My Favorite Homemade Brownies - A Beautiful Mess

My birthday is tomorrow so I wanted to share with you my favorite homemade brownie recipe that I’m craving for this year.

I love a lot of brownie recipes – and in fact I shared quite a few when I wrote the best brownie recipes on the internet a few years ago.

These brownies are easy with just five main ingredients and you can make them in just one bowl. They’re fudgy in the middle with that crispy brownie skin on top. I do these often. They are my favorite homemade brownies.

Related: Last year I shared these birthday cake cookies which are very pretty. But if you want something more grown-up, try this birthday cake martini. Applause!

Ingredients for Homemade Brownies:

Dark Chocolate – use good quality chocolate because this recipe is easy (the chocolate will be glossy). My absolute favorite is still Askinosia.
butter
Granulated White Sugar
eggs
all purpose flour

directions:

Melt chocolate and butter together. You can do this in a water bath, but I usually do it in the microwave in 30-second increments.

Stir in eggs and sugar. Then stir in the flour.

Cover an 8×8 baking pan with parchment paper and pour in the brownie batter.

Bake at 350°F for 25-28 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out without a mound of sticky, undercooked batter on top.

Tips for success:

Although this basic recipe only has five ingredients, there are a few things you can add to the batter to improve it. Sometimes I add 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract or 1/2 teaspoon of espresso powder just to deepen the flavors.
Before baking, you can top these easy brownies with nuts, crushed candy, marshmallows, sprinkles, or chocolate chips. Totally optional but it feels like a party!
Whatever you do, I would sprinkle a little flaky sea salt on top just before serving.

Need more chocolate?

Here are a few more chocolatey dessert recipes you might want to try:

FAQ

frequently asked Questions

What makes brownies fiddly?

If a brownie recipe calls for more fat (butter or oil) than flour, it’s likely to be a fiddly brownie recipe.

Does the toothpick trick work with brownies?

Yes. However, keep in mind that the toothpick may not be perfectly clean, as can be the case with other recipes such as muffins.

If your brownie recipe ends up being fiddly (which means the center is gooey even after baking), the toothpick trick might be a little harder to spot, but it will still work.

Which type of chocolate is best for brownies?

Dark chocolate is best, so something like 70% or more. Or you can also use semi-sweet chocolate chips for brownies.

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Fudgy centers with a crispy top

yield 16

preparation 5 minutes

Cook 25 minutes

In total 30 minutes

instructions

Melt chocolate and butter together. You can do this in a water bath, but I usually do it in the microwave in 30-second increments.
Stir in eggs and sugar.
Then stir in the flour.
Cover an 8×8 baking pan with parchment paper.
Pour the brownie batter into the prepared pan.
Bake at 350°F for 25-28 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out without a mound of sticky unbaked batter on top.

Remarks

Although this basic recipe only has five ingredients, there are a few things you can add to the batter to improve it. Sometimes I add 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract or 1/2 teaspoon of espresso powder just to deepen the flavors.

nutrition

nutritional information

My favorite homemade brownies

amount per serving

% Daily Value*

*Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

Note: Nutrition is automatically calculated using Spoonacular for your convenience. Where appropriate, we recommend using your own nutritional calculations.

My Favorite Homemade Brownies – A Beautiful Mess