This post may contain affiliate sales links. Please read my disclosure policy.
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!
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.
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. 🙂
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!
Print
Moist and Chewy Brownies
- 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
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!
Why did my batter get so thick and gluey after adding flour? I followed all the directions completely. After baking they are cakey yet a little grainy and the top is very hard. Not sure what I did wrong 😭
I’m sorry. It’s hard to say from a distance. Are you sure you measured the flour correctly? Too much flour can certainly make a difference.
Should I use a spatula to mix or an electric mixer please?
You could do it either way, just be sure not to over mix once you add the flour.
How important is the espresso powder?
Would they taste well if you leave it out?
Espresso powder can amplify the flavor of the chocolate, but you can certainly leave it out.
Super yummy! We replaced the melted chocolate chips with a cup of Nutella and with the espresso it’s just to die for! Chewy, moist with a little bit of crisp on the top.
So glad you enjoyed them!
hi! i’m so gonna try this recipe but i don’t have chocolate chips right now, m thinking if i can omit it?
Yes, that should be fine.
Hi Lindsay!
I noticed in your cakey brownie recipe, you used Extra Dark Cocoa Powder. Can i sub the espresso and cocoa with the Extra Dark Cocoa?
if yes, how many cups should I use?
Thank you so much!!!
That should be fine. Just use the same amount of cocoa.
Hi Lindsay, I want to ask if I can substitute bread flour for all purpose flour to make the brownies? I already tried your recipe twice, and the taste was good! 🙂 At first, I followed exactly all the measurements except from adding chocolate chips. However, it turned out cakey. So for my second try, 1 melted 1 cup of choco chips and mixed them with the batter and used only 1/2 cup of cocoa powder, instead. It was super fudgy and it feels sandy. Maybe due to the sugar? I was afraid to overbeat the eggs since I have to mixed the butter/sugar mixture together with the egg mixture… Also, the brownies turned very light and gave me too much “melt in your mouth feeling”. I want something in between fudgy and cakey, dense but not hard, elastic, sticky brownies. Would the bread flour be able to address the issue? Sorry for the question and if my description is a bit vague. I just want to know in advance if this is possible before buying bread flour. Thank you so much.
I’ve never tried bread four, so I’m not sure.
Hi nice recipe.just want to know should wd cool the butter mixture and add to the rest or warm.
Thanks.
The butter mixture should be warm when adding to the eggs mixture.
Just an update on the brownies. They came out amazingly and this is now my go to brownie recipe! I’ve tried hundreds of recipes and never been happy as they have been either too cakey or fudgy but not chewy or they have lacked taste and just been okay. However these are the perfect balance of fudginess and chewiness with the lovely crackly top and indulgent chocolate taste and are absolute heaven. My husband said they’re the best brownies he’s ever tasted and better than both boxed or store/cafe bought literally have never taste brownies this good before and I’ve taste ALOT. Thank you so much for the recipe Lindsay! I can’t wait to make these for my little one when he’s older. I’m going to have to buy your book for more wonderful recipes!! ????????????
Awesome! So glad you enjoyed them!
Hi, thanks for the recipe. I’ve just made these and added a layer of caramel in the middle. I chopped a chocolate bar up into chunks and part melted half and stirred in then added the other half of chunks as is. I can’t wait to see how they turn out!! The mixture looked and tastes divine ???????????? They’ll be a nice surprise for my husband when he returns from London tonight!
Sounds delicious!!
Hiya! I have have been in love with your recipes for a while now. Though I have a question about adding in other ingredients such as caramel. Do you think that it would better to include that in between (layer of brownie batter, caramel, and then another layer of brownie batter) or would that be best served as a topping?
Hi Shar! So glad you enjoy the recipes!
Hmmm, not entirely sure. It might depend a little on the caramel and how it does with being baked. I’d probably put it in the middle to try it, but just adding it on top would certainly be safer and not need testing.
These look delicious, I have one question. Do you use natural unsweetened cocoa powder or Hershey’s special dark cocoa powder in this recipe?
Either would work. I believe I used Hersheys special dark cocoa in these.
I reduced the cocoa powder by 3/4 cup and used 1/2 cup melted chocolate, instead and follow all the measurements for the remaining ingredients. My brownies tasted good however it’s a bit “sandy”. May I know the culprit? If it’s about the sugar, may I know how long would it take to properly mixed it with the butter without overbeating the egg mixture? Since I need to beat the egg first together with the cocoa powder, baking powder, etc. before adding the butter and sugar mixture. Hope to receive a reply. Thanks.