Perfect Brownies
Better than boxed brownies with that perfect crinkle top, a gooey fudgy center, rich chocolate flavor, and plenty of chocolate chips throughout. Everyone will think you used the fancy boxed brownies and will be stunned that they’re from scratch and oh-so-easy!
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Ah, brownies. My whole life, I’ve just always done the boxed kind. When you live less than an hour from the famous Ghirardelli Square and have access to Ghirardelli brownies at almost every grocery story around, there’s really not point in trying out homemade recipes, hoping you’ll hit on a winner.
That is, until I found this recipe. I found it a long time ago and thought I’d give it a try. I did quite a bit of tweaking, each time having zero regrets that I’d gone the homemade route, because it’s delicious even when it doesn’t come out right.
In fact, the last time I made it, I was too heavy handed with the cocoa. My husband said they were too rich. I said there’s no such thing.
And so, after a few years, I’ve finally found a homemade brownie that’s just as good as the boxed kind. Only it’s homemade. From scratch. With no preservatives or chemicals.
But it tastes just like a fancy bakery brownie or a high-end boxed one. Kind of like the Ghirardelli that my family loves so much.
I’d say they’re pretty darn perfect.
Why this recipe works
Because we’re using so little flour, it’s okay to use just butter in these brownies. It gives just enough fluff to help them rise but also plenty of moisture to keep these soft for days. Also, melting the butter before mixing with the sugar helps dissolve the sugar before baking. Sugar turns liquid when heated, so you want it melted before baking if possible, to help the brownies come together. We’re also going to bake these just until set. They’ll be fudgy and chewy but still sliceable. And finally, extra chocolate chips. You’re going to measure with your heart here—but don’t get crazy. One cup or so of chocolate chips is perfect. Or less. Or none. Follow your chocolate loving heart here.
Key ingredients
Flour. Be sure to spoon then level the flour so you don’t have too much.
Cocoa powder. Use unsweetened cocoa, and do not skip the sifting!
Baking powder. Use fresh baking powder, meaning not opened longer than 6 months.
Salt. Sea salt is ideal.
Butter. European butter is best, as it has less water.
Sugar. Use granulated sugar.
Eggs. Use fresh, large, room temperature eggs.
Vanilla. Use pure vanilla extract, not imitation.
Chocolate Chips. You can use any size and flavor you’d like! I used semisweet.
How to make perfect brownies
1. Sift and whisk the flour, cocoa, baking powder, and salt.
2. Melt the butter.
3. Whisk still-hot butter into the sugar. Whisk for a good minute or so to help it begin to dissolve.
4. Add the eggs and vanilla, one at a time. Whisk about a minute after each egg. Add the vanilla and whisk well again.
5. Gently fold in dry ingredients. Leave some streaks of flour.
6. Fold in the chocolate chips. This step should take care of the remaining streaks of cocoa and flour.
7. Pour into a greased pan and bake. Brownies are done when the top is no longer shiny and the middle is slightly jiggly but not liquidy. You can also use a toothpick, but most people like it when about half of the toothpick comes out with some doughy (not raw) batter on it.
8. Let cool then serve (with ice cream, if possible!).
Enjoy!
Tips and FAQ’s for this recipe
Sift your dry ingredients
Usually, you don’t need to sift the dry ingredients unless it’s cake. However, I realized that every time I tried making brownies, my cocoa left little clumps that in turn caused me to over mix my batter. Instead, sifting the dry ingredients means you can simply fold them into the wet ingredients without over mixing, resulting in a tender, fudgy brownie that’s not dense.
Use quality cocoa
Since cocoa is the main flavor here, you want a good brand. Opt for something organic and fair trade, if possible, because this usually means it was produced in smaller batches and thus higher quality and is often fresher, too. Plus, the flavor of the high quality cocoa is always noticeable in the brownies. My go-to is Volupta, from Costco, but some other good options are Ghirardelli, Guittard, Scharffen Berger, Anthony’s, or even Hershey’s Special Dark in a pinch.
Whisk sugar well
The idea is to dissolve the sugar quite a bit. It turns to liquid in the oven, so you want it liquid before the baking so it can absorb into the flour and cocoa. Something magical happens in this process, making a super fudgy brownie.
Serve with your favorite ice cream!
Vanilla bean is classic, but there are so many other possibilities! Strawberry and fresh mint are also fairly classic and fun. But there’s also macadamia nut, coffee mudslide, and even a chocolate lovers dream—chocolate s’mores!
Measure the chocolate chips with your heart
I was telling my best friend about some amazing cookies I’d just made and that it was crazy how easy the recipe was. Of course, I always use extra chocolate chips. And she said one of my favorite quotes I’ve ever heard: chocolate chips should be measured with the heart. And it’s true. I always measure out what the recipe calls for then pour a little extra for good measure. But two notes: 1) this only works for mix-in chocolate chips, like in cookies and brownies, not ganache or things like these dark chocolate cupcakes, and 2) there is a point where you’ve added so many chocolate chips that they’re literally drowning out the batter or dough. As long as you keep those in mind, follow your heart.
My Brownie Tools
Here are my must-have tools I use for making these brownies. Affiliate links provided.
Fine mesh sieve (because sifting is KEY)
All-rubber spatula (this makes scraping the bowl easier so the batter doesn’t get all over a wooden handle!)
Mini serving spatula (weird, but I LOVE this for bars and brownies!)
Perfect Brownies
- prep time: 10-15 minutes
- bake time: 20-25 minutes
- total time: 40 minutes
servings: 12-16 (double recipe for a 9x13 with 12 large, bakery style brownies!)
Ingredients:
- ½ cup (68g) all-purpose flour
- ⅔ cup (53g) unsweetened cocoa powder
- ½ teaspoon (2g) baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon (2g) sea salt (or ½ teaspoon (3g) table salt)
- ½ cup (113g) unsalted butter*
- 1 cup (200g) granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 1 tablespoon (13g) pure vanilla extract
- 1 cup (170g) chocolate chips (or as many as your heart says you need)
Instructions:
- Preheat oven to 350F/175C. I’ve found 350 is good for convection and regular, which is weird but at least it works! Grease an 8x8 square pan with butter and flour or baking spray.
- Using a fine mesh sieve set over a small mixing bowl, sift then whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.
- In a small saucepan, melt the butter until completely liquid. Immediately combine it with the sugar in a large mixing bowl and whisk for about a minute, until it comes together and the sugar begins to dissolve.
- Add the eggs, one at a time, whisking for about a minute after each egg. Add the vanilla and whisk well again (half a minute should do this time).
- Add the dry ingredients in and gently fold in with a wooden spoon or rubber spatula, until almost blended some streaks of flour remain.
- Gently fold in the chocolate chips.
- Pour into your prepared pan, smoothing the top and getting the batter mostly into the corners (I like to leave a ½ inch gap that will absolutely fill in during baking but prevent an overly crunchy corner).
- Bake for 20-25 minutes, or until the top is no longer shiny/raw looking and the middle is slightly jiggly but not liquidy. You can try a toothpick, but that should actually come out with some matte-looking batter (not quite raw dough, not quite crumbly brownies). If you prefer fully cooked, non-fudgy-middle brownies, cook a little longer until a toothpick comes out with several brownie crumbs rather than a smear of almost-cooked batter.
- Let cool at least 10 minutes before cutting and serving with vanilla bean ice cream or your favorite ice flavor!
Enjoy!
Brownies will last in an airtight container at room temperature for 3-5 days, if you can resist eating them all before then!
*European butter is best! It has less water and makes a better brownie, in my opinion.
