10, 2020

    Good day! I just want to give an enormous thumbs up for the nice information you have here on this post. I will be coming again to your blog for extra soon.

    Reply

  • Robyn
    September 9, 2020

    HI Natasha,
    I would like to double this and bake in a 9X13 pan. How much should I increase the baking time?
    Thanks!!

    Reply

    • Natasha
      September 10, 2020

      Hi Robyn, please see my note in the recipe about making this in a 13×9.

      Reply

  • Melody Hapner
    September 8, 2020

    LOVED!!! We made these the night before going on our Black Hills/Mount Rushmore trip and ate them on the road (straight out of the cooler). We finished them off with a couple of scoops of Moose Tracks ice cream. Is it ok to link to this recipe in my blog post? It’s just soooo good!

    Reply

    • Natasha's Kitchen
      September 8, 2020

      Hello Melody, thank you so much for sharing your experience with us. It is perfect with ice cream! Yes, we always love a feature thanks for thinking of us.

      Reply

  • Alena
    September 7, 2020

    Hi Natasha, I’m not sure if anyone else has asked this. I’ve been wondering why do some recipes call for buttering AND lining pan with parchment paper? I considered that one of the purposes of parchment paper is to keep the pan clean, therefore making clean up easier. Thanks

    Reply

    • Natashas Kitchen
      September 7, 2020

      Hi Alena, it depends on the recipe and the effects butter would make if it was there. Lining the base of your tin with baking paper is particularly helpful if the cake has a wide base and shallow sides, such as a layer cake. Applying a thin layer of grease to the tin before fitting the paper will help it to adhere to the sides so your mixture can be added without disturbing the paper. There are many reasons, to be honest, but I hope this is somewhat helpful.

      Reply

  • cjma
    September 7, 2020

    Hi natasha!

    Im planning to make your brownies, i only have dutch process cocoa will that work? thanks!

    Reply

    • Natasha's Kitchen
      September 7, 2020

      I haven’t tried using that yet but I imagine that will also work. Please let us know how it goes if you give it a try!

      Reply

  • Zainab
    September 6, 2020

    Can you help me?
    Whenever I bake brownies the bottom is crunchy and the top is really fudgy. And sometimes it becomes a very cakey brownie. What should I do.?

    Reply

    • Natasha
      September 7, 2020

      Hi Zainab, I would suggest trying this recipe – I haven’t had that issue with these. It’s normal that the edges are drier than the center but they shouldn’t really be crunchy unless you are baking at too high of heat, or using convection oven settings without reducing the temperature. I hope that helps.

      Reply

      • Zainab
        September 7, 2020

        Thanks!

        Reply

  • Jason
    September 6, 2020

    Can I use disposable 9×9 aluminum pan? I don’t have regular pan that size.

    Reply

    • Natasha
      September 7, 2020

      Hi Jason, I think you could, but I suspect the exteriors will be more dry/crisp using a disposable pan.

      Reply

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