If you've ever bitten into a brownie that was dry or too cakey, you know how disappointing it can be. These Easy Fudgy Brownies are the exact opposite: rich, gooey, and loaded with chocolate flavor in every bite. The best part? They can be ready in 30 minutes with simple pantry ingredients and no fancy equipment.
This is the brownie recipe I reach for every single time. They're chewy at the edges, gooey in the middle, with shiny, crackly tops that make them look bakery-worthy! Loaded with melty chunks of chocolate and finished with a sprinkle of flaky salt, they're the kind of treat that makes you forget about store-bought brownie mixes!
If you love brownies as much as I do, make sure to check out my Cherry Brownies, Ferrero Rocher Brownies, or Skillet Brownie next!
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Why You'll Love This Recipe
- They have the perfect texture. These brownies are chewy at the edges, gooey in the middle, with shiny, crackly tops. These Cheesecake Swirled Brownies have a similar texture with some added creaminess!
- Fudgy brownies have a rich chocolate flavor that is complemented by the salt sprinkled on top. My Chocolate Filled Cookies give you that chocolate punch too!
- This quick brownie recipe can be ready in 30 minutes. Just like my Brownie Mix Cookies.
- They are made with simple ingredients that you probably already have on hand and are extremely beginner friendly. My Chocolate Chunk Banana Bread is great for beginners too!
What Makes Brownies Fudgy?
- More fat than flour. Using more butter than flour gives the brownies that extra gooey texutre.
- No leaveners. We're skipping the baking powder and baking soda, which would help the brownies to rise and make them cakey.
- Minimal mixing. You want to mix until everything is just combined so we create as little gluten as possible.
Ingredients
Ingredient Notes
- Cocoa powder and chocolate work together to give you maximum chocolate flavor. I also use both in my favorite Brownie Pie.
- Brown sugar adds moisture for fudgier, softer brownies while also adding more flavor than white sugar would. It use it in place of white sugar in my Banana Donuts too.
- Melted unsalted butter will add flavor, moisture, and give us those perfect shiny, crackly tops. This Skillet Brownie has the same shiny top.
See the recipe card below for a full list of ingredients and measurements.
Substitutions and Variations
- There are endless variations of brownies and you can find many of them in my brownie recipes!
- These brownies can be made dairy-free by substituting dairy-free butter or oil. I have a full dairy-free brownie recipe you can reference.
- Stir in some chopped walnuts, pecans, or almonds for nutty brownies. I use pecans in these Pecan Chocolate Chip Cookies.
- Swirl peanut butter into the batter before baking. PB is the star in my Peanut Butter Lava Cakes.
- Add instant espresso powder to the batter before baking to boost the chocolate flavor. I use the same technique in my Chocolate Black Bean Cupcakes.
This recipe has not been tested with other substitutions or variations. If you replace or add any ingredients, please let us know how it turned out in the comments below!
Step-By-Step Instructions
STEP 1: Preheat your oven to 350 degrees (F). Spray an 8x8 pan with non-stick spray and then lay thick strips of parchment paper across the bottom of the pan in a cross shape.
STEP 2: In a medium bowl combine the melted butter and brown sugar. When fully combined add the eggs and vanilla. Beat until fully combined and light in color.
STEP 3: In a small bowl combine the flour, cocoa powder, and salt. Whisk to combine and remove any lumps
STEP 4: Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients. Mix until just combined.
STEP 5: Fold the chocolate into the mixture and pour it into the prepared baking dish.
STEP 6: Bake the brownies for 17-20 minutes. Bake for 5 minutes longer if you want the brownies to be more firm.
STEP 7: Remove the gooey fudgy brownies from oven and allow to cool.
Expert Tips
- Add chunks of chocolate on top before baking for gooey puddles of chocolate.
- Sprinkle the brownies with flaky sea salt before serving.
- Use an oven thermometer. Most ovens run either hot or cold.
- Weigh your ingredients for accuracy (especially flour).
- Don't over mix. You need to mix your batter until all of the ingredients are JUST combined, otherwise, you will make too much gluten and your brownies will be more like cake instead of fudgy.
Recipe FAQ's
A higher ratio of fat (the butter and chocolate) and minimal mixing. A cakier brownie uses more flour and usually a leavener.
You either added too much flour (this is why I recommend weighing your ingredients), over baked the brownies, or mixed them too much. It's important to only mix enough to incorporate the ingredients, otherwise too much gluten is created and it can make the brownies tough.
Room Temperature: The brownies can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for 3 days.
Refrigerator: If stored correctly in an airtight container this Gooey Fudgy Brownies Recipe will last up to 1 week in the fridge.
Freezer: If stored correctly in an airtight container they will last up to 2 months in the freezer.
More Recipes You'll Love
If you tried these Easy Fudgy Brownies or any other recipe on my website, please leave a star rating and let me know how it went in the comments below. I so appreciate hearing from you!
Recipe
Easy Fudgy Brownies
Ingredients
For Brownies:
- 12 tablespoons (170 grams) unsalted butter melted
- 1 ¼ cup (266 grams) brown sugar packed
- 2 large eggs
- 2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ¾ cup (90 grams) all-purpose flour
- ½ cup (42 grams) cocoa powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup (170 grams) chocolate chopped
Instructions
For Brownies:
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees (F). Spray an 8x8 pan with non-stick spray and then lay thick strips of parchment paper across the bottom of the pan in a cross shape. This will make it easier to lift the brownies out of the pan once cooled.
- In a medium bowl combine the melted butter and brown sugar. When fully combined add the eggs and vanilla. Beat until fully combined and light in color.
- In a small bowl combine the flour, cocoa powder, and salt. Whisk to combine and remove any lumps.
- Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix until just combined. Overmixing will create tough brownies.
- Fold the chocolate into the mixture and pour into the prepared baking dish.
- Bake the brownies for 17-20 minutes, longer if you would like a firmer brownie
- Remove from oven and allow to cool.
Notes
- The provided nutrition information is an estimate. The calorie accuracy is not guaranteed.
- Add chunks of chocolate on top before baking. This will give you those incredible puddles of chocolate on top of the fudgy brownies.
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Dianadlahrs23@me.comm says
How do you change the recipe to make a 9 x 13 pan?
Ellie Haley says
If you're going to make it in a 9x13 pan I would double the recipe and it will probably need some additional baking time. I would just add 5 minutes at a time until they reach your desired doneness.
Elaine clarke says
These were so good… my go to recipe from now on for brownies
Ellie Haley says
Love to hear that!!
Jason c says
Recipe failed to change the weight measurement when using the 2 setting for the recipe.
Marishka says
Excellent! YUM!
Fee says
Love it!!!!
Hatte keinen braunen Zucker, sondern nur weißen. Ist trotzdem super geworden :-).
Perfekte Konsistenz. Ultra schokoladig und sowohl warm (geil mit Vanille Eis ;)) oder am nächsten Tag kalt einfach mega lecker. Eins meiner absoluten Lieblingsrezepte ♥️♥️♥️
Anonymous says
Sooooooooooooo good!
Ellie Haley says
Yay! I'm glad you hear you enjoyed!
Rameen Naveed says
heyy, what do you mean by fold the chocolate in the mixture? do we have to add chocolate chunks into the mixture or do we have to melt the chocolate first and add melted one in mixture?
Ellie Haley says
You add the chocolate chunks, no melting required! Folding just means gently mixing them chocolate chunks into the rest of the mixture. If you stir too vigorously it will make the brownies tough
Rameen Naveed says
thanks. one last thing since we are not melting the chocolate so mixing the entire batter would require more force? since the batter isn't liquid sort of that soft to add chunks and mix them easily. or is it going to be soft and easy to mix the chunks in the batter? please guide. this would be my first time trying to make brownies and following this recipe.
Ellie Haley says
It should be pretty easy to mix the chunks into the batter. It will take bit of force but you'll still be able to be pretty gentle.
Anonymous says
can i make these without brown sugar?
Ellie Haley says
I have never tried but I definitely think it could work without brown sugar. Of course, the taste will be different. Here's an article I found about brown sugar substitutes!
https://www.realsimple.com/food-recipes/shopping-storing/food/brown-sugar-substitutes#:~:text=Combining%20white%20sugar%20with%20molasses,a%20cup%20of%20brown%20sugar.
Jennifer says
Delicious dessert. Turned out so soft and tasty
Anonymous says
Amazing super gooey brownies made as a birthday cake and was all eaten in 10 minutes!!
Anonymous says
I subbed about half of the brown sugar for white sugar because I didn't have enough and when I baked for the recommended time it came out as straight liquid in the middle. I'm just not sure if it's user error because of the sugar or not 🙁 they were delicious though after I put them back in for a while
Ellie Haley says
That's so strange! I have never tried this recipe with white sugar so I'm not sure about the end result. But I am glad they turned out tasty in the end!
Fatima says
there's no baking powder in this?
Ellie Haley says
Nope!
Delia says
Do I use 13in pan if doubling?
Ellie Haley says
Yes, a 9x13 pan should work!
Efn says
8×8 pan is this 8 inch?
I thought it was cm
Ellie Haley says
It is inches!
Anonymous says
I want to make these brownies, but I don't have the chocolate chips or chunks. CAN I make it W/o them?
Ellie Haley says
You definitely can! They’re just not going to be as chocolatey or as fudgy, but I think they’d still be great. I’d watch the bake time because without the wet chocolate in there they might bake a bit faster
Ahmet says
I was looking for a brownie receipe and came across with this. Hopefully will try this since so many people liked it over OTHERs. However, can you explain, for the non English speaker, what does folding means in the sense You used it in "folding the chocolate into the mix" please? Thanks.
Ellie Haley says
So it basically means just gently mixing it in. You don’t want to stir it in quickly and end up over mixing your batter!