Homemade Brownies with only a few staple ingredients that yield a perfect chocolate brownie that is thick and fudgey.
In a funny turn of events, I have found that I am not alone in being extremely opinionated when it comes to brownies. I recently asked for people to describe their perfect brownie on Instagram and never in my life have I received so many responses.
Everyone’s definition of a perfect brownie is a little different, some like frosting, others like nuts.. well, here is what is required to make a brownie perfect to me:
- The perfect brownie should be chewy and fudgy. Not at all cakey! If it has a cakey texture…it’s cake, not brownies!
- The perfect brownie has a slightly crusty/ flakey top that gives a bit of texture to the fudgy brownie!
- The perfect brownie is perfectly sweet and chocolatey!
And this my friends, is the PERFECT brownie! This brownie has stood the test of time! It was my grandma’s recipe that has been passed down through the generations. I have tweaked it every so slightly and now I pass it onto you, the absolutely perfect brownie recipe!
This recipe is for an unfrosted brownie. But if you are on team frosting, definitely try this Brownie Frosting.
Brownie Ingredients
- Butter- Salted. No need to keep unsalted on hand just for these brownies! Do not try to substitute margarine here- the brownies will not turn out!
- Sugar- We will just use white granulated sugar.
- Eggs- a lot of them, too!! We will use 6 eggs in this recipe.
- Salt
- Vanilla The recipe calls for a full Tbs of vanilla. That isn’t a typo. The extra kick of vanilla gives these brownies an awesome depth to the flavor!
- Cocoa Powder
- Flour- All purpose four works great!
- Mini Chocolate Chips- This ingredient is totally optional but use them if you want even more chocolatey, semi-sweet brownies.
How To Make Brownies from scratch
Start by creaming the softened butter with the sugar for a full 5 minutes then add the eggs and vanilla. Beat for an additional 5 minutes. The end result should look light and fluffy.
If you want that delicious, crackly crust on the top of your fudgy brownies, do not skip this step! Set a timer, 5 whole minutes for each of those steps!
Add the cocoa, salt and flour and stir until just combined. You absolutely DO NOT want to overmix the batter once the flour has been added. It will result in a cakier, tougher brownie. Which is basically the opposite of what we want! I generally fold in the dry ingredients by hand.
If desired, fold in the mini chocolate chips.
Spread the mixture into a greased 9×13 pan. (This recipe can also be doubled and put in a regular cookie sheet or halved and put in an 8×8 pan. It won’t change the cook time much.)
Bake at 350 degrees for 30-35 minutes. You don’t want to overcook them or they won’t be as fudgy as you want. The brownies are done when a toothpick comes out with a few moist crumbs on it. If it comes out clean it is overbaked.
Allow the brownies to cool completely in the pan.
How to store brownies
The brownies store for 4 days in an air tight container at room temperature. They also freeze beautifully!!
How to freeze brownies
To freeze brownies, let the brownies cool completely and then cut into squares. Place the squares on a cookie sheet and then freeze for 30 minutes to 1 hour. At that point, you can place them all into a zip top baggie and freeze without the individual brownies sticking together.
I actually LOVE eating these straight from the freezer.
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If you like this recipe try out some of these other brownie recipes!
Best Brownie Recipe (super easy!)
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups butter softened
- 3 cups granulated sugar
- 6 eggs
- 1 tbsp vanilla extract
- 3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1 1/2 tsp salt
- 2 1/4 cups all purpose flour
- 1 1/2 cups mini chocolate chips if desired
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°.
- Cream together the softened butter and sugar for a full 5 minutes.
- Add the eggs and vanilla into the mixture, and beat for another 5 minutes.
- Add the cocoa, salt and flour, this time mixing until just combined. Do not over mix at this point.
- Fold in 1 cup of mini chocolate chips.
- Spread the mixture into a greased 9x13 pan.
- Bake at a 350° for 30-35 minutes. They are cooked through when a toothpick comes out with a few moist crumbs attached to it. If it comes out completely clean the brownies have been over baked.
- Allow the brownies to cool completely in the pan.
- Store at room temperature in an air tight container for up to 4 days.
Lauren says
I’d give it more stars if I could! These really are the best brownies. Super fudgy even the next day and the crinkly crunchy top is the perfect texture difference to the gooey brownie. Easy to make, I’ll def make these again.
Halle oviatt says
Best brownie recipe ever!!!!
Karli Bitner says
I am so glad you think so, too!
Karli Bitner says
Yay!! So happy to hear this, Lauren! Thanks so much for the comment and stars- means the world! 🙂
Shauna says
The is the best homemade brownie recipe I have ever tried. The crunchy top is the best part!
Karli Bitner says
Totally agree with you- that top is to die for! Thanks for taking the time to comment and leave me some stars! ❤️
Jessica Jones says
These are delicious and so easy! Also, I love the 5 minute increments where I can clean a little in between ingredients!