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Today I’m sharing how you can make the BEST brownie recipe from scratch. Brown butter brownies are so good – one bite will make you realize you’ll NEVER buy a box mix again.

stacked brownies with chocolate chips baked in on the inside.


Why this brownie recipe WORKS

Have you ever had brown butter? I’m in love with the stuff and this brown butter brownie recipe is my favorite way to use it. Homemade Brownies are rich, fudgy, easy to make (one pan!) with triple the chocolate because I added chocolate chips – but you can add anything you want!

The eggs add tons of moisture, making these super fudgy brownies that have 3 kinds of chocolate: baking chocolate, cocoa powder, and chocolate chips. These are rich and delicious and everyone who tries them raves about how good they are. They have crackly tops, are chewy with moist crumbs – they’re taste a million times better than that boxed brownie mix you normally use.

ingredients in the walnut brownies.

Ingredients Needed

  • Unsalted butter: It is very important that you use unsalted butter in this recipe. Browning the butter in this way concentrates the flavor and if you use salted butter, the flavor will be very salty. It’s easiest to brown the butter if it’s room temperature.
  • Unsweetened Baking Chocolate: You can also use semi-sweet but this will make the brownies sweeter so reduce the sugar by 1/4 cup.
  • Sugar: YES a full 2 cups
  • Eggs: 4 eggs gives these that fudgy center texture
  • Vanilla extract and Salt: for flavor
  • Natural cocoa powder: You can use regular natural unsweetened cocoa powder, Hershey’s Special Dark OR Dutch Process cocoa powder.

Click to see the recipe card below for full ingredients & instructions!

stacked brownies with chocolate chips baked in on the inside.

How to Make Brown Butter

Maybe you’re wondering what brown butter is?  Brown butter happens when you cook butter over low heat until it melts, then it boils and as it cooks it turns a light golden-brown color, hence the name.  Browning butter is SUPER easy, I promise. I have a brown butter tutorial post, but basically you do the following:

  1. Melt: Add your butter to a saucepan and heat it over medium low heat for several minutes.
  2. Stir: Stir it occasionally and watch it closely. As it cooks, the butter will foam and then subside until it starts to turn golden. 
  3. Watch it: If you’ve never made it before you just have to be careful to watch it as it starts to change color because it goes from butter color to burned pretty fast. You want a rich amber color.

How to make an easy brownie recipe step by step instructions

process shot of brown butter brownies.

1. I call these “one pot brownies” because you can make the batter in the same pot you browned the butter: no need to drag out other bowls. You can transfer the brown butter to a bowl if you prefer, but no need. Just make sure to remove it from the heat.

process shot of brown butter brownies.

2. While your butter is still warm, add the unsweetened chocolate and stir until it’s melted into the butter.

process shot of brown butter brownies.

3. Mix the granulated sugar into the chocolate with a wooden spoon or spatula until thick. The mixture will be grainy.

process shot of brown butter brownies.

4. Add eggs, vanilla, cocoa powder and salt until well combined.

process shot of brown butter brownies.

5. Stir in the flour (and chocolate chips, nuts, or other additions).

process shot of brown butter brownies.

6. Pour the batter into a prepared 9×13” baking pan. I recommend baking these in a metal pan, not a glass pan. Metal conducts heat more evenly, ensuring your brownies bake properly. Bake – brownies are done when a toothpick inserted along the side comes out with just a few crumbs.

stacked brownies with chocolate chips baked in on the inside.

Tip From Dorothy

Expert Tips

  • You can add one and a half cups of add-in options before you bake this brownie recipe. Make Walnuts Brownies, M&M Brownies, Oreo Brownies, add chocolate chunks, peanut butter chips, chopped pecans, or anything you like by adding chopped candy!
  • Make sure to use good quality chocolate chips, cocoa, and baking chocolate. The better the quality, the better the chocolate flavor of the brownies. You can use any kind of chips, but I love milk chocolate chips!
  • I like to line my pan with parchment paper or foil for easy removal.
  • You can make gluten-free brownies by swapping 1:1 GF AP flour.
  • To avoid cake brownies, Be sure to measure your flour correctly, not use and baking powder or baking soda, follow the recipe, and don’t over bake them!

FAQ for making the BEST Brownie Recipe

How can I make these a small batch of brownies?

You can easily cut this recipe in half and bake them in an 8-inch square baking pan.

How to store brownies?

Store these in an airtight container for up to 3 days on the counter.

Can I freeze brownies?

Yes, you can! I freeze them all the time – just place them in a gallon size resealable bag or airtight container and freeze for up to 3 months.

How do you make the best brownies from scratch?

Use this recipe: with 3 kinds of chocolate and lots of brown butter this is the best brownie recipe in the world. They’re simple brownies with tons of flavor.

stacked brownies with chocolate chips baked in on the inside.

The Best Brownies Recipe

4.76 from 66 votes
These are the best brownie recipe ever! They're gooey and perfect and the brown butter inside gives them a unique flavor.

Recipe Video

Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Total Time 45 minutes
Yield 24 brownies
Serving Size 1 brownie

Ingredients
 

  • 1 cup (226g) unsalted butter
  • 4 ounces (113g) unsweetened baking chocolate coarsely chopped
  • 2 cups (400g) granulated sugar
  • ¼ cup (20g) unsweetened cocoa powder
  • 4 large eggs
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • 1 ⅓ cups (165g) all-purpose flour
  • 1 ½ cups (255g) chocolate chips
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Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 350°F. Line a 9×13" metal pan with foil and spray with nonstick cooking spray.
  • Melt butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Cook, stirring often, about 6 minutes, until it becomes brown in color. It will foam, reduce, then foam again. Once it’s done cooking the foam is a light brown and it will dissipate after you remove it from the heat. Once it starts to brown, keep stirring so it doesn’t burn. Once it gets to an amber color, turn off the flame.
  • Add baking chocolate to the butter and stir until the chocolate is melted. Stir in sugar, eggs, vanilla, salt, and cocoa and stir until combined. Stir in flour then stir in chocolate chips
  • Pour brownie batter into prepared baking pan. Bake for 25-35 minutes until a toothpick along the edge comes out with just a few crumbs. This results in very fudgy gooey brownies. Cool before slicing into bars.

Recipe Notes

  • You can add one and a half cups of add-in options before you bake them. Make Walnut Brownies, M&M Brownies, Oreo Brownies, add chocolate chunks, peanut butter chips, or anything you like by adding chopped candy!
  • Make sure to use good quality chocolate chips, cocoa, and baking chocolate. The better the quality, the better the brownies.
  • Want to use brown sugar? Go ahead – swap it equally with the granulated sugar.
  • I like to line my pan with parchment paper or foil for easy removal.

Recipe Nutrition

Serving: 1brownie | Calories: 268kcal | Carbohydrates: 36g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 14g | Saturated Fat: 8g | Cholesterol: 53mg | Sodium: 71mg | Potassium: 74mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 28g | Vitamin A: 307IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 27mg | Iron: 2mg
Nutritional information not guaranteed to be accurate
Course Dessert
Cuisine American

Chocolate Brownie Recipes



Dorothy Kern

Welcome to Crazy for Crust, where I share recipes that are sometimes crazy, often with a crust, and always served with a slice of life.

4.76 from 66 votes (47 ratings without comment)

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Recipe Rating




28 Comments

  1. Overall they were pretty good brownies. I expected them to be super sweet with the amount of sugar but they really were not. Better than boxed in my opinion.

  2. Delicious–super fudgy!! I actually had to add a little extra sugar, as well as increase the vanilla (to about 1 T) and salt (to about 1 t). Also, I would add the ingredients in a different order than she says–beat the eggs and vanilla for a few minutes to really help get that crackly top, then add all the dry ingredients at once and fold in. Very good!