How to Make the Best Brownies

Brownies
March 18, 2021
Brownies
March 18, 2021

How to Make the Best Brownies

  • Prep time: 15 min
  • Cook time: 45 min
  • Total time: 1 hr

Fudgy AND cakey brownies to satisfy anyone’s craving. This step by step recipe breaks down exactly how to make the best brownie ever.

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How to Make the Best Brownies

I’m about to make a lofty claim, but these are the best brownies you’ll ever have. These easy brownies are the perfect mixture between fudgy and cakey. You’ll love these uber chocolatey fudgy brownies!

Fudgy AND cakey brownies to satisfy anyone's craving. This step by step recipe breaks down exactly how to make the best brownie ever.

The Best Brownies

If we know one thing about you guys it’s that you LOVE brownies (as you might be able to tell from the 50 recipes on the site), and this one is my solid go to brownie recipe. You’ll love these brownies because they’re the perfect mixture between a cakey and fudgy brownie. I like to call them my goldilocks brownies because they are just right. And I think once you’ve made them for yourself, you’ll agree with me!

Ingredients for homemade brownies

While throwing together a boxed mix of brownies is obviously the easiest way to whip up brownies, homemade brownies are *so* worth the extra effort. And this homemade brownie recipe is actually pretty easy to make. You’ll need just 7 ingredients and one large microwave safe bowl. No fancy kitchen mixers, artisanal ingredients or crazy techniques AKA the best kind of recipe. Here’s your grocery list.

  • Butter
  • Brown Sugar
  • Eggs
  • Cocoa Powder
  • Salt
  • Vanilla Extract
  • Flour

Fudgy AND cakey brownies to satisfy anyone's craving. This step by step recipe breaks down exactly how to make the best brownie ever.

What makes these brownies the BEST?

This girl has eaten A LOT of brownies. Like, I don’t think you can even comprehend how many brownies I’ve eaten in my lifetime. You could say I’m somewhat of a brownie connoisseur. I’ve tested out hundreds of brownie recipes to land on this one and it is truly *chef’s kiss.* These brownies are the perfect combination of fudgy and cakey. They’re dense, but not too dense; fudgy, but not claggy; super chocolatey, but still sweet. And of course they have that signature crackly top, chewy edge and gooey center.

I mean…you need them.

So let’s break down exactly how to make the best brownies ever.

Step One: Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease and line an 8″x8″ pan with parchment paper and set aside.

We had an awfully good helper to keep watch over the ingredients 🙂

Don’t worry. She didn’t get any chocolate (even though she tried).

Fudgy AND cakey brownies to satisfy anyone's craving. This step by step recipe breaks down exactly how to make the best brownie ever.

Step Two: In a large microwave safe bowl, combine the butter and sugar. Microwave for 30 seconds, then remove and stir with a whisk. Repeat 2 more times.

You can always do this step on a stovetop too, the microwave just makes it super easy. By the time you finish the process, the mixture should have a glossy and shiny finish. Don’t be alarmed if some granules of sugar don’t dissolve completely into the butter–as long as it’s shiny, you’re good to go!

Fudgy AND cakey brownies to satisfy anyone's craving. This step by step recipe breaks down exactly how to make the best brownie ever.        Fudgy AND cakey brownies to satisfy anyone's craving. This step by step recipe breaks down exactly how to make the best brownie ever.

Step Three: Allow mixture to cool slightly, then add in eggs one at a time.

You’ll want to vigorously whisk the mixture between each addition to fully incorporate the eggs. Our ultimate homemade brownie recipe calls for 2 eggs, which helps to give the brownies the structure of a cakey brownie, while the butter and sugar mixture you made in step one, along with the high cocoa powder content keep it fudgy. Best of both worlds!

You’ll know this step is done once the mixture has lightened slightly in color (see photo below).

Fudgy AND cakey brownies to satisfy anyone's craving. This step by step recipe breaks down exactly how to make the best brownie ever.       Fudgy AND cakey brownies to satisfy anyone's craving. This step by step recipe breaks down exactly how to make the best brownie ever.

Step Four: Add the vanilla extract and mix well.

I have to say, vanilla extract can really make or break a baked good and I don’t know why more brownie recipes don’t stress the importance of a good vanilla extract. It perfectly complements all the chocolate fudge goodness. So make sure you’re using a good brand…and we won’t judge a good heavy handed vanilla pour

Fudgy AND cakey brownies to satisfy anyone's craving. This step by step recipe breaks down exactly how to make the best brownie ever.

Step Five: Add in the cocoa powder and salt.

Now time for the CHOCOLATE. Hell yes. Because of the large amount of  cocoa powder in this brownie recipe, it’s important to use a high quality cocoa powder! This is one of those cases where it is most definitely worth the splurge. Our favorite brand is Rodelle!

Fudgy AND cakey brownies to satisfy anyone's craving. This step by step recipe breaks down exactly how to make the best brownie ever.        Fudgy AND cakey brownies to satisfy anyone's craving. This step by step recipe breaks down exactly how to make the best brownie ever.

Step Six: Add in the flour and mix until no lumps remain.

As soon as everything starts to look smooth stop mixing! It will look so beautiful and you’ll be tempted to keep stirring, but you don’t want to ruin the crumb!

Fudgy AND cakey brownies to satisfy anyone's craving. This step by step recipe breaks down exactly how to make the best brownie ever.        Fudgy AND cakey brownies to satisfy anyone's craving. This step by step recipe breaks down exactly how to make the best brownie ever.

Step Seven: Transfer the batter to your prepared pan and bake for 25 minutes. Enjoy!

Fudgy AND cakey brownies to satisfy anyone's craving. This step by step recipe breaks down exactly how to make the best brownie ever.Fudgy AND cakey brownies to satisfy anyone's craving. This step by step recipe breaks down exactly how to make the best brownie ever.

I’ll just leave these here for you.

If you’re not a brownie person, you’re about to become one. I promise.

Follow along with my step by step video!

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How to Make the Best Brownies

5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star 4.8 from 59 reviews

A step by step breakdown on how to make the absolute best fudgy AND cakey brownies.

A step by step breakdown on how to make the absolute best fudgy AND cakey brownies.

  • Author: Sarah Fennel
  • Prep Time: 10 minutes
  • Cook Time: 50 minutes
  • Total Time: 1 hour
  • Yield: 16 brownies
  • Category: dessert
  • Method: oven
  • Cuisine: american
  • Author: Sarah Fennel
  • Prep Time: 10 minutes
  • Cook Time: 50 minutes
  • Total Time: 1 hour
  • Yield: 16 brownies
  • Category: dessert
  • Method: oven
  • Cuisine: american
Units:

Ingredients

  • 10 tablespoons unsalted butter
  • 1 1/4 cup packed light brown sugar
  • 2 large eggs, room temperature
  • 3/4 cup cocoa powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 6 tablespoons all-purpose flour

Instructions

    1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease and line a 8 x 8″ baking pan with parchment paper and set aside.
    2. In a large microwave-safe bowl, combine butter and sugar. Microwave for 30 seconds, then remove and stir with a whisk. Repeat process 2 more times. Though granules of sugar will remain, the goal is to get the mixture to a glossy finish.
    3. Allow mixture to cool slightly, then add in eggs one at a time, whisking in between each addition. Whisk until the mixture lightens in color slightly.
    4. Add in cocoa powder, salt, and vanilla extract. Fold in flour until just combined.
    5. Pour mixture into prepared baking pan and bake for roughly 25 minutes, testing for doneness by inserting a knife into the center of the brownies beginning at 20 minutes. You’ll know they’re done when the edge is set, but a knife inserted into the middle still comes out with a bit of brownie batter on it. It might take up to 35 minutes for them to cook through depending on your oven!
watch the video

Notes

  1. If you would like to make these in a 9 x 9-inch pan you can just double the recipe!
  2. Make sure you’re using a high quality cocoa powder. I’ve made the with both Dutch processed cocoa powder as well as natural. I prefer to use Dutch processed as it has a smoother, deeper flavor, but natural will also work if it’s all you  have on hand.
  3. Be careful not to over bake your brownies. When you insert a knife into the middle you’ll want it to come out a little gooey as the brownies will continue to bake as they cool.

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  1. Hi, thank you for the simple and delish recipe! I’m so glad I tried it. I wanted to share my experience for others to reference. I followed the recipe to a T and when I took the brownies out of the oven I thought they looked odd. The texture looked different than the typical “brownie” it didn’t have the slightly cracked & shiny look on top. I cooked for 20 min and checked them. So glad I did because they were done, if they would have cooked any longer they would have been to done. That’s why I wanted to share because I think for some it may be best to check at 15/17 min. Ultimately my brownies look a little different than I expected but they taste AMAZING I’m very happy with the texture and flavor. ❤️






  2. These are the best brownies i’ve ever had!! They are so fudgy, not too overly sweet, and are so easy to make. I will be making these many times over 🙂






  3. The best and only brownie recipe you need! I make them frequently and freeze some for when I want a sweet treat. Heat them up for ~30 seconds and they’re perfect!






  4. Absolutely delicious! Mine came out more fudgey than cakey but so yummy! Added a cup of chocolate chips for extra chocolatey goodness and they were a big hit with my family. Thank you, Sarah!