Here’s how to make brownies that are BETTER than boxed and EASY to make! Once you make this homemade brownies recipe you’ll never look back.
We’ve been making this one bowl brownies recipe for years and realized that we really should share our recipe for how to make brownies for everyone to enjoy! We love warming them up and topping them with vanilla ice cream and chocolate sauce!
Here’s Everything You Need To Make The Ultimate Brownies
Brownies Recipe From Scratch
We brought these brownies to my husband’s grandparents’ house. They remarked several times about how good they were. Then his grandma asked me if I made them. When I told her that I had she told me I really should save this brownie recipe because it is so good!
Why Make Brownies From Scratch
Making brownies from scratch is so easy with ingredients from your pantry! Be sure to keep the ingredients on hand because your family will ask you to make them again and again. We started making homemade brownies when we didn’t have any boxed mixes on hand. Once we realized that the ingredients in the recipe are ones that we usually keep stocked and that the batter is made in one pan, it became a go-to, favorite recipe.
What Ingredients You’ll Need
- Sugars: We used a combination of granulated sugar and brown sugar for the best flavor and texture.
- Fats: For the fats, we used both butter and vegetable oil for the best flavor and the most moisture.
- Vanilla: We added vanilla extract for flavor.
- Eggs: The eggs provide structure and leavening, as well as moisture and fat.
- Cocoa Powder: Choose a high-quality cocoa powder for the best flavor! We prefer Ghiradelli unsweetened cocoa powder.
- Flour: All-purpose flour provides the structure and gives the brownies their shape.
- Baking Powder: Only a little baking powder is needed as a leavener.
- Salt: We added just a pinch of salt for flavor.
- Chocolate Chips: For even more chocolate flavor, we added both semi-sweet and milk chocolate chips. Plus, when you eat them warm, the chocolate chips are melty and delicious.
How To Make Brownies
Making homemade brownies is similar to making boxed ones except you measure out the dry ingredients yourself. The difference is that you get the best, fudgy brownies with so much chocolate flavor in them! Plus, this recipe is made in one bowl and is mixed using a wooden spoon so anyone can make them.
- Pan: We used an 8×8 inch pan. A 9×9 inch pan would work too but keep in mind that you may need to adjust the baking time since the bars will be thinner. Line the pan with parchment by making a sling using two strips of parchment. The parchment prevents the bars from sticking to the pan and you can use it to lift them out of the pan once they’ve cooled.
- Mix: You don’t want to overmix the batter so this recipe is mixed by hand instead of using a mixer. Since the batter is thick, I prefer using a bowl with a handle that I can hold onto while stirring. Use a wooden spoon to combine the sugars, butter, vegetable oil, and vanilla extract in a bowl.
- Sift: Next, sift together the cocoa powder, flour, baking powder, and salt. I like to sift it directly into the bowl with the sugar mixture so that there is one less bowl to clean afterward. Sifting the flour and cocoa powder together helps disperse the cocoa powder throughout the flour allowing it to mix into the batter better.
- Fold: Finally, fold in the chocolate chips and spread the batter in a prepared pan.
- Bake: Bake them at 325˚F for 50-55 minutes. Insert a toothpick in the center. It should have moist crumbs clinging to it when it is done. If the toothpick has only wet batter, bake them a little longer.
How To Cut Brownies
We’ve found that the easiest way to cut brownies is with a plastic knife! We used a disposable plastic knife since we always have them on hand. For some reason, they don’t stick to plastic knives as much as they do to regular knives. A plastic knife slides easily through the fudgy middle without tearing the bars up or collapsing the crackled tops.
A nylon knife or cutter is another popular choice for cutting bars. It does the same thing as a plastic knife and is an inexpensive and helpful tool to keep in your kitchen. Nylon knives have a smooth edge that is perfect for cutting through soft foods and they are safe for kids to use.
To cut brownies made in an 8×8 inch pan (or a 9×9 inch pan), make a cut through the middle of the bars (center of the pan). Then cut each half in half again making four even strips. Turn the pan and repeat the cuts in the opposite direction. The result is 16 evenly cut pieces.
Frequently Asked Questions About How To Make Brownies
Brownies usually fall into three categories: fudgy, cakey, and chewy. This recipe is for fudgy brownies that are dense and moist. Boxed mix brownies are often cakey and chewy brownies are more like cookie bars.
The most important thing for making moist brownies is not overbaking them! Even when using a boxed mix, you most likely don’t need to bake them for the full recommended time on the box.
These brownies are very different from chocolate cake. They have a more intense, rich chocolate flavor, they are denser than cake (almost fudge-like in the middle), and they have a beautiful crackled top.
Want more recipes for bars? Try these next:
- This Salted Caramel Pecan Bars recipe is a mouthwatering combination of salted caramel and chocolate with a crunch of chopped pecans.
- Brown Butter Snickerdoodle Blondies are buttery and gooey, soft and dense with a crunchy cinnamon and sugar topping. This is the BEST blondies recipe ever!
- These Chocolate Mint Brownies are melt-in-your-mouth amazing! Everyone raves about this dessert with mint buttercream icing and chocolate mint icing.
- This S’mores Bars recipe has a graham cracker cookie crust topped with toasted marshmallows and Hershey Kisses!
Brownies Recipe
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- ¾ cup brown sugar
- ½ cup butter melted
- ¼ cup vegetable oil
- 2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 3 eggs
- ¾ cup cocoa powder
- ¾ cup all-purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
- ½ cup milk chocolate chips
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 325˚F. Prepare the pan by spraying it with cooking spray and lining it with two pieces of parchment paper to create a sling. Then, spray the parchment paper with cooking spray and set the pan aside.
- Stir together the granulated sugar, brown sugar, melted butter, vegetable oil, and vanilla extract with a wooden spoon.
- Using a wooden spoon, mix in the eggs one at a time.
- Sift cocoa powder, flour, baking powder, and salt into the wet ingredients. Stir until just combined.
- Fold in the semi-sweet and milk chocolate chips.
- Spread in a greased, parchment-lined 8×8 pan.
- Bake at 325˚F for 50-55 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out with some crumbs attached. Place pan on a wire rack to cool. Use the parchment sling to lift the brownies from the pan and cut into squares using a plastic or nylon knife.
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