The Best Homemade Brownie Recipe - Baker by Nature (2024)

Brownie lovers rejoice: your search for the best homemade brownie recipe is over! You’ll only need are a few simple ingredients like melted butter, granulated sugar, flour, eggs, and unsweetened cocoa powder. Plus, chocolate chips which give these chocolate brownies EXTRA chocolate flavor – and ensure they bake up with a shiny crackly top!

The BEST Homemade Brownies

Reader Imansays: “I make brownies periodically and am always on the lookout for a new recipe. I made these tonight and my wife said they were the best brownies I’d ever made and to keep this recipe!”

I’m not exaggerating when I say I’m OBSESSED with brownies. I have dozens of brownie recipes on my website – and even one in my cookbook. But these cocoa fudge brownies? They hold the crown as my all-time favorite brownie recipe!

I’ve been baking them for years… and will continue doing so for the rest of my life. They’re easy, indulgent, and basically foolproof. Prepared with basic ingredients and just a few bowls… you can whip up bakery-style brownies anytime the craving strikes. I have no doubt you’ll love this easy dessert recipe as much as I do!

Unsweetened Cocoa Powder vs Dutch Processed Cocoa Powder

Although this recipe contains baking powder, it will work with both dutch processed cocoa powder and unsweetened cocoa powder. But the results will be slightly different depending on your choice. Unsweetened cocoa powder (aka natural cocoa powder) will yield a brownie with a lighter color and less intense flavor. Dutch-process cocoa – or black cocoa powder – will give you super dark brownies with an intensely rich and deep chocolate flavor.

Get the Most Chocolate Flavor

1. Use Quality-Cocoa: No matter what kind of cocoa powder you use , it should be a quality-brand. A few of my favorite cocoa powder brands are Droste, Ghiradelli, and Guittard Rouge. In a pinch, I’ve even had good experience using Hershey’s cocoa powder. Just be sure your cocoa is unsweetened and never sub hot cocoa mix.
2. Add some Vanilla: This is an optional ingredient. But you can enhance the chocolate flavor by adding 1 to 2 teaspoons of vanilla extract. Pure vanilla extract or bourbon vanilla extract works great. Don’t use artificial vanilla.
3. Add some Espresso Powder: Another optional ingredient. But to enhance the chocolate flavor – and elevate the taste of the brownies – add a teaspoon of espresso powder. I suggest adding it with the flour mixture.

Holy Grail Brownie Recipe

• Flour:for best results, use all-purpose flour! I cannot suggest baking these with almond flour, coconut flour, or any other plant based flour. Some readers have reported good results using a 1 for 1 gluten free flour substitute. So that’s worth a shot to bake gluten free brownies.
• Baking Powder:This ingredient adds just a little lift to these bars which. I find baking powder is essential because the lift helps them not be too fudgy. Do not sub baking powder for baking soda!
• Salt:Enhances the taste and flavor while also balancing the sweetness. For a bakery-style touch, sprinkle flaky sea salt on the crackly tops of the chocolate brownies before serving.
• Unsweetened Cocoa Powder:You can use natural cocoa powder or dutch-processed cocoa powder. Dutch cocoa will make the brownies darker and more rich.
• Butter:Melted butter adds flavor and moisture to the recipe. I suggest using unsalted butter to control the amount of sodium added, but salted will work in a pinch. Just omit the salt called for in the recipe.
• Oil: For extra moist brownies, you’ll need to add a little oil. You can use canola oil, vegetable oil, or refined melted coconut oil. In a pinch, olive oil will even work. But it will add olive oil flavor to the finished product.
• Granulated Sugar:Do not sub brown sugar in this recipe! Brown sugar will make the brownies too moist and add unwanted molasses flavor. Granulated sugar works best!
• Eggs:You’ll use 2 whole eggs, plus one egg yolks, which adds richness without making the brownies cake-y. I cannot suggest an egg replacement and DO NOT suggest making them without eggs.
• Chocolate Chips:Because you can never have enough chocolate flavor, right? Feel free to use milk chocolate chips, white chocolate chips, or even, peanut butter chips! Chocolate chunks would also make a wonderful replacement, especially for larger pockets of gooey chocolate.
• Optional: If you want to add some crunch and protein, feel free to add walnuts, pecans, or hazelnuts.

Secrets to a Shiny Crackly Top

1. Melt the Butter:The secret to getting that gorgeous shiny crackly tops? Melting the butter with some of the sugar! Just be sure to keep a close eye, as you don’t want the sugar to clump up.
2. Whisk the Eggs:Secret #2 to crackly tops? Whisk the heck out of your eggs!
3. Combine Hot and Cold:This might feel insane, but you’ll slowly add the HOT butter mixture to the cold egg mixture. The secret is to whisk constantly while you’re adding, and only add a little bit of the butter mixture at a time.
4. Add Dry Ingredients:Fold in the cocoa powder, flour, salt, and baking powder, and stir until JUST combined. Don’t over mix here because over mixing = cake-y or dry brownies. Not fudgy brownies, which is what we want.
5. Add Chocolate:Stir in the chocolate chips or chocolate chunks. Make sure to stir ONLY until you have just combined the brownie batter. Over mixing will cause cake-y brownies. When in doubt, under mix your brownie batter.

The Best Baking Pan

• This recipe requires a 9×9-inch baking pan. I don’t suggest using an 8-inch pan, but if you do, you’ll need to add at least 5 minutes to the bake time. And be prepared to have super thick brownies!
• The BEST baking pan for this recipe is a metal or aluminized steel baking pan. These pans allow the brownies to cook quickly and evenly. My favorite brownie pan is this 9×9-inch USA pan.
• If you must use a glass or ceramic baking pan, be prepared to bake longer than suggested. Depending on how thick your pan is, you’ll need to add anywhere from 10 to 25 minutes onto the bake time. Which is why I highly suggest a metal pan instead.
• No matter what kind of pan you use, be sure to line the baking pan with parchment paper. Once your prepared pan is ready to go, simply set it aside while you make
• To double this recipe, use a 9×13-inch baking pan and add a few minutes onto the bake time.

Tips for the Best Chocolate Brownies

My Top 3 secrets to achieving the best moist brownies:

1. Oil & Butter:Using a combination of oil and butter keeps this recipe moist and flavorful. Does butter taste better than oil in brownies? YES!!! Does oil keep brownies moister? Yes, that’s why we use both!
2. Don’t over mix: My top tip is to stop mixing the batter when you can still see the slightest trace of dry ingredients. This guarantees you don’t over mix the batter! Over mixing is the number 1 way to create dry brownies.
3. Avoid Over Baking:You actually want to slightly underbake the brownies. So take them out of the oven when they still have a little wiggle in the middle. Bake times are actually just estimates. So although I suggest baking for 27 to 30 minutes, this could vary depending on your oven and pan.

I suggest you place the brownies on a wire rack and cool completely in the pan before slicing. They usually come to room temperature within a few hours. To enjoy a warm brownie, you can heat it up for a few seconds in the oven or microwave.

How to Freeze Brownies

1. Before you freeze them, you must let them cool completely! They shouldn’t be even slightly warm when you wrap them. Cooling will take about 2 hours, so be prepared to be patient.
2. Once your homemade brownies are completely cool, wrap them tightly with saran wrap. This will protect them from getting freezer burn. Make sure the plastic wrap completely covers the brownies.You can wrap them as a whole slab, or you can wrap individual brownies.
3. Place them in a freezer-safe sealable plastic bag and squeeze out as much air as possible before sealing it.Air is the enemy of any freezer bound item!
4. Label the bag and add the date, then pop it in your freezer.These will stay fresh in the freezer for up to 2 months.

If you try this recipe for Cocoa Powder Brownies, let me know! Leave a comment below and don’t forget to snap a pic and tag it#bakerbynatureon instagram! Seeing your kitchen creations makes my day ♥

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