The Best Chewy Brownies from Scratch – Slightly crispy edge with a chewy center and a rich chocolate flavor, these brownies from scratch are going to be your new favorite!
The Best Brownie Recipe
Truth be told, my favorite brownie has always been the Ghirardelli dark chocolate box mix. I’m not even ashamed to admit it. They are the perfect balance of rich, dark chocolate flavor, with a chewy but not overly fudgy center.
I love them so much that I decided to search for a homemade version that would compare… but the search left me empty handed. I tried dozens of brownie recipes and none of them were quite right.
So, I recently decided to work on my own recipe to create a homemade brownie recipe that gave me the flavor and texture I was looking for. And while these aren’t the perfect replica of the box mix, I’m super happy with how they turned out.
In this guide, I’ll show you how to make the best homemade brownies that are just as easy, rich, and delicious as any box mix. Whether you’re craving that perfect balance of fudginess and chewiness or simply want a brownie that’s deeply chocolatey, this recipe will hit the mark every time.
Why Homemade?
Boxed brownie mixes are popular for a reason—they’re convenient, quick, and almost always deliver a consistent result. But there are some real advantages to going homemade:
- Control Over Ingredients: You get to skip the preservatives and control the quality of the ingredients.
- Customizable: You can tweak the flavor, texture, and even add-ins to suit your preference.
- Satisfaction: There’s something extra satisfying about creating something delicious from scratch!
What Makes Boxed Brownies So Good?
Box mixes rely on specific ingredients to create that perfect texture and flavor. Some key elements include:
- Cocoa powder: For a deep, chocolatey flavor.
- Oil: It gives brownies that rich, moist texture.
- Sugar and flour: These are perfectly balanced in box mixes to give structure without sacrificing moisture.
The goal is to replicate this with your homemade version while keeping the process as simple as possible. Let’s get to it!
The Best Chewy Brownies from Scratch
This homemade chewy brownies recipe has a rich chocolate flavor thanks to the combination of melted chocolate and cocoa powder, as well as semi-sweet chocolate chips. They get their chewy texture from the brown sugar (no granulated sugar)
Ingredients for Brownies from Scratch
- Unsalted butter
- Bittersweet chocolate chips – I like THIS brand, but any good-quality bittersweet chocolate will work
- Light brown sugar
- Eggs
- Vanilla
- All-purpose flour
- Dark cocoa powder – I like THIS brand
- Salt
- Semi-sweet chocolate chips
NOTE: good quality chocolate enhances the flavor and texture of the brownies
How to Make Brownies from Scratch
- Melt the butter and bittersweet chocolate over the stove You can also do this in the microwave in a microwave safe bowl. Stir until smooth.
- With the same bowl, stir in the brown sugar, followed by the eggs and vanilla.
- Sift in the flour, cocoa, and salt.
- Fold in the semi-sweet chocolate chips.
- Bake at 350 for about 25 minutes.
- Top with Maldon salt, optional
Customizing Your Brownies
Once you’ve mastered this base recipe, feel free to experiment! Here are a few ideas to make them your own:
- Swirl in peanut butter or Nutella
- Add M&Ms and peanut butters
- Use mint extra and mint chocolate chips
Video Tutorial
Happy Baking!
With this recipe, you can say goodbye to the box mix without sacrificing that irresistible flavor and texture. Homemade brownies can be just as quick, simple, and delicious—and they come with the added bonus of knowing exactly what goes into them.
Happy baking! Let me know how your brownies turn out or if you’ve found any amazing customizations to add!
Chewy Brownies from Scratch
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups (180 g) all-purpose flour
- 3/4 cup (88.5 g) good quality dark chocolate cocoa powder
- 1 teaspoon (6 g) salt
- 1 cup (226 g) unsalted butter
- 1 cup (180 g) bittersweet chocolate chips
- 2 cups (440 g) light brown sugar, packed
- 4 eggs
- 2 teaspoons (8.4 g) vanilla extract
- 1 cup (180 g) semi-sweet chocolate chips
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F. Spray a 9" x 13" baking dish with nonstick spray. Set aside.
- In a medium size mixing bowl, sift together the flour, cocoa powder, and salt. Set aside.
- In a medium size saucepan, melt the butter and the bittersweet chocolate chips until smooth. Remove from the heat and allow to cool for about 5 minutes.
- Add the brown sugar to the butter and stir until smooth.
- Add the eggs, one at a time, stirring well between each addition.
- Stir in the vanilla.
- Add the flour mixture and stir until no streaks of flour remain.
- Fold in ¾ cup of the semi-sweet chocolate chips.
- Pour the batter into the prepared pan. Sprinkle remaining semi-sweet chocolate chips on top.
- Bake the brownies for 25 to 30 minutes.
- Remove the pan from the oven and allow the brownies to cool for about 15 to 20 minutes before serving.
I accidentally left out the vanilla but these were still amazing! The texture was spot on for my tastes. Thank you!
Could I halve this recipe and bake it in an 8×8 pan?
Absolutely!
Unfortunately these didn’t turn out well for me. I measured all ingredients by weight, but the bittersweet chocolate and butter mixture seemed broken and like it never went together. Adding the brown sugar it never became “smooth” and was always grainy looking. After 25 min in a 350 oven they came out looking cakey and dry. I might try again sometime, but these were an expensive flop. Will report back if another batch comes out differently.
Snap! Flavour was there but cakey and dry. Daughter was not happy 😂 I’m gonna try again but use half butter, half cooking oil next time.
Let me know how it goes… and maybe bake for less time. If they turned out dry, they may have baked too long.
This recipe worked well for me. I wonder if your chocolate/butter mixture broke because it was heated too quickly, did you add cold butter to melted chocolate, or water or other liquid got into it & caused it to seize? Also if you used a compound chocolate the recipe may not work.
Excellent, exceeded my expectations, which were quite high because I am a brownie snob. I made them using the metric amounts listed. The only changes (based on what I had) were using dark brown sugar and guittard semisweet chocolate chips instead of bittersweet.
These are the perfect consistency. Not cakey at all. They set up perfectly. I followed the directions as written and baked for 24 minutes. Perfection!
I’m over the moon to hear how much you love them!
I tried this recipe yesterday and it is very good! The whole family enjoyed them. Thanks
These may be the best brownies I’ve ever eaten – seriously! They are ABSOLUTELY. DIVINE. Courtney……you rock. Absolutely killed it as usual. I’m already dreaming about when I should make them again!
I’ve made these a few times as brownie cups (in a greased muffin tin). I used the same chocolate and cocoa powder which you recommend. The first time I think they were slightly overbaked with a thickish crust (27mins), so I adjusted it to 23mins to get a fudgy/chewier centre. I’ve noticed that the chocolate flavour is more bitter in the last couple of bakes, like it needs more sugar (I’m from the UK and we weigh everything, so I know it’s not that). Do you have any idea why the flavour has changed pleased?
I don’t know. I’m sorry!
Could I put a cookie recipe on top of this brownies recipe and then bake it?
Sure! Try it!
Made as directed and they are delicious! I love that they’re thicker than my usual recipe.
Brownie perfection!!! I made these tonight for the superbowl and they were a hit! My 5 year old daughter even congratulated me on making the BEST brownie (LOL!), but the kudos goes to you Courtney! Thank you for sharing this recipe!
I really wanted to like this but it was gross. Everyone who tasted it agreed. Not sure what I did wrong 🤷🏻♀️
Let’s figure out what went wrong! Can you tell me what texture they turned out like? What chocolate you used?
Flavor as great. Measured and followed r file but like others turned out really cakey. I baked for 25 min in a williams senoma gold baking 9×13. Not sure what went wrong. Maybe bake less time? Help!!!
yes I would try less time so they come out more fudgy.
Curious if others have had issues with emulsion? When I mix the melted butter/sugar in with the flour everything looks great but when I cut the final product I found lots of chucks of flour that never emulsified. Thoughts?
I would make sure to whisk the flour mixture a bit before adding the butter mixture and then stir it all with a whisk to help break up any clumps you may still have.
I love it! It came out amazing. It satisfied our chocolate craving 🤎 Thank you!
What gluten-free flour would you recommend (if you have recommendations) to use if I wanted to make these?
Cup4cup
I JUST MADE THESE FOR A GROUP OF COLLEGE BOYS AND THEY WERE A HUGE HIT!! I THINK THEY MAY BE THE VERY BEST BROWNIE I HAVE EVER MADE!! THANK YOU FOR YOUR HARD WORK AND THIS WONDERFUL RECIPE!! KEEP EXPERIMENTING!! GREAT JOB!!
This was so nice. Thank you!!
My brownies came out thin, dry, and crumbly. What could cause this? Too.much mixing?
Did you over bake them?
Hi Courtney,
Could you just refresh my memory. I know I signed up for the 3 month Cake class and I now I am getting charged so much every month. What does that qualify me for? Thanks again!
Debbie
Hi Debbie. You should have only been charged $20/month for three months. If you signed up for continued access, you should only be getting charged $2.99/month. If it’s different than that, please email [email protected]
I made these with my granddaughters on Easter. They were fantastic, everyone loved them! We will most definitely be making these again! Thank you Courtney!
He Courtney can the bitter sweet chocolate be substituted for unsweetened or semi-sweet chocolate?
Sure!