This homemade brownie recipe is mouthwateringly moist and gooey with a crackly top.
Made with pantry basics, like cocoa powder, butter, sugar, eggs, and a (secret!) dash of espresso powder, these homemade brownies taste like they came from a specialty bakery.
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Holly’s Recipe Highlights
- Flavor: Rich, fudgy, and loaded with chocolatey goodness – plus melty chocolate chips in every bite!
- Skill Level: This recipe is great for beginners. Mix everything in a single bowl, pour into a pan, and bake. It’s that easy!
- Freezing: Freeze a tray or individual pieces for up to one month.
What’s in Homemade Brownies?
- Brownie Batter: Use real butter, oil, large eggs, plain white flour, and sugar, and a dash of vanilla extract as the brownie base.
- Cocoa: Use natural or Dutch cocoa powder for a rich chocolate flavor. Using Dutch cocoa powder will give these brownies a deeper color.
- Chocolate Chips: These are the key to chewy, fudgy goodness! Use any kind of chocolate chips or go half dark and half white chips for a fun look.
- Espresso Powder: Espresso powder or instant coffee makes brownies and chocolate cake extra rich.
Favorite Additions
- Brownies are built for mix-ins! Add nuts, coconut, dried fruit, mini M&Ms, or chopped peanut butter cups.
- Serve with a scoop of ice cream and a drizzle of strawberry sauce for a fancy dessert or a simple dollop of homemade whipped cream and fresh blueberries.
Keeping Homemade Brownies Fresh
Store homemade brownies in a covered container at room temperature for up to 4 days.
For a just-baked warmth, pop the brownies into the microwave briefly! They will be melt-in-your-mouth delicious and warm.
Chocolate Lover's Dream
Did you enjoy this Homemade Brownie recipe? Leave a comment and rating below.
Equipment
Ingredients
- ½ cup butter melted
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 1⅓ cups granulated sugar
- ⅔ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- 2 large eggs room temperature
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon espresso powder or instant coffee
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup all-purpose flour
- 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips plus more for topping
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Line a 9×9 pan with foil and coat with cooking spray.
- Combine melted butter, oil, sugar, and cocoa powder in a large bowl. Stir until smooth.
- Mix in the eggs, vanilla, espresso powder, and salt.
- Slowly stir in the flour (batter should be thick) and gently fold in the chocolate chips.
- Spread the batter into the prepared pan & top with more chocolate chips if desired.
- Bake for 21-25 minutes or until they become glossy around the edges and a toothpick comes out clean when inserted 1-inch from the edge.
- Let cool before cutting.
Video
Notes
- For quick and easy clean-up, line the baking dish with parchment paper or foil. This also allows for you to easily remove and cut brownies by lifting them out.
- Ensure eggs are room temperature, you can put them in a glass of warm water if you’ve forgotten to take them out early.
- Do not overcook, brownies should be cooked until a toothpick 1-inch from the edge of the pan comes out with just a few crumbs attached. They can and should be a little bit gooey in the middle.
- Make sure the brownies are completely cooled before cutting.
- Use a plastic knife if you have one, the brownies won’t stick to a plastic knife. A regular knife can be sprayed with oil or cooking spray before cutting the brownies.
Nutrition Information
Nutrition information provided is an estimate and will vary based on cooking methods and brands of ingredients used.
Course Dessert, Snack
Cuisine American© SpendWithPennies.com. Content and photographs are copyright protected. Sharing of this recipe is both encouraged and appreciated. Copying and/or pasting full recipes to any social media is strictly prohibited. Please view my photo use policy here.
Honest, the best recipe for brownies I have made a ate in like forever.
I love these! seriously some of the best brownies ever (we always skip the instant coffee!). question- if I make it in a 9×12, would you adjust temp and time?
I am so happy to hear you love these brownies Sarah! I haven’t tried baking in a different size dish so I can’t say for sure, but likely it will need less time. I would check it early and then you will want to bake until a toothpick comes out clean.
Just make these brownies yes they are gooey but I think its because there are alot of chips. I had to cook them extra time 4 min over the 25 minutes
Didn’t raise much.
Where are the correct ingrediants?? I’m a Gen Z taught multiple recipes buy numerous or Gen X, yet your Millennial mind can’t follow a simple recipe to teach. good luck woth your non-marriage and never happening babies.
Hi Love! First of all, thank you for thinking I’m a Millennial . There’s a “JUMP TO RECIPE” at the top of each page that takes you right to the recipe, hopefully that helps. You also would have scrolled right past the recipe to reach this comment box, so if you’re seeing this comment, you’ll want to scroll up!
You’re a lot nicer than I could have been to that snarky comment, LOL.
If you like fudgy brownies then you’ll love these.
Followed the recipe exactly and cooked for
24 minutes. Super fudgy!
I’m excited to make these brownies!! I just have a question. Can I double this recipe? If so, what size pan would I use? Can I use a 9×13?
I haven’t tried doubling this so I can’t say for sure, but that should work just fine Nicole. I would use a 9×13 but they will be a little thicker and the baking time will likely need to be slightly increased.
Thank you so much! I will let you know how it worked out.
So I doubled the recipe and used a 9×13 pan and they were delicious! Hands down best brownie recipe I have made and will not look any further. Everyone loved them! I did have to increase the baking time like you said I just can’t give an exact amount of minutes I added but it was at least five. Thank you for posting this recipe and for helping me with doubling it.
Thank you for sharing Nicole! I am so glad it worked out!
I loved this recipe. I changed cane sugar to coconut sugar for my stomach issues and I used olive oil instead of vegetable. They turned out amazing. Will definitely use this one again!
Love this recipe! The consistency is amazing, and adding espresso coffee to the mix makes for a great brownie! Thank you for sharing this recipe!
Made the brownies tonight. Love this brownie recipe. Brownies were delicious. Did not take a long time to mix. Followed the recipe and this is the best brownie recipe. I will be making these brownies again.
Possibly the best brownies I have ever made!
These were simple to make and came out delicious! We won’t be having “boxed” mix anytime soon :) Always have ingredients on hand and recipes are easy to follow! I have encouraged my daughter (who hates to cook) to look through your site!!
Thanks again!
Deb
delicious…i actually browned the butter first…made a nice difference! Nutty, without the nuts!
these brownies were a hit. I did not have the instant coffee but instead used fresh ground dark coffee beans and added walnuts
I don’t know what I did wrong. They are a gooey mess. It’s as if they aren’t done. You have to eat with a spoon. Any ideas. I followed the instructions???
Hi Sheila, we bake these brownies for 21-25 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean when inserted 1-inch from the edge. Did you use a 9×9 pan? If you used something smaller, like an 8×8, they may have needed a few extra minutes. I hope this helps!
Did you remember to add the flour? I myself have forgotten the flour when making cookies and realized at the end that I still needed to add it!
Sheila, SAME!! Now, they still tasted amazing (I put ice cream on top and it tasted like homemade hot fudge). And they were a *little* firmer the next morning. But I went back and made sure I included everything. I used the right sized pan, baked for the longest time stated, and all ingredients included. I may try again, because the taste was absolutely devine…just not the consistency.
I didn’t have any instant coffee but they turned out amazing anyway!
I have made them three times. Making more tomorrow. I am never disappointed in your recipes. Thank you.
I am so happy to hear you loved this recipe Marilyn!
Oh my god. These are shockingly good. Brought to a party and had everyone ask for the recipe. WILL be making this over. And over. And over!!
Tried this recipe for the first time and it was amazing. Perfect crispy top with a gooey center. Loved the addition of the espresso powder in the batter. My only issue was the amount of batter. I made the recipe per the instructions and it did not seem like enough to fill my 9×9 pan and the brownies came out thinner than I would like. The next time I make this, I might use a smaller pan.
ABSOLUTE BEST BROWNIES! I wanted to make these sugar free for my boyfriends family. Would I just have to use Splenda and sugar free chocolate chips? Is there anything else I should add?
I haven’t tried it so I can’t say for sure but I think that should work just fine. If you try it I would love to hear how it turns out Allie!
So easy and best homemade brownies I’ve ever made.
P.S. A big THANK YOU! to all of you Spend With Pennies ladies for putting together a great bunch of recipes and an easy to use site. Whenever I’m looking for something different to eat or a how-to, I come here first. Keep on rockin’ y’all !!