The Best Fudgy Brownies

These brownies are rich, fudgy perfection that are easy to make in one bowl – no mixer required! If you’re gluten or dairy free, try my paleo double chocolate brownies or fudgy chocolate banana brownies.

I’ve been on a quest to make the perfect brownies for literally years. I don’t even want to think about how many batches of brownies I’ve made, let alone eaten – that calorie count is not math I want to do. My requirements were that they had to be:

• made in one bowl
• made without a hand or stand mixer
• fudgy, but not so gooey they’re heavy and falling apart
• not cakey
• rich, but not overly sweet
• packed with pockets of melty chocolate
• made in an 8×8″ pan and easily adapted for a 9×13″ pan

It was a lot of pressure to put on a batch of brownies, but it’s totally paid off because I finally got them to be everything I wanted. Calling them “the perfect fudgy brownies” felt a little pompous, so I took it down a notch to call them “the best fudgy brownies” instead.

They’re rich enough to warrant a partnership with a glass of cold milk, but not so rich that you turn into a motionless slug after finishing a piece. They taste wonderful at room temperature, and even better warmed up so the pockets of chocolate get all melty and gooey.

What kind of pan should I use for baking brownies?

Let me start by emphasizing that the type of baking pan matters. Truly. If you’ve ever made brownies from a boxed mix, you probably noticed that they call out different baking temperatures and times based on the type of pan that you’re using (usually calling out 8×8″ metal pans vs. 8×8″ glass pans). There are reasons for that – so let’s talk about that a little.

For the best results, bake brownies using a light colored metal baking pan or stoneware.

These types of pans allow for the most even cooking because they are efficient heat conductors. I personally prefer my stoneware, but many people report inconsistent results simply due to the differences in how the stoneware may have been made (hand thrown vs. poured in a mold). So to be on the safe side until you’ve learned how your pans perform, stick to light colored pans.

Why not a dark colored metal pan?

Well, dark metal pans distribute heat more quickly than light colored pans. You might be thinking, “I get to eat brownies faster then, what’s the problem?” Valid point. Except that since they’ll bake more quickly, there’s a higher chance of them overbaking and the edges burning.

Fair enough. But what about glass pans?

Glass pans are insulators, which means the glass slows the flow of heat around your batter until the glass has heated up – and then it retains that heat a lot longer than metal or stoneware. Generally speaking, you want to turn the temperature down by 25° and bake longer (but how much longer can be tough to determine).

So that means that brownies baked in a glass pan take longer to bake, and it’s unfortunately easy to overbake them because the center takes longer to bake than the edges. Which leads me to my next point…

Avoid the dreaded curled, tough brownie edges

This is another plug for using the a light colored baking pan or stoneware. With these types of baking dishes, you won’t see that thing where the brownie edges climb up the sides of the pan and get tough and burnt.

As I mentioned above, brownies baked in a glass pan will cook the edges before the center is done, so you end up with tough, sometimes burned edges. Your brownies should be even from the middle all the way to the edges, and stoneware is my personal favorite for this recipe for even baking.

What kind of chocolate chips should I use?

I personally like dark chocolate, so my go-to is a chopped 60% bittersweet chocolate baking bar or dark chocolate chips – but you can use anything you like: semi-sweet chocolate chips, milk chocolate chips, or a combination of any of those.

Can I add nuts to this recipe?

Absolutely you can! I would recommend adding 1/2 cup of chopped walnuts of pecans at the same time you add your chocolate chips for a little added crunch.

6 tips for making the perfect brownies

• Make it a truly one bowl recipe by using a microwave safe bowl to melt your butter at 50% power as your first step. Then you can just add the rest of the ingredients and you don’t need a second bowl or saucepan!
• Don’t overmix. This is the worst thing you could do to your brownies! They’ll be tough and you’ll be sad. So when the recipe calls for stirring until just combined, I’m serious. If you see a single streak of flour, stop stirring and just leave it! You’re going to fuss with the batter again when you pour it into the baking pan, so it’ll take care of itself.
• Don’t overbake, either. We’re not going for cakey brownies, we’re going for rich and fudgy. But not fall apart, needs a spoon fudgy. There’s a fine line between underdone and overdone, so you just want to watch them closely and have a good sense of how your oven is calibrated.

• Grease the pan, line it with parchment, and grease it again! Next to overmixing and overbaking, another terrible thing would be the brownies sticking to the pan. You want every last bit of that batter because it is so freaking good. I use nonstick spray (aff link) on the pan and on the parchment paper, but you can also use shortening or butter. Another method I’ve had success with is spraying the pan with nonstick spray (aff link), and coating it with cocoa powder before pouring in the batter.
• Get clean slices with this handy trick. Wait for the brownies to cool completely. I know, I know. Now warm your knife under hot water, wipe dry with a cloth, use one fluid movement for each slice across the pan, and then wipe the knife clean between each cut. Re-warm and dry between cuts as necessary as well. It’s extra work, but worth it for nice presentation and even slices!
• Even better, use a rocking pizza cutter (aff link)! My favorite tactic is to lift the brownies out of the pan, place them on a cutting board, and use a rocking pizza cutter (aff link). It’s big enough to span the width and the length of the bars, so you get one long, even cut.

Want to make it in a 9×13″ pan?

Just double the recipe – easy peasy. The brownies will be ever so slightly less deep, but still delicious. Take a look at this post about converting recipes for different pan sizes to understand more about how the volume and surface area of each pan matters.

Can I freeze brownies?

Sure can! To freeze these brownies, bake them according to the instructions and let them cool completely. Don’t slice them into bars, and wrap them tightly in a layer of plastic wrap, then a layer of foil, and place in a resealable plastic bag. Store in the freezer for up to 3 months, then let come to room temperature before slicing into squares for serving.

After you’ve made this recipe, please leave a comment below with a rating – and if you came from Pinterest, add a photo to the Pin of what you make to the pin to share your experience!

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