Moist and Chewy Brownies

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This easy brownie recipe makes moist and chewy brownies that are pretty hard to resist. It’s actually the first brownie recipe that I ever made from scratch! Even after all these years, I still come back to this simple recipe.

Looking for more brownie recipes? Try my just-like-box-mix brownies recipe, or these fudgy homemade brownies!

Moist and Chewy Brownies

Homemade Brownies

I think the awesomeness of brownies tends to be overlooked – even by me. There are so many recipes dressing them up recently (and I’m totally into those!) that I think a plain old brownie is getting forgotten. And the truth is, a good brownie is hard to resist. Like many delicious treats, I could sit down with a pan of them and not stop until they’re gone.

This brownie is actually the first one I’ve made from scratch. Imagine that! And it’s quite tasty. Before they are totally cooled (like in the pictures), they are gooey and all melty. But as they cool, they firm up a bit and get a little more cake-like and crumbly. They are still very moist though and a nice in-between of cakey and fudgy. And totally addicting.

Moist and Chewy Brownies

I hear the sign of a good brownie is the nice little crust on top of them and these brownies definitely have that. To give you that great crust, there’s one step you need to pay attention to – the mixing of the butter and sugar. There’s a little bit of heating involved in order to dissolve the sugar. The sugar won’t completely dissolve, but the mixture should take on a shiny appearance when it’s done. I used the microwave instead of pan to speed up the process. 🙂

Moist and Chewy Brownies

The other thing to note when making these is the chocolate chips that are included. You have a few options. I prefer to them to be a little more melted so that they spread out in the brownies a little bit, but aren’t completely incorporated. To achieve that, I microwave them until they are nice and soft, but not totally melted. You don’t have to melt them at all if you like your brownies chunky. You could also totally melt the chips if you want them fully incorporated. The choice is yours!

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Brownies stacked on white plate
Recipe

Moist and Chewy Brownies

  • Author: Lindsay
  • Prep Time: 30 minutes
  • Cook Time: 30 minutes
  • Total Time: 1 hour
  • Yield: About 18 Brownies
  • Category: Dessert
  • Method: Oven
  • Cuisine: American

Description

This easy brownie recipe makes moist and chewy brownies that are pretty hard to resist. It’s actually the first brownie recipe that I ever made from scratch! Even after all these years, I still come back to this simple recipe.


Ingredients

  • 4 eggs
  • 1 1/4 cups cocoa
  • 1 tsp baking powder
  • 1 tsp espresso powder
  • 1 tbsp vanilla
  • 1 cup unsalted butter
  • 2 1/4 cups sugar
  • 2 cups chocolate chips
  • 1 1/2 cups flour

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9×13 pan.
2. Beat together eggs, cocoa, baking powder, espresso powder and vanilla until smooth.
3. Melt the butter in the microwave in a small microwave-safe bowl.
4. Add the sugar to the melted butter and combine. Microwave mixture in about 10-15 second increments, mixing each time, until the mixture is hot (about 110-120 degrees), but not bubbly. It should take on a shiny look when it’s ready. Heating this mixture will dissolve more of the sugar and give a shiny crust on top of the brownies. You could also do this step in a saucepan over low heat.
5. Add the butter mixture to the eggs mixture and mix until smooth
6. Microwave the chocolate chips in about 20 second increments until fairly soft, but not totally melted.
NOTE: If you want them to be completely incorporated, melt them completely. If you want them to be chunks in the brownies, do not microwave them.
7. Add flour and chocolate chips to batter and mix until smooth.
8. Pour batter into pan and bake for about 30 minutes, or until toothpick comes out with just a few moist crumbs.
9. When done, remove from oven and allow to cool.

Nutrition

  • Serving Size: 1 Brownie
  • Calories: 381
  • Sugar: 39.4 g
  • Sodium: 19.1 mg
  • Fat: 19.3 g
  • Carbohydrates: 52.8 g
  • Protein: 5.4 g
  • Cholesterol: 68.4 mg

Filed Under:

Recipe slightly modified from King Arthur Flour.

Enjoy!

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78 Comments
  1. Edawgatl

    These are my new go-to for tennis matches, parties, or anytime I have to bring a dessert or snack. Amazing! They always get gobbled up and everyone wants to know who made them. No more boxed brownies here! I use the special dark chocolate powder and I’ve used espresso powdered ordered off amazon or decaf Starbucks via instant coffee. A winner!

  2. John

    I have just recently started baking not too long ago, been about 3 months, and I have to say these are amazing! They’re really easy to make and are fantastically delicious! I’ve been using your website a lot and just wanted to say thank you for all these wonderful recipes!

    1. lifeloveandsugar@gmail.com

      Thank you so much John! I’m so glad you like the brownies and are finding my blog to be a great resource! 🙂

  3. Julia

    Where can you find espresso powder?? I have looked at several grocery stores in my area. Thanks for your help! These look delicious

    1. lifeloveandsugar@gmail.com

      Hi Julia! If you can’t find the powder, you can use espresso granules. Just try and crush it up a bit with a muddler or something so it’s finer.

  4. Brooke

    I really want to try these, but don’t have the espresso powder (we don’t drink coffee around here). Do you think it would turn out ok if I just leave that out?

  5. Erin

    Made these today for our home tennis match. They were a hit. I love making things from scratch-not that much extra work to have ingredients you can pronounce. I used coconut oil in place of butter and milk chocolate chips. The chip substitution was great as they got melty on their own. I also used a packet of Starbucks decaf via in place of the espresso powder, simply because I’ve had a hard time finding it. A nice perk too was having it decaf, since the kids were eating them! Definitely going to make these again!

  6. Avery

    I am so happy I found this! I’d been trying brownie recipes for years now trying to satisfy everyone’s tastes in my family and this one did the trick. I’d been wary during the process though; it s tarted off very dry but the butter mixture gooped it up in seconds, but then I had to add a cup of flour?? But pouring it into the pan I knew they would taste great. In addition to making great brownies; the batter was divine too! 🙂

  7. Jess @ On Sugar Mountain

    You know Lindsay, you are totally 100% right: no one ever makes plain old brownies anymore. It’s such a shame too because classic brownies are one of my favorite treats of all time. THESE look just like the boxed mix ones that I love 😀 What an awesome recipe!

  8. lulu

    I made brownies yesterday and proceeded to eat about half of them. I’m going to save yours for another day! I like the idea of adding espresso powder.

  9. dweinberg415

    I’m also a huge fan of brownies. I’ve been through lots of mediocre recipes trying to find the ultimate gooey, fudgey brownie. I can’t wait to try your recipe. Thanks!

Lindsay
About Lindsay

I’m the baker, recipe developer and photographer behind Life, Love and Sugar. I love sharing trusted recipes with helpful tips to give you great results.

Scripture I’m Loving

“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.” Matthew 11:28-29