Fudgy Brownies
These fudgy brownies are a family favorite and loaded with 3 kinds of chocolate. Not your average brownies, these are dense, thick, and super chocolatey!
I am having no trouble getting rid of all the desserts I make now that Ryan has about 80 coworkers in his hallway.
Some of his coworkers know about my food blog, but he’s been leaving my business card with the dessert, which is so sweet of him. Most people just take some dessert and they are on their merry way, but Ryan has had a few people come to his office to say how much they enjoyed whatever I sent him with.
One of his coworkers came to his office before 9am and mentioned how good these brownies are. People, I’m all for brownies.. but brownies before 9am?! I’m not sure I can do that! But I’m so glad everyone liked them!
A warning about these brownies: they are SUPER fudgy! And chocolatey, and dense.
They are definitely not cake like, and not like a box of brownie mix, they really are fudgy. I don’t mind a fudgy brownie, heck, I like any kind of brownie! But I want to make sure you know what you are getting yourself into – prepare for a chocolate explosion!
I prefer to keep these brownies in an air tight container on the counter. You can eat them at room temperature, warmed up, and I certainly recommend scooping up a bowl of ice cream!
This would also be a great recipe for swapping add ins. For example, you could swap some of the chocolate chips for peanut butter chips, white chocolate chips, butterscotch chips, M&Ms, peanut butter cups, andes mints, oh I am reaallly brainstorming now!
How To Make Fudgy Brownies
The key to fudgy brownies is to start by melting chocolate and butter together. This helps the brownies have a higher fat to flour ratio. Our recipe doesn’t include a leavening agent (like baking soda or powder), so the brownies stay fudgy instead of cakey.
3 Types of Chocolate
Our recipe calls for 3 kinds of chocolate – unsweetened baking chocolate, unsweetened cocoa powder, and semi-sweet chocolate chips.
If you’ve ever had a piece of unsweetened baking chocolate you know that it’s bitter because there is no added sugar, it’s just cocoa solids and cocoa butter, but this type of chocolate adds a strong chocolate flavor to baked goods.
Unsweetened cocoa powder is similar to baking chocolate in that it’s bitter and flavorful because there isn’t any sugar, butter, or milk to dilute the flavor. I read that if cocoa powder was sweetened, that would pretty much be like hot cocoa mix.
And last there’s semi-sweet chocolate chips, because what’s a brownie without some chocolate chips? You could also use milk or dark chips.
Total Time Required
- 1 minute to combine the dry ingredients
- 5 minutes to melt the butter and chocolate
- 5 minutes to whip the eggs
- 5 minutes to combine the rest of the ingredients
- 45-55 minutes to bake
Tips
- Beat the eggs for 5 minutes. This is crucial! The eggs need to be pale and frothy.
- Mix in the dry ingredients with a spatula to prevent over-mixing.
- Allow the brownies to cool before cutting.
More Brownie Recipes
- How to make box brownies better
- Peanut Butter Swirl Brownies
- Homemade Brownies
- Cream Cheese Swirl Brownies
Fudgy Brownies
Ingredients
- ½ cup all purpose flour
- ½ tsp salt
- 2 tbsp unsweetened natural cocoa powder
- 6 oz unsweetened baking chocolate, chopped
- 2 sticks unsalted butter, chopped, 1 cup
- 4 large eggs
- 1 ½ cups granulated sugar
- 1 tbsp vanilla extract
- 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips, divided
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 300º F.
- In a small mixing bowl combine the flour, salt and cocoa powder. Set aside.
- In a medium pot over low heat combine the unsweetened baking chocolate and butter, stir occasionally until smooth. Remove from the heat.
- In a large mixing bowl, beat the eggs with an electric mixer for 5 minutes, until the eggs are pale and frothy. Add in the sugar, mix again. Add in the vanilla extract and melted chocolate mixture, mix to combine.
- Gradually add the dry ingredients, mixing with a spatula until just combined (some flour streaks are okay!). Add 1/2 cup of chocolate chips to the batter, mix.
- Spray an 8 x 8 inch square pan with non-stick cooking spray, pour the batter into the pan. Top the batter with the rest of the chocolate chips. Bake for 45-55 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Allow the brownies to cool completely before cutting. Store the brownies in an air tight container on the counter.
The recipe calls for 1 cup of semisweet chocolate chips-divided but the directions don’t tell you what to do with the other 1/2 cup.
Good catch! So sorry! You use the rest of the chocolate chips to top the batter before baking. :)
I loved this recipe! I tried it from Pinterest, but you didn’t include baking powder so I added about a tbsp.
These are fantastic! I made these just as the recipe stated and they are perfect. I know you mentioned other toppings and mix-ins, but they are amazing as is. I made these for a tailgate, but they probably won’t make it, as I just had 2 for breakfast. Thanks for another amazing recipe!
Will try soon
Yay! Let me know how it turns out!
Could you add instant coffee to the batter before baking
YES! Yumm! Sounds like a great idea.
Hi not sure what I did wrong ? Followed the recipe except I used organic cacao powder instead..
The top looks very very crispy and separated from the brownie itself..?
Hi Sonia! Cacao powder and cocoa powder are 2 different things. Which did you use?
Hi, A reader said your recipe did not include baking powder but she added 1 tablespoon. Is there supposed to be baking powder in this recipe?
Hi Connie! Nope, there’s no baking powder in our recipe. These are super fudgy brownies, meaning we don’t want to give them rise with baking powder or baking soda.
It tastes like the best thing ever!!
Can these be made in a 9×13 pan?
Hi Christy! Yes. I would recommend doubling the recipe.
Do you use salted or unsalted butter but can’t wait to make theses
I almost always use unsalted butter!
These are the best brownies I have ever had!!! This will be the “go to” recipe for brownies!! Didn’t even like brownies that much until I tried these!!!
These came out perfect. I just think that the chocolate chips should be added once the batter is in the pan.
I added a little crushe almonds on top and it was great.
Just pulled these out of the oven. They smell and look absolutely phenomenal!! Thank you for sharing. We can’t wait to try them for dessert tonight.
I cooked this at 150•c for and hour and 20 and the skewer was still not clean? What did I do wrong?
Because these brownies are so fudgy the skewer might not be 100% clean. The brownies will set as they cool!
I’ve never baked with unsweetened baking chocolate before. What exactly does it add to the brownies flavor wise?
Hi Jaimie! Unsweetened chocolate baking bars are very common in chocolate baked desserts. They add rich, full chocolate flavor without the additives
that are added in milk chocolate and other bars. Although unsweetened chocolate is bitter, recipes contain sweeteners to counter the bitterness. The higher the cacao percentage, the deeper and more intense the chocolate flavor will be.
Delicious! I used muscovado sugar instead of regular sugar to lessen the calories and it was perfect!
Hi I was wondering if I can substitute gluten free cup for cup flour I’m celiac and can’t do wheat do you think it would be an issue. I’m dying to try these.
Hi Michelle! Yes! A one for one gluten free flour works amazing in this recipe! I recommend King Arthur’s Measure for Measure GF flour!
Can these be made in a 9 x 9 pan?
Yes! They might be slightly thinner then the photos because I used an 8×8.
Your recipe does not use baking powder? why?
These brownies are SUPER fudgy, therefore don’t use baking powder!