Tessa’s Recipe Rundown
Taste: The perfect balance of chocolate sweetness.
Texture: CHEWY, of course 🙂
Ease: Super easy. One bowl, no electric mixer needed.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe: This Brownie Recipe is WAY better than a box mix and almost as easy. It’s my go-to recipe!
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These Chewy Brownies are my go-to recipe when I need a quick, easy, crowd-pleasing dessert. I’m not exaggerating when I say I’ve made it over 100 times. It’s truly the best!
The Kitchn tested this recipe, raving about how quick and easy it is! Even Bon Appétit used the recipe as part of their research in their quest to create a perfect chocolate brownie.
I have shared a whole lot of Brownie Recipes over the years – over 50, in fact! I have brownie recipes to please everyone. My Ultimate Brownies are rich, dense, and fudgy. My Brown Butter Brownies have the most stunning crackly crust. And my Toffee Brownies are full of super fun mix-ins and flavors.
Free Brownie Cheatsheet!
Frustrated with blah brownies? This cheatsheet has everything you need—from essential tools to foolproof tips plus two crave-worthy recipes—to help you master perfect brownies every time!
But these brownies are special. Check out just one of the 1,000+ 5-star reviews for these best homemade brownies:
Reader Love
I have been using this recipe for about a year now! It is the easiest recipe I have ever used, I get so many compliments on these brownies!! Thank you thank you thank you!!! ❤️
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Tessa’s Tip
Struggling with gummy, collapsed, underbaked, or dry-edged brownies? Ditch the glass pan and use a light-colored metal baking pan instead. Learn more about the differences between Glass vs. Metal Baking Pans here.
Sprinkle of Science
How to Make Chewy Brownies
The Cocoa Powder
I recommend using Dutch-processed cocoa powder for a deeper flavor and fudgier texture. Natural (aka unsweetened) cocoa will offer a milder chocolate flavor and a slightly drier but chewier texture. My favorite Dutch cocoa powder for brownies is Penzey’s or Guittard. Learn more about how Natural and Dutch-process cocoas affect your baking here.
The Chocolate Chips
I prefer semisweet chocolate chips, but you can use any kind you like–just keep in mind it will affect the sweetness of the brownies. You can also add 3/4 cup chopped walnuts or pecans in addition to the chocolate chips. Just don’t skip the chocolate chips entirely, as they’re key to achieving that shiny, crinkly crust on top of brownies. Learn my top FOUR methods for achieving a shiny thin brownie crust here.
The Fat
- Melted butter plus vegetable oil provides the best taste and texture.
- You can use avocado oil or any other neutral-flavored oil instead of vegetable oil.
- Make sure your oil is fresh to avoid any off flavors.
- Check out my side-by-side baking experiments with Butter vs Oil here.
The Sugar
Don’t reduce the sugar in this Brownie Recipe, as this will cause dry, crumbly brownies that will stale faster. Learn more about sugar’s functions in brownies here.
The Eggs
These Chewy Brownies use two whole eggs plus an additional egg yolk for EXTRA chewiness and richness. Using cold eggs prevents doming and increases moisture.
The Flour
A small amount of all-purpose flour is essential for creating Chewy Brownies – but avoid adding too much, as this can cause dry, cakey brownies. Use a digital kitchen scale to prevent accidental overmeasuring. If you don’t have a digital scale, use the spoon-and-level method described here.
Cornstarch in Brownies?
Cornstarch mimics the texture of box mix brownies, creating thicker, chewier brownies with a nice shiny crust. Don’t skip it if possible!
Avoid Leavening for Fudgy & Chewy Brownies
I prefer no baking soda or baking powder for rich, dense brownies that are not even remotely cakey.
Can I Double this Chewy Brownies Recipe?
Yes! Double all ingredients and bake in a 9 by 13-inch light-colored metal baking pan (don’t use a glass pan!) and add a few minutes to the baking time.
Storing & Freezing Brownies
Store 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!
To freeze, wrap the cooled whole slab or individual slices of brownies in plastic wrap inside an airtight container. Freeze for up to three months. Thaw overnight in the fridge, or for a couple hours at room temperature, before serving.
Brownie Substitutions
This Chewy Brownie recipe is written to yield a perfect chewy brownie. Altering any ingredients will change the outcome. If you can’t use one of the ingredients listed, check out my extensive brownie recipe index for tons of other brownie options (including coconut oil brownies).
More Brownies Recipes You’ll Love:
- Malted Brownies – made with brown butter!
- Toffee Brownies
- Copycat Cosmic Brownies
- Peanut Butter Stuffed Brownies
Best Ever Chewy Brownies
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Ingredients
- 5 tablespoons (71 grams) unsalted butter
- 1 1/4 cups (249 grams) granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs plus 1 egg yolk, cold
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/3 cup (74 grams) vegetable oil
- 3/4 cup (75 grams) cocoa powder*
- 1/2 cup (63 grams) all-purpose flour, measured correctly
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 3/4 cup (128 grams) semisweet chocolate chips
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 325°F. Line an 8 by 8-inch light-colored metal pan** with foil or parchment paper and spray with nonstick cooking spray.
- In a microwave-safe bowl, add the butter and sugar. Microwave for about 1 minute, or until the butter is melted. Whisk in the eggs and egg yolk, whisking vigorously for 1 minute. Whisk in the vanilla, then stir in the oil and cocoa powder.
- With a rubber spatula, stir in the flour, cornstarch, and salt until combined. Stir in the chocolate chips.
- Spread the brownie batter evenly into the prepared pan. Place in the oven and bake for 30 minutes, or until the brownies are set and a cake tester inserted into the center has moist crumbs attached. Do not overcook. Let cool completely to solidify before cutting and serving.
- Brownies can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days. Brownies will be gooey when served warm, chewy when served at room temperature, and fudgy when served chilled.
Recipe Notes
This recipe was originally published in 2017 and has been updated with additional baking tips and new photos. Recipe photos by Joanie Simon and Baking Science photos by Ashley McLaughlin.
These brownies are the best that I have ever made! The texture is amazing and the taste is impressive. I definitely recommend it!
Would this work with no choc chips? Don’t have me for this but I love a smooth brownie with no choc chips!
thanks!
Hi Julie! You definitely can make these without chocolate chips, but the taste, appearance, and texture will be slightly different. Tessa explains above the recipe here. You could also give our Ultimate Fudgy Brownies a try—the chocolate is melted, so the resulting brownie is smooth but ultra chocolaty 🙂 Hope that helps!
Totally get it! If you love a smooth brownie, you can definitely skip the chocolate chips. The recipe will still turn out rich and fudgy thanks to the butter, cocoa powder, and oil—it just won’t have the extra melty pockets of chocolate. Still delicious!
These brownies were fantastic!! I added walnuts and swapped out 2 tablespoons of the butter with coconut oil. They were so sweet and chewy and good! The chewy crunchy corners are my favorite!
I’ve made these brownies several times now as written, and this is hands-down my new go-to recipe. I love that it can be done in one bowl. Thank you for sharing! My only occasional additions are 1/2 tsp espresso powder and a little fleur de sel on top, but they’re delicious as is.
I’ve made these brownies several times and they consistently turn out AMAZING! I’ve done plain chocolate, with nuts, and with chocolate chips as the recipe suggests and every time they’re a huge hit. However, I always have to bake them like 15 minutes longer than the recipe calls for, and at a higher temp. I’m in Calgary, and we are at a higher elevation (3,400 ft), so I’m wondering if that’s the reason? Either way, these brownies are a winner and I’ll definitely keep them in my dessert rotation!
Just made these and they are super gooey and chocolatey but way too sweet I used 1 cup sugar plus 1/4 cup next time I’ll use less sugar
Hi! Can I use coconut oil instead of vegetable oil? Thanks!
Hi Diane! We prefer using neutral-flavored oils (like vegetable, canola, or avocado) for best taste and texture, but you’re welcome to give coconut oil a try. Let us know how it goes.
I made this recipe in search of a great classic chewy brownie but what I got was a great fudgy brownie. It tasted very good but was missing that chewiness that I wanted.
maybe you did not leave it out long enough? because it says chewy at room temperature.
Hi! I don’t have cornstarch 🙁 How can I substitute it?
Thank you!
These were delicious! Not overly sweet. I added walnuts. Definitely a keeper. Thanks for sharing😊
Just made this for the first time looked delicious and I’m ashamed to say I tasted the batter which was incredibly delicious I did add the chocolate chips plus espresso powder Just a half a teaspoon and it just added a little something something. I’m sure my sister will be surprised when she gets home from work I did this for her she works so
Hard.
No shame here, Marianne! We all enjoy a taste of batter before baking brownies, it’s practically a necessity! 😉 Hope your sister loved them!