Extra Fudgy Brownies {One Bowl!}
These extra fudgy brownies are the brownies dreams are made of! So easy (only one bowl!), you’re only minutes away from brownie perfection.
While you sit and contemplate whether the world honestly needs another brownie recipe, I’m going to get on with the things that really matter.
And that is: telling you how amazing these extra fudgy brownies are AND why you need to make them part of your life (daily routine??).

I have no problem, personally, posting brownie recipe after brownie recipe (even though, ahem, I already have quite a few brownie recipes to speak of already).
The criteria for a new brownie recipe has to fit the following, though:
-easy, so good they’ll make you cry, ultra-chocolatey, slightly different than other recipes I already have
Lucky for you (and me!), these super rich and fudgy brownies fit all of those criteria! Happy day!
Easy, easy, easy, they are made start-to-finish in one bowl. That’s awesome! But since several of my other brownie recipes utilize the same one-bowl method (like this recipe and this recipe), it isn’t exactly a monumental change.
So what makes these brownies so amazingly delicious and worth posting?
Well, they definitely are tasty enough to bring a tear to your (my) eye, AND they are not shy about being boldly decadent with delicious chocolate flavor.
But the thing that really sets them apart is the extra fudgy brownie factor. I mean, it is unreal (in a good way).
They are definitely one of the fudgiest brownies I have in my brownie repertoire, and the feedback from Brian, who is obsessed with fudge and ultra-fudgy brownies, these brownies now rank as his all-time favorites.
And get a load of that beautiful, crackly top, would you?
That’s the sign of a good brownie. And actually, it’s also a sign of a homemade brownie that is trying to pretend to be a boxed brownie.
Brian, who also loves boxed brownies (no judging), has mourned the loss of the crackly top and fudgy interior ever since he married me (I have nothing against boxed brownies, but I rarely make them now that I know how easy it is to whip up a homemade batch).
Mourning period = over! These extra fudgy brownies have that delicious crackly top with a delicious taste that far surpasses boxed brownies (sorrynotsorry).
This ancient recipe from my archives is also a great approximation for a homemade boxed brownie recipe, and it’s filled a hole in Brian’s heart many times over the years.
But I’m boldly declaring that today’s recipe is even better. The combination of melted chocolate AND cocoa powder in the base of the brownie ensure maximum chocolate flavor and texture (the fudgy texture is also helped along greatly by using both melted butter, a little oil, and egg yolks).
So basically what I’m saying is: these brownies deserve a place on the earth, posted on this blog, and in your heart.
We can’t stop making them (seriously, it’s a problem). If you crave a seriously fudgy brownie with a crackly top that only takes minutes to throw together, today’s your day.
Also, read the notes of the recipe for some insight into what brand of chocolate I use and why I adhere to the egg yolk additions in the recipe!
And one final note, if you are wanting to prevent your self-control from totally crumbling, whatever you do, DO NOT refrigerate or freeze these brownies (they are completely dangerous chilled).
One Year Ago: Perfect Fluffy Sour Cream Pancakes
Two Years Ago: Chicken Noodle Stew
Three Years Ago: Shrimp and Mango Lettuce Wraps {20-Minute Meal}
Four Years Ago: Cinnamon and Sugar Dusted Coconut Vanilla Breakfast Muffins
Five Years Ago: Cinnamon Swirl Bread
Extra Fudgy One Bowl Brownies
Ingredients
- ½ cup boiling water
- 2 ounces (57 g) unsweetened chocolate, finely chopped
- ⅓ cup (28 g) unsweetened or Dutch-process cocoa powder (see note)
- 2 ⅓ cups (495 g) granulated sugar
- ½ cup vegetable, canola, or avocado oil (could also try melted coconut oil)
- 4 tablespoons (57 g) salted butter, melted
- 2 large eggs + 2 large egg yolks
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 ¾ cups (249 g) all-purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 cup (170 g) semisweet or bittersweet chocolate chips
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line a 9X13-inch metal pan with aluminum foil and lightly grease with cooking spray (the lining of the pan is optional but helps with cleanup or pulling out the whole slab of brownies).
- In a large bowl, whisk together the boiling water and chopped chocolate until smooth (if the chocolate doesn’t melt fully, microwave the water/chocolate mixture for 20-30 seconds). Add the cocoa powder and whisk together.
- Add the sugar, oil, butter, eggs and vanilla. Mix until smooth and well-combined.
- Add the flour and salt and mix until just combined and no white streaks remain. Stir in the chocolate chips (don’t overmix, just fold them in until evenly distributed).
- Spread the batter evenly in the prepared pan. Bake for 25-30 minutes until crackly on top and set around the sides. Cool completely (and chill, if desired – makes cutting easier and chilled brownies are just straight up divine).
Notes
Recommended Products
Recipe Source: adapted from Cook’s Country Feb/Mar 2018
I like a thicker brownie, so I will be using a 9×9 pan. Cooking time? Also, will be adding walnuts.
I am always confused when it comes to Durched processed cocoa powder. The one I thought was a Dutch processed is sweet ground chocolate by Ghirardelli. Which brands are unsweetened?
Thanks for your advice
Hershey’s is a really popular unsweetened cocoa powder brand.
I have the plain Hershey’s cocoa powder but it isn’t Dutch Processed. Does Hershey’s make a Dutch processed? Thanks
I’m not sure if Hershey’s makes a Dutch-process cocoa. I think their “special dark” cocoa is a blend of Dutch-processed cocoa and regular, unsweetened cocoa.
Amazing brownies!!!! To die for!!!! Thanks again Mel!!!!!
Just made. Absolutely delicious. Thanks, Mel!!!
This. Is. It. The one and only brownie recipe I am ever going to need again. Seriously, the very best of the best I have ever made, these are fabulous. And I especially love the crackly top! I doubled the recipe and baked it in a 13 x 18-inch cookie sheet with no problem. I let them cool on the counter, covered them and popped them in the fridge for 2 days since I didn’t need them until then. And you are soooooo right, chilled brownies are simply divine!
Thanks for including notes about doubling!
My four year old son and I made these for dessert tonight and they were quick and easy, and so good! I ate my piece, then ate the edge off my daughter’s (which I usually avoid-I’m normally a middle piece brownie eater) then snuck half of another piece before they finally made it to the fridge. I’m going to have to divide and freeze the rest for later so I don’t eat what’s left tomorrow during my kids quiet time.
Sounds a lot like my life with brownies in the house. 🙂
These Brownies are amazing!!! Is there any way to make them a little sweeter? I think were addicted lol
You can use bittersweet or semisweet chocolate for the unsweetened chocolate and that will sweeten them up a bit. 🙂 Or, just up the sugar a little.
Finally found the perfect brownie! Dense and fudgy (not cake-like or airy) with a crackle top!
Wow! Wow! Wow! Hands down, these are the best brownies I have ever eaten! And I made them – thanks to you Mel and your amazing recipe!
So I have to share a cooking fail confession with you: I was making a double batch of these to take to an event– with three preschoolers running around at the same time– bad idea! I doubled everything except for the SUGAR! I knew the texture of the batter seemed weird and that something was definitely wrong when I took them out and there wasn’t a crackly top, but I couldn’t figure it out until I reviewed the ingredient list again. They were dry and dense, but surprisingly sweet considering half the sugar was missing.
The reason I’m sharing this is that after freezing them, they still turned out to be amazing, and in fact, I think if I sliced them thinly and baked them again, they would turn into the most perfect chocolate biscotti. Just wanted to share because even when a cook can’t follow a recipe, your recipes still turn out good. Lol.
Tell me about oils. I’ve tried substituting coconut oil straight across, but the result is always a super greasy saturated brownie. If we don’t want to use canola or vegetable oil, would avocado be the the next healthy option with good results? Would half butter/half avocado oil or coconut oil work?
If you don’t use canola or vegetable oil, yes, I’d recommend avocado oil (it’s my go-to neutral oil). Half butter, half avocado oil would probably work, too!
They were quite fudgy tasting!
My daughter and I made these yesterday. We are already devoted lovers to our regular scratch brownie recipe, but these were A-MAZING! They were a little more difficult than our usual, but worth it. She was nervous to leave me home alone with them as she left for school today. As she should be-there will likely be only 1 square left for her when she returns. Thanks for another great recipe!
Haha, glad they were a hit!
For that one person who might want to know if these can be made with Stevia….the answer is a profound NO. Ugh. Guess I will go eat another Quest bar. 🙁
So thought I had made a lot of brownies in my 70+ years that were pretty good and how much better could these be. Well, they are.
Easy to make and an improvement over so many of the pretty good brownies out there . These were truly exceptional. My husband (no stranger to brownies) said they were the best he had ever had. Try them. Today!!
Mel, I made these today and they were really good. I think I undercooked them though. I always fear overcooking brownies, so I took them out after 30 minutes, and although the toothpick came out clean, they were not cooked through. The edge pieces were really good and brownie-like, but most of the middle pieces were gooey (not fudgy) and I used my nice Chicago Metallic metal pan. Next time, I will have to cook them longer, but the flavor was so great. I think I would like to try a brownie recipe that is a cross between a fudgy one and a cakey one. Are your brownie recipes mostly fudgy?
Have you tried this recipe, Teresa? https://www.melskitchencafe.com/tappan-hill-brownies/
I think you might like the texture of those…a little fudgy with a super light and melt-in-your-mouth texture.
Oh. My. Goodness!!!!! These were the most spectacular brownies I have EVER made! My family can’t wait for the next batch! I didn’t have unsweetened chocolate in my pantry, so I substituted the recipe on the Hershey’s cocoa powder box (3 Tbsp cocoa powder + 1 Tbsp veg oil per ounce of unsweetened chocolate needed) and it worked out perfectly. Thank you for another AMAZING recipe to add to my arsenal of treats!!!!
THESE brownies are amazing. Almost dangerous to have in the house. The absolute best brownie I have ever made, and I have made A LOT!
We did a taste test to find the best brownie recipe. We made 6 different recipes and compared them side by side 😉 4 of the recipes were yours. This was the favorite among all of us.
Side note* I made this last and miscalculated my ingredients so I ended up using 2 ounces of semi sweet chocolate finely chopped and bittersweet for the chips and it worked great!!
What a fun experiment, Keri!! I’m so glad you checked in with the results. So exciting that this brownie won it all!
The end of your video with a bite out of the brownie is so cute.
I’m going to try one of these substitution suggested by Cook’s Illustrated. I just thought I’d share it with other cooks who don’t have unsweetened chocolate on hand.
To Replace: 1 ounce unsweetened chocolate
3 tablespoons cocoa powder + 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
OR
1 1/2 ounces bittersweet or semisweet chocolate (remove 1 tablespoon sugar from recipe)
Thank you for this! We just moved to eastern Europe and I haven’t yet found unsweetened chocolate. Thank you for saving me the trickle of having to search out this substitution myself!
I’m not sure if this has already been said, but in case there are others out there that hate the chore of cutting yummy, gooey brownies; a plastic knife slides right through brownies without dragging crumbs with it. I love kitchen hacks I have these baking in the oven right now!
Brilliant!
Mel- WOW!! I made these amazing brownies this afternoon and they are by far my favorite brownie and in my top 5 favorite treats! Thank you!!!
Woohoo, Jessica! So happy to hear that!
Made these last night and they were so fantastic! I refrigerated them like you suggested and oh my goodness, dangerous indeed. Plus the one bowl? Perfect, considering my dang dishwasher is broken. This one is a winner!
Yay, Madison! Winner, winner!
Thanks for sharing, Mel! I do have a question. I hate biting into brownies and finding something “hard.” If I opt not to use the chocolate chips as “chips,” should I melt them or leave them out all together? If I do melt them, would I add a tad more flour? Thanks for any help!
I would just leave them out, Vickie. 🙂
These are in the oven and the house smells awesome. Thank you for a brownie recipe in a 9×13 pan so I don’t have to double it to have enough for everyone. Grazie!
Love ya, Jenna!
I made these last night and I will say they are as good as the box . That is coming from someone who loves the box brownies . I didn’t have unsweetened chocolate chips . I used semi sweet and I reduced the sugar to just under 2 cups . I felt like that was a great start . They did have a better set up the next day as well as the taste was better for me the 2nd day. I loved them and will make them again for sure
Thanks for the comment, Brit!
Do you think this would work well to double and bake in a sheet pan? I need to make brownies for lots of people this weekend. thanks!
Hey Susan, I *think* so – they’ll bake up fine, I just want to make sure they don’t overflow in the oven as a sheet pan has much shorter sides, so keep an eye on that. If you have two 9X13-inch pans, I’d probably double and split the batter between the two pans.
thanks, I am going to try it tonight. I am down to only 1 9×13 at the moment.
I love Mel’s recipes so I am not taking away from her or this brownie recipe. I make the big batch brownies from southernplate.com when I am using my sheet cake pan. They are great for a crowd. Just a suggestion.
This recipe is great! I tried it as soon as I got that issue of Cook’s Country. I admit, I made the peanut butter marshmallow version because I’m a glutton for punishment and wow– they were even a bit too rich for me! haha. But very yummy. (I also love the basic chili recipe from that issue. With so many variations of chili out there, it’s rare to see one stripped down. We loved it.)
I’m going to make your killer crunch brownies for a supper/meeting on Monday! Would this be good as a base or should I stick with the original one?
People like meetings a lot more when there’s good food 🙂
Only because I haven’t tried it with these brownies, I’d probably say stick with the original recipe (and I agree, meetings are much more bearable with food!). 🙂
I made these tonight because we needed a quick easy treat. I used semisweet chocolate in place of the unsweetened chocolate as you suggested and a little less sugar. They were delicious and fudgey! Everyone devoured them though I undercooked them. I have a difficult time telling when brownies are done and I hate hard brownies so I took them out after 26 min. I’ll cook them longer next time. Still these were some of the best brownies ever. I added some white chocolate chips for fun. Thanks, these brownies were just what we needed tonight!
Thanks for detailing your changes, Anne! I actually am like you and tend to undercook brownies because I hate tough, overcooked brownies.
We had a snow day in Oregon today. Lucky for us I had everything I needed to make your Slow Cooker Chili (one of our favorite meals), and these brownies for dessert. They did not disappoint! As promised, they were super fudgey with a perfectly crackly top. Thank you for another incredble recipe! I will be making these again for sure.
Ooooh, what a great meal! We got an unusual snow storm today (it’s been in the 40’s and 50’s for the last couple weeks) and I actually think that slow cooker chili might make an appearance tonight. Thanks for the idea!
I made these for a last minute contribution to our Cub Scout Blue & Gold dinner tonight and they were completely devoured. My 4-year-old enjoyed helping to make them, too. Great, simple recipe that’s a total crowd pleaser!
Thanks for the report, Vicky!
These are super delicious! Made them tonight! My only hiccup was this: I baked them in a glass Pyrex 9×13 lined with aluminum foil and my bake time was closer to 40-45 min., and still slightly underdone! They could’ve used an extra two minutes and been perfect. Maybe I should use convection next time? I’ll have to play with it…and I’m pretty sure my family won’t be sad about it!
Anyhow, despite the extra long cooking time, they were amazing!! Thank you for sharing!!!
Thanks for the tips on the glass pan…I always use metal and forget there are usually some small alterations for glass. I think convection might help them cook more evenly and a bit quicker.
I also used a glass Pyrex dish and had to cook for 40 minutes using convection to get the middle to set. At 25-30 minutes the batter was still raw.
Mmm… I just got home from parent teacher conference – the most spectacular waste of time on this planet. These are going to make me feel much better. Thanks, Mel!
Haha, I don’t know why that made me laugh, but it did. Brownies to the rescue!
Can I use bittersweet chocolate as the “chopped unsweetened”?
I talk about this a little in the notes below the recipe – see if that helps and then feel free to ask if you have other questions. 🙂
Hello Mel,
I remember you posting about your favorite things to buy at Trader Joe’s. Where can I find that post?
Thank you!
I sent it out in a newsletter – are you subscribed to my email/newsletter list?
Yes, but I can’t find it anywhere! Can you re send it to me?
Thank you!
Yes, but I can’t find it anywhere! Can you re send it to me?
Thank you!
Add a pinch of coffee and it’ll make these brownies even better!
New brownie recipes are always great to try. I already am in love with your sheet pan ones and just made your “go-to” one bowl brownies. Here’s a question, though. Chocolate chips stirred in. I love that when they’re warm because they’re melty. But I’m also prone to eating them chilled because they’re fudgy. Do you do anything to help those chocolate chips not be hard once they’ve cooled? I’ve taken to omitting them, but if you have a secret on how to have the chocolate chips and still keep them soft when chilled, I’d love to hear it!
I know what you’re saying, Patti…and I don’t really have a way to keep the chocolate chips or chopped chocolate soft after chilling the brownies, so I’d say you might just want to leave out that addition!
You are killing me here! Your brownie cookies were to DIE FOR and threw me off my sugar free diet. Now this! Brownies are my true weakness. Gonna have to try it of course.
Oh my heck Mel, I love these brownies! I made and posted this recipe a couple years ago and they’ve been a family favorite ever since!
I have about 72 kinds of cocoa powder in my pantry, because chocolate. But I just ordered a few delicious varieties from KAF, and I think I know what I’m making this afternoon!! Yum!!
I have only made brownies from scratch maybe twice. Any time I make the even from a box they get too hard around the edges. How can that be avoided? I can see a little crispy but not hard.
Are you using a glass pan, Charlotte? If so, turn the oven down to 325 degrees and see if that helps. If not, you might try baking for less time (in a metal pan)
My husband also prefers boxed brownies and is disappointed when they are homemade! I’ve never tried coconut oil but we love Almond Joys, so I’m interested to see if it gives it a subtle coconut flavor. I’ll have to try these, thanks!
I’ve been looking for a new brownie recipe because you can never have too many! This one looks amazing – Can’t wait to try them!
I don’t think I’ve EVER had a brownie better than your deep dark chocolate brownies. They are soft, fudgy and have the crackle top ! I’ve thrown mint m&ms in there and I’ve also made them with whole peanut butter cups shoved in the bottom of the baking dish after I poured the batter. I guess my point is I love them so much I’m a little tentative about trying a different recipe..even though I’ve made dozens of your recipes over the years and have loved them all.
I get that, Gigi! These brownies today are slightly softer – not quite as thick and dense and decadent as those deep, dark brownies (which I also love greatly)….just in case that helps you decide whether you want to try them or not.
Ooooh can’t wait to make these Mel! Oh and btw, that pan, I bought that pan while back after one of your recommendations and I LOVE it!! I especially love making your One Bowl Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookie Cake in it, but will soon use it for these delicious looking brownies! You’re the best! Thanks!!
So happy you love that pan! I have two because I love them so much (and use them all the time!)
I absolutely adore coconut oil in brownies. I usually do about a fifty-fifty mixture of coconut oil and other fat (lately, it’s butter). I love the subtle coconut taste instead of going full force coconut.
Since these brownies are Brian’s favorite, I know they must be delicious. It doesn’t hurt that they’re easy, one bowl, decadent, and extra chocolaty. I’ll make them tonight and share with my mom who will be 84 soon and still enjoys a delicious brownie. Thanks!
Let me know what you think, Teresa! (you are so good to your mom!)
I too, am a brownies conossuier and trust your husbands opinion as he has likely had very brownie known to mankind. And it’s from cooks country so you know it’s awesome. America’s rest kitchen spinoff forever.
These look delicious! Obviously you know more about baking then I do but I thought water made chocolate seize?
I think it can make chocolate seize once the chocolate has already been melted (and water is added to it).