Easy homemade dark chocolate brownies made with butter, cocoa powder and dark chocolate chips.
After my son’s food allergy diagnosis a few years ago, I really got into baking. I tried many recipes to come up with the “best-of” this or that treat, but it took a while to get that perfect brownie recipe down.
I wanted something as easy as a box mix, with a consistent turnout, the perfect chocolate flavor, and not too gooey but not cake like. If I had to compare these to a box mix, I would say they are similar to Ghiradelli’s Dark Chocolate Brownie Mix.
These easy homemade fudgy brownies are the result from all my experimenting. They have become one of my kids most requested treats. Whenever I bring a batch of these brownies to a dinner party they never last long!
Ingredients
Make homemade brownies with just a few basic kitchen staples you likely have in your pantry and fridge.
- Butter – One stick of butter melted and then cooled.
- Granulated Sugar – Precisely one cup. Too much and it will be too sweet, not enough and the brownies will not be sweet enough.
- Vanilla Extract – Adds flavor depth.
- Eggs – Two large eggs.
- Baking Soda
- Salt
- All-Purpose Flour
- Cocoa Powder – I usually have Hershey’s or Nestle’s Cocoa Powder on hand.
- Dark Chocolate Chips – I really like using Hershey’s Dark Chocolate Chips in this recipe. They melt just the right amount.
How to make the perfect brownies
- Preheat oven to 350F. Line a 9" X 9" baking pan with parchment paper.
- Whisk together melted butter and sugar. Be sure butter is cooled before whisking in the eggs, otherwise you risk cooking the eggs. Whisk in vanilla extracts and eggs.
- Stir in baking soda and salt. Add cocoa powder and flour. Stir until incorporated into batter, avoid over stirring. Fold in dark chocolate chips.
- Batter will be thick. Spread batter into prepared pan and bake at 350F for 25-30 minutes. Cool before cutting into. Enjoy!
📖 Recipe
Easy Homemade Brownies
Ingredients
- ½ cup Butter melted and cooled
- 1 cup Granulated Sugar
- 1 tsp. Vanilla Extract
- 2 Eggs
- ¼ tsp. Baking Soda
- ¼ tsp. Salt
- ½ cup All-Purpose Flour
- ½ cup Cocoa Powder
- 1 ½ cup Dark Chocolate Chips
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Line a 9”X9” square baking pan with parchment paper. Melt butter and set aside till cool.
- Whisk together butter and granulated sugar. Add vanilla extract. Whisk in eggs, stirring until fully incorporated.
- Add baking soda, salt, flour and cocoa powder. Stir until combined. Fold in dark chocolate chips. Batter will be thick
- Spread batter into prepared pan. Bake at 350°F for 25-30 minutes.
Recipe adapted from Something Swanky.
FAQ
Can I use a different size pan?
Yes, if you don't have a 9" square pan and 8" square pan will work. It may just need to bake for a few extra minutes.
How can I tell when the brownies are done?
Look at the edges, they should be pulling away from the pan. The top should be set and not jiggly. If you stick a toothpick in the batter, it might have melted chocolate chip on it, but should not be covered in batter.
Can I double the recipe?
Yes, I have doubled and baked the brownies in a 9 X 13 metal pan. Cooking time will increase.
I hope your family enjoys these homemade brownies as much as mine does!
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Liz
Awesome recipe!! I made this for my brothers and parent, as well as my bestfriend. They all loved them! Nice and thick, as well.
Alaine
Thank you! So glad everyone loved the brownies. I love how easy they are to make!
Abigail
Tasted super good they were darker than picture. Other than that I loved them
Alaine
Dark cocoa powder will make the brownies darker :). I'm glad you loved them!
Anna
Can I double this recipe and use a bigger pan?
Alaine
Yes I have successfully doubled this recipe before. Increase the cooking time and I'd recommend watching it closely and covering with foil if it is browning too quickly.
Amber Dial
So I made them and they came out in cake form I don’t know what I did wrong
Alaine
Did the chocolate chips possibly melt before baking? That is one of the only things I could think of.
Elissa Davis
Made these with my 12yr old daughter last night and they turned out WAY better than we expected! I have a horrible track record in the kitchen, making things for scratch, but this recipe was easy to follow and they were PERFECT!!! The only tweak we had to make was when we realized we were out of baking soda, so "Auntie Google" told us we can use 3X the amount of baking powder, then cut the salt in half.
Thank you for this recipe!! We'll be using it again and also we will be checking out your other recipes!
Alaine
Yay, so happy to hear! Thank you, I love messages like this 🙂 Hope y'all do check out some of my other recipes in the future!
lysz simmons
i was looking for a sweet treat and craving brownies! luckily i had all the ingredients for your recipe. they came out great and it was so easy! this is my new go-to homemade brownie recipe!!
Alaine
Awesome, so glad you enjoyed the brownies! Love to hear they will be your new go-to recipe, thank you!
Faith
The brownies can put perfect 🤩 they are amazing and I think my family will love it at the family potluck
Alaine
Yay! I hope your family enjoyed them! 🙂
Michelle
Can I use semi sweet chocolate chips? Or eliminate or cut the amount in half?
Alaine
Yes, you can use semi-sweet chocolate chips. I would not reduce or eliminate the amount of chocolate chips or it will result in really dry brownies. In this particular recipe, they melt and help add some texture.