The Very Best Brownies.
Rich, chewy and fudgy homemade brownies with a beautifully swirled, flaky top. These really are the best brownies! This delicious brownie recipe is flavored with cocoa powder and brown butter.
Updated by Kathryne Taylor on August 29, 2024
Let’s rewind to Valentine’s Day. I’m single. I’m not feeling well. My mom is in town and our plan is to eat dinner and watch movies. As the sun goes down, I decide that I need a brownie—like I really need a brownie, for aforementioned reasons—and proceed to pull every baking book off of my shelves in my search for my ideal brownie recipe.
I wanted rich, dark, chewy, legit café-like brownies with crackly tops. I didn’t want gooey, fall-apart, stick-to-your-front-teeth brownies. I also didn’t want health-ified brownies or brownies swirled with cheesecake. I wanted one perfect brownie. Sometimes a girl just needs a brownie, you know?
I finally found a promising recipe in my copy of Alice Medrich’s Sinfully Easy Delicious Desserts. It was a thinner brownie than I wanted, but it looked dark and delicious and had the most magnificent shiny, crackly top. The recipe contains a fair amount of butter, as legit brownies should, and the butter is browned before the addition of sugar and cocoa powder. If you’re going to put a lot of butter in something, you might as well brown it for extra flavor.
Alice’s recipe also called for a lower-than-usual baking temperature (325 degrees) and specified that the brownies be baked in the lower third of the oven. All of the chocolate flavor came from cocoa powder, too. Interesting.
Alice’s brownies made from scratch turned out beautifully. Crackly top. Dense, fudge-like interior. Rich, complex flavor. They weren’t quite matching my idea of the quintessential brownie, though. I wanted a taller brownie, one that is a little more like a brownie than fudge, with some chopped dark chocolate thrown in for textural interest. Thus began my obsessive quest for the quintessential brownie recipe.
Five batches of brownies and a bunch of brownie research later, I think I’ve found it. I learned a lot along the way. I learned that in order to achieve the shiny, crackly top, you have to stir the sugar into hot butter so it melts. Alice’s low baking temperature and rack positioning also seem to improve texture, but I couldn’t tell you why.
My final recipe calls for more flour and a little baking powder to help the brownies rise. I also used whole wheat flour, as always, but there’s so much chocolate in the brownies that I promise no one will be able to tell. I don’t make statements like this very often, but this really is the best brownies recipe I’ve ever encountered. (I’ve provided footnotes in my recipe so you can adjust the recipe to produce your ideal brownie.)
Ever since I started making simple baked goods from scratch, I’ve wondered how boxed mixes ever became mainstream. Sure, you don’t have to measure out flour and baking powder, but you still have to add liquid and crack the eggs. That hardly saves much time, and comes with the additional cost of preservatives and ingredients that should never be in your food. (Hydrogenated oil is the devil.)
Michael Pollan, my favorite food writer, came to Kansas City last summer to talk about his latest book, Cooked. He finally solved the boxed mix mystery for me.
Pollan explained that the first boxed mixes contained powdered eggs, which removed the step of cracking eggs into the bowl. I mean, why go to the trouble of cracking eggs into a bowl if you don’t have to, right? Wrong. American women initially wanted nothing to do with the boxed mixes. They felt like they were cheating when they used them. Once the manufacturers took out the powdered eggs so we could crack eggs over the bowl, we felt like we owned the final result. The baked good was then homemade enough to present to our loved ones.
If you have never made brownies from scratch, give these a try and I promise you’ll never reach for a box again. If you’re pinched for time, throw in chocolate chips instead of chopping the chocolate by hand. Ta da! Homemade brownies made from scratch and baked with love.
The Very Best Brownies.
Rich, dark, chewy and fudgy brownies made from scratch. These brownies are flavored with cocoa powder and brown butter and feature a beautifully swirled, flaky top. I don’t dare make claims like this very often, but this is the very best brownie recipe!
Ingredients
- 10 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into ½-inch slices
- 1 ¼ cups cane sugar
- ¾ cup natural unsweetened cocoa powder
- ½ teaspoon fine sea salt
- ¼ teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon espresso powder or very finely ground coffee (optional)
- 2 cold large eggs
- 1 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract
- ⅔ cup white whole wheat flour or flour of choice
- 2 ounces dark or semi-sweet chocolate, roughly chopped, or ⅓ cup chocolate chips
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit with a rack in the lower third of the oven. Line an 8-inch square baking pan with two criss-crossed pieces of parchment paper, making sure that the paper is long enough to go up the sides a couple of inches. Grease the parchment paper.
- Brown the butter: Melt the butter in a medium-sized saucepan over medium heat. Continue to cook the butter, while whisking constantly, until it’s a pale golden brown and the particles suspended in it are reddish brown. This usually takes me about 10 minutes.
- Remove the pan from heat and stir in the sugar. Then add the cocoa powder, sea salt, baking powder and espresso powder. Stir until the ingredients are thoroughly incorporated. Let the mixture cool for 5 minutes.
- Add the eggs one at a time, beating vigorously with a wooden spoon or silicone spatula after each one. When the mixture looks thick, shiny and well blended, add the vanilla extract and the flour. Stir until you no longer see streaks of flour. Then beat vigorously (put those arm muscles to work!) for 50 strokes with the wooden spoon or spatula.
- At this point, the mixture should be no more than slightly warm (if not, let it cool for a few more minutes). Fold in the chocolate chunks or chips.
- Spread the batter in the lined pan, then use a knife to make light swirls in the top of the batter. Bake on the lower rack for about 25 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out mostly clean. Cool the brownies in the pan on a baking rack.
- Once the brownies are completely cool, lift the edges of the parchment paper and transfer the brownies to a cutting board. Use a sharp chef’s knife to cut the brownies into 16 or 25 squares.
Notes
- Adapted from Sinfully Easy Delicious Desserts and King Arthur Flour.
- These brownies freeze well. Store them in a freezer-safe bag and let them defrost at room temperature.
- For more dense and fudge-like brownies, cook the brownies a minute or two less.
- For more fluffy and cake-like brownies, add another egg.
- For less rich brownies, skip the chopped chocolate.
- If you like nuts in your brownies, fold in 1 cup walnut or pecan pieces along with the chopped chocolate.
- I haven’t tried, but I think an all-purpose gluten-free flour blend could be substituted for the whole wheat flour with good results. (Update! Here’s proof that Cup4Cup flour works great in this recipe.)
Nutrition
The information shown is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice. See our full nutrition disclosure here.
P.s. If you really want health-ified, naturally sweetened brownies, I have some dark chocolate zucchini brownies over here. Note that they don’t have the crackly top that these brownies do and that the zucchini hardly adds much nutrition because it’s almost entirely water. If I made them again, I would try skipping the zucchini altogether, upping the cocoa powder to 2/3 cup and decreasing the baking powder to 1 teaspoon for richer and less cakey results. 5/2/14: sorry folks, Terri says the brownies don’t turn out well when made this way!
This is my go-to brownie recipe now. I’ve made them at least 10 times and each time they’re outstanding – even in my awful student oven!
Had to come and rate them. Thanks Kate!
Awesome!!! Thank you, Mackenzie!
Hi Kate!
Will try to do this using a convection oven. Any tips on how to do it without compromising the quality of the brownie?
LOVE your site by the way!
Sheilah
I’m sorry, Sheilah, I don’t have any experience with brownies so I’m not sure what to say! Please let me know if you try.
Hi Kate,
In the oven as I write. Just noticed that your instructions state 25 mins bake time, but on top of recipe cook time is 40 mins?
Hi Tzipi, 25 minutes is correct. I’m as confused by the 40 minutes as you are and just fixed it! I’m sorry for the confusion. Thank you for pointing it out to me.
Hi Kate!
These brownies are the best brownies I have ever tasted. I made a new batch today but the tops weren’t as crunchy as they usually are! I had to replace the baking powder with baking soda and added a bit less cocoa than usual. Do you think this was a factor in it’s variation?
Hey Esme! I’m so glad you’ve been enjoying my brownies. Hm, I’m not sure why your brownie tops weren’t quite as crunchy, but yes, it could have had to do with your substitutions. I’m sorry, wish I could tell you for sure!
I don’t have a square pan. So I made the recipe in a mini muffin pan. I used paper liners. It was a bit tricky getting them off. Next time I’m going to butter & flour the tin. I have only one tin so the batter got more solid as it cooled. I was able to roll it & drop it in the paper liner. It made 30 which was perfect for the picnic we were going to. I make lots of sweets in the mini muffin tins now. I like to think I’m eating less but getting the dessert.
WOW!!! These are the best from scratch brownies I have ever made, and I have made a lot. Every time I would make them they would be too rich and have a slightly bitter after taste. My family would eat them, but enjoyed the box mix more. Well now they don’t ever want me to make a box mix again! These brownies are the best!! Thank you so much for the recipe!
Uhmm. I want to try this but we don’t have a big Oven. Is it okay to cook it in a “Oven Toaster”?
Hi Siren, I’m not sure how these brownies will turn out in a toaster oven. That might be risky because these brownies are particular about their mixing/baking conditions. Let me know if you try!
Hey, I think they are going to turn out fabulous!
But while they are in the oven the sides seem to rise, but not the middle, why? Please assist me with this! Thanks Kate, they smell good!
Yolandi.
Hi Yolandi, I think these start rising on the sides and eventually in the middle. I hope yours turned out great! Please let me know!
Grease only the BOTTOM of your baking pan. The batter will cling to the sides as it raises, and the middle will be the same height when finished baking.
Made your brownies and followed your directions closely. I used the 1/3 cup chocolate chips, though. They turned out great. A really superior recipe. Thanks.
Thank you, Robin! Really glad to hear it.
Hi Kate,
First off, I want to say that these are the BEST brownies I’ve ever had (homemade or otherwise) and barely lasted 2 days in my house- perfect chewiness and the taste was incredible. Secondly, I’ve tried about 10 recipes from your blog so far and none of them have failed me. I’m 18 and you were one of the first healthy food bloggers I have found and I absolutely live by your recipes.They have all been so easy to follow and turned out deliciously, even cooked by a novice like me. So thank you very much, you have been such an inspiration and I’m excited to keep trying more!
Namitha, your comment made my day! Thank you! Delighted to hear that you’re enjoying these brownies and my other recipes as well! I work really hard on my recipes, so your kind words are much appreciated. Hope you are having a fantastic weekend!
Made these today for a wine tasting party. Looked for a new brownie recipe found this one, was intrigued by the butter browning so I tried it. My husband loved them and I think they were a hit at the party. All of them were gone when I went to retrieve my platter–all save one tiny square that my husband promptly ate. Mine did not come out tall in the least, but they were rich and very good. Small bites did the trick.
I’m so glad they were a hit at the party, Viv! Thank you for letting me know. :)
In 20 some odd years of baking I have never successfully made a pan of brownies until now. I think I over browned the butter but they still came out fantastic! They didn’t pop up as much as I’d like but they were delicious. The batter was thicker than I expected but they baked perfectly!
This is my base brownie recipe from now on. I can’t wait to try other varients. The dark chocolate is just begging for cherries.
Hip hip hooray! Delighted to hear it. Now I want to try a cherry version, great idea!
I’m standing next to my beautiful matted crackly topped brownies and wow they’re delicious!!! Such a guilty treat, but if it’s a brownie, it’s gotta be a brownie. Thank you for such an amazing blog Kate. Your recipes never fail me and everything is just on point. Thank you for sharing your food with the world.
Yesss! Thanks, Vicky. So nice to hear that you appreciate my work here!
The flavor was a knock-out! The expression makes the recipe. I too had problems with crumbling and consistency. Maybe it is a blending problem.
Hi Wendy! I’m glad you enjoyed the flavor, but sorry they didn’t turn out quite right! I do believe it’s an emulsion/blending issue. Maybe they will turn out just right next time.
Hi Kate! Thanks for the recipe, I really can’t wait to try it. I plan to give them to friends and family at this year’s upcoming Eid celebration. Got a question for you : How long does the brownies keep unrefridgerated? And would they keep better in an air tight container? Thanks!
Hi Ruzy! I’m sorry for my delay. I can’t remember how long the brownies keep, but I’d say three days tops. Definitely store them in an air-tight container.
I just put it in the oven. The texture of the mixture is a bit weird to me and I am thinking that is because of the browned butter which I have never used in a brownie recipe. I will report back after they have baked. I am always willing to give a recipe a chance.
This recipe is a keeper!!! They came out exactly like they should. For those complaining about them falling apart make sure you cool them thoroughly before cutting them. I cooled my off in the pan for a good 30 mins and then I cut mine. Also, make sure you’re browning the butter and combining the ingredients properly. Delish!
Thank you, Ariane! So glad they turned out well for you!
Came across this recipe and man do I want brownies now! I’ve never heard of the butter browning, and I have a question. Could I use margarine or even coconut oil instead? Butter is really expensive where I live, plus it’s very difficult to find an unsalted one. I’m thinking if I just use something with the same/similar % of fat, it should work, or would it affect the flavour a lot?
So I’ve read a bit about butter browning – it’s very easy to find all sorts of articles explaining “how”, but not many “why”. But I read that this process is not about fat at all, but modifying the milk proteins in the butter. So I guess margarine wouldn’t work. I’d still appreciate any thoughts on the matter :)
Ok I will now conclude my browned butter saga hahaha
I have discovered that my margarine contains whey powder. Apparently this is common for the harder margarine (80% fat, sold in blocks not tubs), and it means that the browning works! So I made the brownies, and they are absolutely fantastic! :D And I hope my commentary helps someone with the same questions :)
Ps. having to vigorously mix these kinds of thick batter is one of my main motivations to do some weight-lifting at the gym! :P
Thank you for getting back to us with your results, Marubi! I’m glad the brownies turned out well for you!!! I wouldn’t have known that margarine works.
Just made these and got them out of the oven. They smell great but they didn’t have a crackly top like yours! I think that’s because I accidentally added the cocoa powder to the browned butter before adding the sugar so the sugar didn’t get to fully melt! I’m determined to get brownies that look like yours so I’m definitely going to be trying these again. (:
Bummer! I think you’re probably right. Hope the next batch turns out perfectly!
Amazing. Made these tonight and just about cried tears of happiness. Great recipe as is but baked an additional 10 after toothpick came out wet. Made for my coworkers but not gonna lie I was very tempted to eat the whole pan myself
Sucess!!! Thanks, Mel!
Used your recipe to make brownies a few days ago. It tasted amaaaaaaazing! I especially love the crackly top. Honestly the best brownie recipe ever!!!! Will make more after i’m done with finals.
Hooray!!! Good luck with those finals!
Please tell me in terms of weight how much grams butter should weigh?
Made these tonight. OMG. Unbelievable. YUM. :)
Yay!
best brownie recipe I have tried. Followed the instructions to the T, except I reduced the sugar content to 1 cup. Turned out amazing, dense, moist and chewy. Also crispy on the edges. Thank you for the recipe!
Also I wish I could post a picture of them here so you could see :)
Awesome! Thank you for letting me know!
I made these last night and I think it’s key to measure everything out and have everything ready to go so you can brown the butter and then just move right in to tossing in the sugar etc…
I thought these were delicious – I used all the ingredients outlined and they turned out great! I probably could/should have baked for 35 minutes instead though.
Also, they were really rich – I’m wondering if I can skip throwing the dark chocolate in and just use the cocoa powder or if that won’t create enough of a chocolate flavor? I’m new to baking, haha!
Thank you, Jen! You can skip the dark chocolate if you’d like. I love dark chocolate. :)
BEST. BROWNIES. EVER. I mean, wow! I used Bloomfield Farms Gluten Free flour for my husband – but I had to tear myself away from the pan – dangerously addictive! I think the browned butter makes all the difference in the world. Thanks for the recipe!
Wooohoooo! Thanks, Eli!
So good!! I made these in a mini muffin tin buttered and dusted with cocoa powder. I was after s’more brownie bites so I poked two mini marshmallows down inside, topped with chopped chocolate and sprinkled with graham cracker crust, cooked about 10 minutes on 325, they were absolutely perfect . Can’t wait to make this my goto brownie recipe;) thanks for sharing.
Thanks, Stephanie! I want to try your s’more version!
My sister and I made these today. We added an extra teaspoon of espresso powder to it. They took about 20 minutes longer to cook in my convection oven, but they turned out great. Spread a little bit of peanut butter on top after they were done baking as well and it tastes excellent! You’ve definitely got a great recipe here. Thank you!
Thank you very much, Su!
Hi kate, my hubby and kids really love the brownies from your recipe.i made it myself and it turned out to be very perfect. Thanks again for sharing the recipe.
Awesome, thanks Fid!
Had the same problem as a few others. Took an extra 10 mins at 325 to get the center to come out fairly clean. New oven and oven thermometer used. Only think I could imagine making the difference is between gas and electric? Mine is gas. Oh and BTW these are delicious!! Thank you for recipe!
Hmmm, I just don’t know! I think all the butter and chocolate make them a little finicky. Glad they turned out delicious, though!
Hi Kate, greetings from Malaysia. I wasn’t sure if your recipe would turn out as I used whole wheat flour (and it looked brown instead of white to me) but I’m happy to say it turned out perfect. I did leave it in the oven for an extra 10 minutes but I think the skewer didn’t come out clean because of the chocolate chips. Will follow the 25 minutes baking time next time. Great recipe!
Thank you, May! So glad these turned out well for you!
The title of this article is very… how would I say it? UNERRING. Yes… Oooohh, the brownies were just unerringly the BEST! Made these for an acquaintance party for 75 people, and they were asking where I got the recipe! SO GOOD! Very easy, too! Thank you!! Although I did alter a bit: I used 1/2 natural cocoa powder & 1/2 dutch-processed. SO GOOD!
Thank you, Austin! Glad these held up to their name for you!
These brownies are the best I’ve ever made… excellent recipe, thanks so much! :D
Thank you, Tessa! :)
I wanted to make brownies for my friends at school, an easy recipe and I stumbled across yours. It’s so easy to follow and I don’t even need my mother’s help for this! I made this yesterday and brought to the brownies to school the next day, and my friends absolutely love it! Thank you so much for this recipe! And the brownies came out great, no crumbles, nice top layer and absolutely mouth-watering! Thank you once again!
Thank you for letting me know! I’m so glad the brownies turned out well for you, Nurfarah.
This really are the very best brownies,they are delcious and very moist!
Woohoo! Thanks, Fernanda!
Its So rewarding to try something new and really enjoy it. Made these tonight and i feel like i redeemed myself. Been having an off time with certain dishes. These babies looked and tasted just as you described. My new favorite and I’ll never use boxed brownies again. Only variation is i used instant decaf coffee but i dont know the difference yet. Ty again!
Thank you, Bambi! I’m so glad you enjoyed these brownies. I’m not sure that caffeinated coffee will make a flavor difference.
Hey,
I was wondering if they would still turn out okay if bake them in mini cupcake moulds? I want to make them bite-sized for a party and possible pipe some homemade caramel sauce into the middle
Hi, I think so, although you could bake them as described and slice them into small pieces, too!
Tried posting a comment as soon as I made them last week but it wouldn’t let me :( so thought I’d try again! They came great! I wanted them round instead of square pieces (just a little OCD like that haha.
I used regular white sugar instead and less of it because I filled the inside with caramel sauce and covered the top with a chocolate ganache. I didn’t tell anyone about the caramel so it was a nice surprise when people bit into them. Definitely new fav brownie recipe. Also I was reading some of the comment and preheating the oven is also important (could be taking 35min or longer if the oven wasn’t ready to go!)
Oh man, I’m sorry you had trouble commenting back! Thank you for letting me know. Your caramel brownies sound stellar!
This sounds so delicious! I have to try making this recipe.. :)
Hi
First of all I’m a hugeeeee fan. I just baked this brownie but for some reason mine isn’t as shiny at the top as yours and the colour is a lot darker. You happen to know why that is? Thanks a lot! Xx
Hi Mackee, I’m sorry your brownies didn’t turn out like mine! This recipe is a little finicky (probably any baked good with this much butter and chocolate would be) and I haven’t been able to figure out for sure why the brownies don’t turn out the same for everyone. I wish I could offer you more guidance! Apologies again.
These were some of the weirdest brownies I’ve ever had. Gritty, crumbly and greasy. :-(
OK, I just cross-referenced a cocoa brownie recipe I’ve made several times with excellent results and was shocked to see that the ingredients were basically the same (1/2 cup flour instead of 2/3).
For everyone else who is having difficulty, instead of browning the butter, try melting it in a double boiler ALONG WITH the sugar, cocoa powder and salt (and maybe try adding less flour). That should make the recipe less “finicky.”
Thank you for taking the time to cross reference, Caitlin!
Hi Kate…simply love your website…thanks so much for doing this…just a quick question here…is there a replacement I can use for eggs,since I don’t use eggs,if so then what would be the measurement..once again thx for your selfless service.
Hi Shilpa, I’m sorry, I really don’t know if an egg replacer will work in these brownies because the eggs are important for proper emulsification. I’m sorry!
Hands down the best brownie recipe. have doubled successfully for a 13×9 and boy are they good FROSTED it’s almost too much. When i’m asked “can you make brownies?” this is the default recipe that everyone now expects. we love it thank you Kate!
Woohoo! So glad to hear it, Amy. Thank you!
I was looking forward to this SO much. I can never make brownies the way I like them and hoped this would be the recipe I was looking for. Sadly, it wasn’t. The brownies came out looking grainy and odd-textured, not a crackly top like I hoped for. The brownies are also really tough, maybe from all the vigorous beating? I’m glad this recipe works for you, but I think for me, I’ll have to keep looking. Thanks anyway!
You are a brownie genius. I have tried my fair share of brownie recipes and they never seem to work out but this recipe has worked out perfectly. I’m so glad I came across it.
Made these yesterday for a super bowl BBQ. I was worried since some others had trouble and I mainly bake vegan desserts but they came out perfectly. They got eaten quickly.
Your site is amazing and I’m very impressed with your photos, recipes, and styling. Thank you for doing such great work and sharing your talents.
PS I posted a pic on Instagram using your hashtag. I’m learning the technology so I hope it came well.
Most incredible brownies EVER! I am a college student and baked a batch for the girls in my building. They were so impressed and begged me to make more! I have never really liked boxed brownies. However, I am addicted to these!
Thank you!
Best brownies hands down! Thanks for sharing!
Whoo! You have a lot of posts to this page LOL. My 7 year old daughter and I just put them in the oven! We’re so excited! It’s our first time making homemade brownies.
When I try z recipe for the first time, I follow it exactly. This time was no different and I have several things to say. Really easy to make, which is a plus, loved the consistency since chewy brownies are the only way to go. That said, I would have used both cane and white sugar. Cocoa, plus bitter sweet chocolate, plus cane sugar, result in bitter flavors, exalted by the sea salt. With a really sweet frosting it might work. Anyway, I’ll try them again with “some” adjustments, because there were many good qualities in them. Thanks for the recipe :)
Just a note: I tried to make this with turbinado sugar instead of regular and it seized up like crazy in the brown butter! It will NOT dissolve, I highly recommend using a finer grain sugar.