I think if you read some of the comments for these best homemade brownies below you’ll want to make this recipe ASAP. Just see what Susan said:
How to Make Chewy Brownies
Let me explain exactly what makes these brownies so chewy and easy. You can skip this if you don’t care WHY these brownies are the way they are and you just want the printable recipe asap.
Chocolate & Cocoa Powder
Unlike my Ultimate Fudgy Brownies, which utilize two types of melted chocolate, these brownies get their main chocolate flavor from cocoa powder with semi-sweet chocolate chips stirred into the batter. Cocoa powder definitely yields a chewier brownie and has a flavor reminiscent of boxed brownies.
The photos on this post show what the brownies look like if you use regular unsweetened cocoa powder. In the recipe video, I used Hershey’s Special Dark cocoa powder. It gave the brownies an ultra dark chocolaty appearance with a little less sweetness.
Since creating this video, however, Hershey’s has changed the formula of that specific cocoa powder to a Dutched cocoa powder. I recommend sticking with a natural cocoa powder, such as Ghirardelli Cocoa Powder or Penzey’s Natural Cocoa Powder, for best results. Learn more about the differences between Dutch-process cocoa powder and natural cocoa powder here.
Feel free to fold in any kind of chocolate chips you want from dark chocolate or milk chocolate, but semisweet is my favorite. Whatever you do, don’t skip the chocolate chips! They help to develop that shiny crust on top of brownies.
Fat
With any cocoa powder-based brownie recipe, we need quite a bit of fat to prevent the cocoa powder from drying the brownies out and making them crumbly. In looking at what makes box mix brownies so chewy, it appears that the combination of saturated (solid) fats and unsaturated (liquid) fats is the winning answer. According to Cooks’ Illustrated, boxed brownies have the saturated fat component covered which is why you add oil (unsaturated) to the mix. I opted for a combination of melted butter and vegetable oil for the best marriage of taste and texture.
Make sure your vegetable oil is fresh to avoid any off flavors and use unsalted butter so you can fully control the level of saltiness. I haven’t tested these brownies with canola oil.
For a full breakdown on these two types of fats and how they affect flavor, tenderness, and texture, check out my Butter vs. Oil in Baking article. There are lots more side-by-side comparisons like this one (and not just with brownies!):
Sugar
I stuck with granulated sugar here because although I love the taste of brown sugar, I didn’t want to add any more moisture (brown sugar contributes more moisture due to the molasses that’s added in) to these already very moist and rich brownies. Too much moisture creates brownies that have lots of holes on top instead of that shiny tissue thin crust.
Eggs
2 large eggs is pretty standard for an 8 by 8-inch brownie recipe, but I just had to add in an egg yolk for the extra dose of chewiness and richness it gives. The protein and the fat in the egg yolk helps achieve those textures. We use cold eggs, instead of room temperature, to prevent the brownies from doming and to increase moisture with a tighter crumb texture.
Flour
All-purpose flour is the way to go here, cake flour makes these brownies way too tender and light. We can achieve enough chewiness without having to use bread flour, which can prevent an extra trip to the store for a lot of people. To make chewy AND fudgy brownies, we only need to use a little bit of flour. Any more flour will create drier or cakier brownies. If you want to be super accurate and weigh your flour, 1/2 cup equals 63 grams or 2.25 ounces. Check out my How to Measure Flour article for step-by-step instructions for weighing dry ingredients using a digital scale.
If you live in a very humid environment, or really dislike any kind of “greasiness,” you may want to add an extra 2 tablespoons of flour to your brownie batter mixture.
Leavener
With my brownie recipes, I usually prefer a very small amount or no chemical leavener (baking soda or baking powder). The reason is because I like brownies to be very rich and on the denser side, not even remotely cakey. Since they lift and give a lighter airier texture to baked goods, we’re only using 1/8 teaspoon baking soda here for just enough leavening to get a nice thick texture.
Cornstarch
This little secret ingredient really helps to improve the texture of these brownies so they’re that much closer to the box mix kind. 1 tablespoon of cornstarch makes the brownies thicker and improves that crust on top.
Make sure to measure correctly, and don’t skip this ingredient! When shooting the photos for my article on how to make brownies with a shiny, thin crust, my food photographer captured the shocking differences between a batch made with 1 tablespoon of cornstarch vs brownies made with an accidental amount of 1 teaspoon cornstarch. The bottom brownies also had no chocolate chips. Take a look:
Can I Add Nuts to Brownies?
Yes! You can add 3/4 cup chopped walnuts or pecans. You can add them either in addition to the chocolate chips or in place of the chocolate chips. Just note if you remove the chocolate chips your crust on top may not be as shiny. For best flavor, try toasting the nuts on a lined tray in a 350°F oven for about 6 to 8 minutes, stirring once.
How Long to Bake Brownies:
Bake these brownies in a 325°F oven for about 30 minutes to avoid overbaking. There will absolutely be moist crumbs attached to a tester by the end of the baking time. That’s what we want. Even after 30 minutes if the middle still seems too moist, just remove the brownies from the oven. Carry-over cooking, the residual heat of the oven and pan, will continue to cook the brownies.
Some readers have said their brownies were really undercooked after 30 minutes. I’m guessing they used a glass baking pan, which I DON’T recommend for this recipe. I recommend a metal baking pan like this one lined with foil or parchment paper. Learn more about the differences between Glass vs. Metal Baking Pans here.
Also, you might want to check your oven temperature with an oven thermometer as many home ovens run cold (especially when they say they’ve just preheated).
For best results, allow the brownies to cool completely before slicing and serving.
How to Store Brownies:
The brownies definitely taste best the day they are baked, but can be stored in an airtight container for up to 3 days at room temperature or up to 5 days in the fridge. They are even more fudgy when they’re chilled.
Brownies Substitutions:
This brownie recipe is written exactly the way it is for very specific reasons, as noted in the explanations above. If you can’t use one of the ingredients listed, take a look at my extensive brownie index for other options (including coconut oil brownies). If you try to reduce the sugar, use a sugar substitute, use a butter substitute, or make this recipe vegan the results will NOT be the same. Feel free to add in nuts, chips, toffee bits, or anything else to the batter (1/2 cup to 1 cup, depending on how much you’d like).
This recipe was the May 2021 pick for our monthly baking challenge! Every month you can join the challenge by baking the recipe and snapping a photo for a chance to win prizes! Learn more about my monthly baking challenges here. Check out everyone’s brownies:
This is so fire!!
Yay! Glad to hear that!
Perfect! Sooo chewy and easy to do…I just reduce the amount of sugar.. thanks!
Oops! I did look over the corn starch part! Thanks!
Thanks for the tip on whole wheat!
Wow, thank you so much for breaking down each ingredient and educating us on the effects of each one! Just curious, what is the purpose of the corn starch? and what would happen if it’s substituted with flour? Also, what do you think would happen if I use all purpose whole wheat flour or whole wheat pastry flour?
Hi Jackie, did you miss the line explaining why cornstarch is called for? Here it is, “Cornstarch This little secret ingredient really helps to improve the texture of these brownies so they’re that much closer to the box mix kind.” You can think of it as a tenderizer. I would reccomend following the recipe exactly as I’ve written it the first time, then experiment with changes.
Whole wheat flour would make the brownies denser with a more pronounced wheat flavor. I would start with no more than 50% whole wheat, 50% all purpose.
These required much longer than 30 minutes in the oven. They were still completely gooey throughout. Not sure what happened.
Hi Esther, what kind of pan did you bake them in? And did you track your oven’s temperature with an oven thermometer?
Too tart,,not enough sweetness. Cocoa powder needs to have more sweetness to balance flavour.
Fudge but not the best recipe.
I’m sorry to hear that, Karen! But 1 1/4 cups sugar for an 8-inch brownie plan should be plenty of sweetness. And based off the other positive reviews, I’m thinking that maybe next time a different brand of cocoa powder might work better 🙂
Whoah so good this is an awesome website thanx for this recipe Tessa!
WOW. These are SO good. I usually don’t follow instructions perfectly, and my baked stuff is really tasty (for me and my hubby and kid anyway!). But I loved the way you broke down WHY things needed to be done a certain way. Like, normally when I see “let it cool”, I just ignore that (shh) but I let the batter cool as you instructed. I used olive oil since we don’t usually have veggie oil. Anyway, long story short, this is my new go to brownie recipe! And I can’t wait to check out other goodies from your site!
Hi Tessa. This recipe looks so yummy I can’t wait to try it out in a few days! The only problem is that why is the 3/4 cup (128 grams) semisweet chocolate chips and the 3/4 cup (75 grams) unsweetened cocoa powder the same amount in cups if the grams are different? What I mean is that both are 3/4 cups but they are different amounts of grams. Would love if you could answer back asap. Thank you! ☺It does not really matter as I can figure it out in grams but just asking to be prepared when I make them!
The reason for the difference in grams is because of the weight difference in the chips, which are heavier, than the cocoa powder, even though both are the same measurement of 3/4 cup.
Tried so many brownie recipes but none of them ever turned out as fudgy! Added some hazelnuts in for an extra crunch. My family absolutely loved the brownies. Will definitely stick to this recipe from now on. Thanks Tessa!
So happy to hear that, Rebecca! 🙂
Hi. i know this might quite a weird question. but after putting the butter and sugar into microwave for 1 minute, would i expect the sugar to be melted along with the butter ? or only the butter would be melted ? I haven’t make this yet but want to make sure what i should expect it to be upon melting both. thanks !
No.. it should just begin to dissolve slightly into the butter but sugar requires a very high temp to melt.
Thank you so much for this recipe! It was exactly what I was looking for. I made a double match and it was a hit!
I used my kitchen scale for the first time to make these, so I followed the recipe to the gram! Thesy are the best brownies I’ve ever had, hands down. Wow. And just as good for breakfast the next morning. 😉
the picture, the ingredients, everything looked and sounded so awesome! but all I taste in mine is sugar! I feel like I can even feel the grit! but I am the only one who had this issue I see, as soon as my dishwasher is done, I’m going to make sure I used the correct ones!
Hi Tessa. Thanks for answering. I followed the recipe exactly. 🙁 I was thinking maybe the butter melted into the sugar?
Hello. New to baking and I tried out this recipe. I’m not sure what I did wrong but I hope you guys can help me out. My brownies turned hard and crispy. 😐 And not as chewy. It’s crumbling when I cut them into pieces. Thanks.
Sounds like maybe the ingredients were mis-measured (especially the flour, it’s really easy to compact the flour into the measuring cup and add way too much) or you forgot to add an ingredient 🙁
Tessa these are my new favorite brownies! I have a lot of recipes for brownies that I enjoy but I have been looking for a chewy brownie that is also rich with chocolate flavor. I added in some candied cherries on top my second go round and sliced so that each one had a cherry.
Easy and wonderful thank you for your recipe!
So happy to hear that, Mary! Thanks for taking the time to comment 🙂
it’s Sooooo perfect I’ve ever seen! Thank you for sharing this recipe!!! 😀
Yes you can use Dutch Cocoa powder. Someone mentioned about cooking at a higher altitude. Usually with cooking at higher levels you have to make an adjustment. Only seen the cooking tip on the back of the baking boxes.
I had given up hope on finding a brownie recipe better than the box, and you delivered. Thank you
Finally!!!! I’ve tried probably a half a dozen homemade brownie recipes that claim to be as good as boxed but they failed miserably! Too grainy, bad taste, etc… But I was intrigued by your scientific approach and knew I had to give them a try! My hopes were really low bc I love boxed brownies, but wow wow wow! I’m in love!!! The texture and flavor is perfection! They remind me of my favorite ghirardelli mix, but these beat those because they are homemade! My husband, who is a more picky brownie eater than myself, raved about them and couldn’t believe they were homemade. Thanks so much for sharing this recipe! I can’t wait to try more from you! 🙂 Haley
Haley, you have no idea how happy this comment makes me! I’m so glad you and your husband enjoyed the brownies. Can’t wait to see what you bake next 🙂
would there be a difference if u dont use the constarch
This recipe was very carefully created to make the chewiest brownies possible that replicate the boxed mix taste and texture. Every ingredient is added for a specific reason, so the best results will come from following the recipe exactly.
I’m in the UK and I think the closest match is cornmeal polenta – has anyone tried with this and got on ok!? How exciting!”
If you are referring to the cornstarch it is the same as cornflour. Cornmeal polenta is not the same at all!
Hi. 2 Questions if you will. Can the butter be cold or must it be room temperature? And what if I blend my sugar into powder sugar? Will it not be chewy like biscuit in texture?
Cause I think if granulated the sugar might not fully corporated and when baked would still be many tiny sugar crystals.
Thanks!
The butter is melted in the directions, so it doesn’t matter if it’s cold or room temp beforehand 🙂 I wouldn’t recommend substituting powdered sugar for the granulated sugar as the outcome will not be the same. I’ve tested this recipe extensively, and the sugar will slowly start to dissolve when added to the butter in the microwave and you won’t have crunchy sugar in your brownies once they’re baked. This important step also helps with the shiny tissue thin crust! 🙂
Can i use dutch cocoa powder in this?
These turned out perfectly! They were nice and fudgey with a nice top. When making the batter and taking them out of the oven, I could tell and smell that it would be great. I took them to a bake sale, they sold out with a little help from my friends, but I was reluctant to part with them! Thanks for the recipe and insteresting explanation of how it works.
Wow, thanks so much Megan! Loved reading your comment 🙂
don’t like that you can’t print out the picture
Do you mean the picture on its own or along with the recipe?
Hi Tessa, I just made these brownies using gluten free flour, coconut butter, coconut sugar and dairy free chocolate chips as I have an intolerance to wheat, dairy and cane sugar. I just wanted to pass on that they are devine..even though I overcooked them slightly…but that was a mistake on my part.
Awesome! Glad they worked with your intolerances 🙂
Can you double the recipe, and what size pan would you use?
Sure! 9×13″ pan.
Thanks a million for adding grams!!
Thanks a million for adding grams!! Can’t wait to try these.
I’m glad it’s appreciated! Happy baking.
I thought these were the best brownies I’ve ever made!!!!! Thank you for sharing this recipe!
Awesome, Kitta! Thanks so much for your lovely comment 🙂
Can i use cane sugar instead?
I have no clue, unfortunately. I’ve never tried.
Can this be put in 9×13 pan instead?
hiyaaaaaaaaaaa
I like big butts 🙂
I made these brownies for a school project. Very tasty and chewy 🙂
Thank you so much.
When my 2 1/2 year old granddaughter asked for brownies, I just had to make some but I only had cocoa powder. So glad I found your chewy brownie recipe on Pinterest! I’ve made this recipe 3 times already this week. It’s a great way to use up all those pieces of bags of chocolate chips in the pantry. I’ve used semi-sweet, milk chocolate and dark chocolate chips with fabulous reviews. We even added some walnuts to one batch and it’s delicious. Thanks for sharing!
I am SO glad I found these! I’ve been looking everywhere for a fudgy yet chewy brownie. Oh, by the way, are the chocolate chips absolutely needed? I’m out of chocolate chips and I won’t be buying any for a while. Again, fantastic recipe!
Yay! And no, definitely not necessary if you are out. Just an added flavor / texture bonus 🙂
They look so yummy want to bake it now.cannot wait for tomorrow .thanks so much
Is that you mean natural cocoa? I normally use only dutch processed cocoa ,thanks
I live in Globe, AZ. Do I need to change anything because of higher altitude? I really want to make these!
Hi Brenda! I’m not really sure because I’ve never baked at a higher altitude. If you find that you normally need to make adjustments for a recipe to turn out, then I would stick to whatever you normally do. Good luck!
Recipe works awesome they taste better than store bought , only thing I didnt add was the extra egg yolk but still turned out great
Glad you enjoyed the recipe!
Finally!!! A recipe that delivers chewy brownies with a shiny top, just like the ones from a mix. I realized some time ago that without vegetable oil I was never going to achieve that effect from scratch, but all the brownie-mix copycat recipes out there still looked wrong. But yours is just perfect–plenty of butter for flavor, no water to dilute the batter, and the corn starch seemed like a genius idea. I was nervous during baking, as these puffed up like a souffle, but they settled into exactly the brownies I’ve been trying to make for YEARS. Next time I will heed your advice about the cold eggs. Thank you, thank you, thank you!
Hello! 🙂 These brownies look so damn delicious, like the most delicious ones I’ve seen in my life. My only question is how big your bakning pan was when doing them? Thank you for amazing recipes, hugs from Sweden!
Hi Alva, thank you! Did you have a chance to read the recipe? It states that an 8×8-inch baking pan is the size needed 🙂
All I can say is WOW! These are super easy to make and so delicious!! I absolutely love a chewy brownie and have never found a more perfect recipe until now! These are excellent when they are still warm with a scoop of vanilla ice cream and yummy the next day by themselves! You’ve done it again Tessa! Awesome, awesome recipe!
Ah thank you so much, Michelle!!
For some reason, these required a lot longer baking time than you listed. I had to bake them at 325 for about an hour for them to be done. I use an oven thermometer, so I know my oven was heated at the right temperature. Also, they turned out much thicker and cakier than your photos, even though I followed the recipe exactly. Any advice?
Just made these and they turned out delicious! The only thing is my top didn’t turn out shiny like yours. The only thing I did different was not use the extra yolk, which honestly, I don’t think it needed. It was moist and chewy. Could I have mixed it too much? I know it’s weird, I just like shiny tops on my brownies. Other than that it was awesome.
Thanks for all your expertise:)
Hmmm that’s strange. Although this particular recipe doesn’t have quite as shiny of a top as my Ultimate Brownie recipe: https://handletheheat.com/ultimate-brownies
Thanks for the recipe. I have just made a batch and they are gorgeous. I love brownies and I like trying different recipes and this is my favourite. Love from Spain.
Just about to make these and realize I only have cacao powder not cocoa powder. Will it still be as good or no?
Hi Tessa – these brownies looks absolutely delicious! I am definitely going to try your recipe will let you know how they turn out.
I made these last week – so good! I am always skeptical of homemade brownie recipes having never found one as good as the boxed. These were great and truly a replacement for my favorite boxed brownies. Thank you for creating such wonderful recipes. I feel better making these since I see what is actually in the final product. Bless you 🙂
Thank you for this post; I like how well you explained your brownie recipe.
I always love how thorough your posts are. I know I can always learn something about baking from you! Thanks for the geat recipe. 🙂
Awe thank you Kristen 🙂
Great-looking brownies, Tessa. I used to be one of those people who felt that using a kitchen scale was a waste of time, but I no longer feel that way. I love my scale and it makes baking so fun when your baked goods turn out they way you want them to. I’ve had my kitchen scale for over a year now, and I can’t go back to using measuring cups unless I’m measuring an ingredient that I haven’t used before.
Hiii… Love the recipe but I also love that headline typography. Which on is it??
Hi Tessa, I’m with Joanna and Sarah. I appreciate you posting ingredients in grams as well, so much easier and consistent 🙂 I can’t wait to try these chewy brownies they look so yummy!!
Hi Tessa,
These look great! Do you add the oil with the butter in the microwave, or later? I may be having a mind toot but couldn’t find it in the recipe. I do enjoy your blog. I was a medical scientist in a hospital lab for 21 years before retiring. Thank you!
Pam
Thanks for pointing that out Pam, it was a typo. Fixed now 🙂
Wow this is EXACTLY what I was looking for in terms of a CHEWY brownie! I honestly feel like this should be the first brownie recipe that pops up when anyone googles a brownie recipe. And I LOVE all the explanations for all the main ingredients! I feel like I learned so much after reading your post. Can’t wait to look through more of your posts/recipes! Simply the best! The best teacher, the best recipe, the best brownie and the best night of quarantine with a glass of milk!
hi tessa
i am the 74 year old grammy who wants everything to be easy. when i saw your recipe for brownies, this is just what i was looking for! maybe i can give my 6 grandchildren a little bit o’heaven for valentine’ day. thank you SO MUCH, tessa. jeanette
Wonderful! Happy Valentine’s Day!
Thanks for adding grams to the recipe…love that=)
These look super yummy!
Sarah
Happy to hear it’s appreciated! Will try to include grams moving forward 🙂
Please reply as soon as possible.
Can you use whole wheat flour instead of refined (all purpose) flour? I don’t use refined flour when I make baked goods only whole wheat flour. Thanks!
Yes but it would not be as…tasty. I tried it both ways!
Have you tried with bread flour? I’d be interested to know if they become chewier!
Have you tried it with bread flour? I’d be interested to know if that makes it chewier!
makes the brownies denser and more flour tasting. they’re still delicious though.
Hey Tessa!
Thank you so so much for this recipe! And especially for adding the amount of ingredients in grams 🙂 It’s really helpful.
I always look forward to your newsletter because your recipes always turn out perfect.
Thank you so much and have a wonderful day!
Joanna
You are so welcome! I’m planning on including grams since it seems so appreciated! Thanks so much for subscribing.
They look delicious, thanks for posting! Does that mean they don’t taste fudgy though?
Still fudgy!
My mom made the same brownies it’s so good it’s chew and fuigy it’s amazing
I’ll take that entire plate! These look soooooooo good! Mouthwatering actually 🙂
Clear to follow along and really easy with great results on short time.