Sheet Pan Fudgy Chocolate Brownies
Fudgy chocolate brownies for a crowd! These super simple from-scratch sheet pan brownies is perfect for potlucks and summer BBQs!
Since I totally left you hanging last week for new, tasty Memorial Day eats (a million excuses, you don’t want to hear them), consider these sheet pan brownies my penance.
Even if you have plans today to party like it’s 1999 (or in other words, have a BBQ), these decadent, fudgy, rich brownies can still fit into your schedule thanks to their quick and easy, no-fuss prep.
Of course, if you’re me, it doesn’t matter what kind of brownie recipe it is, I can always find a way to fit it into my schedule.
I should warn you, though, if you think it might be fun to try one of these straight out of the freezer, you better high tail it to the Land of Self-Control. The deliciousness of a bite-sized, chewy, chocolatey brownie piece from the cold depths is insane.
And if you think I stop at just one bite-sized piece, you clearly don’t know where I live (hint: it’s not in the Land of Self-Control).
The moral of this story is: these sheet pan brownies are amazing.
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Sheet Pan Fudgy Chocolate Brownies
Ingredients
- 3 sticks (340 g) salted butter, (24 tablespoons)
- 1 pound bittersweet or semisweet chocolate, chopped
- ½ cups (106 g) granulated sugar
- 1 cup (212 g) light brown sugar
- 5 large eggs
- 1 ½ tablespoons vanilla extract
- 1 ⅓ cups (189 g) all-purpose flour
- ½ tablespoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 to 2 cups (170 to 340 g) semisweet chocolate chips
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly grease a large, rimmed baking sheet (12X18-inches) and set aside.
- In a large microwave-safe bowl, combine the butter and chocolate; microwave in 1-minute intervals, stirring in between, until the mixture is melted and smooth (don’t overheat, it should be slightly warm, if at all). Add the sugar and stir until combined.
- Whisk in the eggs and vanilla, and mix until large bubbles pop at the surface – it will go from looking slightly curdled to really glossy and thick so keep stirring until you see the change. In a separate smaller bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt. Add the dry ingredients to the batter and mix once or twice. With dry streaks remaining, add the chocolate chips and mix until well-combined.
- Spread the batter evenly in the prepared pan.
- Bake for 25-30 minutes until edges are set but the middle is still slightly gooey. If you want extra dense, fudgy brownies, halfway through the baking time, carefully lift up the baking pan and let it drop on the oven rack to release any air bubbles (totally optional). Let the brownies cool completely in the pan (I like to refrigerate them after they have baked and cooled – easier cutting and ultra-delicious, and don’t get me started on how incredible these are straight from the freezer).
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Recipe Source: from Mel’s Kitchen Cafe
101 Comments on “Sheet Pan Fudgy Chocolate Brownies”
Do you have a recommendation on what percent cocoa content to use in this recipe for the chopped chocolate?
Anywhere from 55 to 65% should fit the “semisweet or bittersweet chocolate” called for in the recipe.
I have made 9 different brownie recipes in the last couple of months. These were SO good! Definitely a top favorite.
Can I make these in a 16 x 16 pan? Will they be too flat?
Thanks
They will be much thinner – I don’t know if the batter will fill up a pan that size very well.
These were delicious I don’t know how people have gotten dry brownies ( reading from these comments ) they had a perfect top crust and fudgy center , literally could not stop me and my son from eating damn near the whole pan love it !!
These were delicious! Even my chocolate opposed husband enjoyed them.
We do not have a microwave so i melt the butter halfway then add Toll House semi sweet chocolate chips. Once the chocolate is half melted I turn off the burner and allow the residual heat to finish melting the chocolate. This keeps the mixture from getting too hot and cooking the eggs. I only baked them for 23 minutes.
Best brownies ever!!!!
Delicious! I put m&ms on top and they turned out great! I got so many compliments! Thanks for sharing!
My apologies it is measured in Oz I will give it a try sorry about the comnent
Why can’t the recipe be in grams this way the cup does not get over or under measured please post recipe in grams also it’s not the x number of cups = so many grams
These are outstanding. Gooey and delicious. I took them out a few minutes early because my oven tends to run a little hot, and because the sides were set in the middle was a little jiggly. They were perfection. I did not agree with the comments that say they are dry. Those commenters must have left them in the oven too long.
Greetings. Is there a conversion to make this recipe in a 10″ x 15″ jelly roll pan? Thank you.
I don’t have the amounts for that as I haven’t tried it – sorry!
Hi Mel. I tried this recipe and unfortunately I didn’t get the same results. I’m shocked at the amount of chocolate I had to use. The recipe said 1lb so I used x4.5 100g bars of lindt 70% cocoa. Is this correct? We do not get ghirardelli in my country. My brownies also came out dry and crumbly. Probably due to baking for 27min. I also didn’t see bubbles when whisking the eggs, there were tiny bubbles which settled when I stopped whisking. I could also see the brown sugar granules on the top of the baked brownies.
These really turned out awesome! Goodbye boxed brownies for me. I live at 4800 ft and didn’t have any problems with altitude (a previous comment had mentioned that as a potential problem). Thanks!
It was so dry and crumbly, i did it step by step and they came out dry and hard
Make these…they were a double win at our house-the fam & I both LOVED them, & they made so much that my son was able to bring some to a party, & everyone raves about them. Crazy delish cut up & stored in fridge, & for some reason even better cut up & stored I freezer.
These are just so yummy, & a big time saver for future needs due to being made on a lg cookie sheet.
I am making these for our family reunion this weekend and I need to freeze them. Do you freeze them directly in the sheet pan after they are cooled and just put foil on the top of the pan? Or is there another method that works better? I’m hoping to not have to cut and individually wrap each brownie! Thanks!
Hey Shelly – I’ve never frozen the whole sheet pan. I always cool them and refrigerate (makes them easier to cut) and then cut them into squares and then layer them in a big Tupperware with wax paper in between layers.
Is this for a full sheet cake pan or 1/2 sheet?
Half sheet pan (about 11X17 inches)
These are so delicious! I made 9 pans of these for an order I had received & they all turned out great!
My 9-year old daughter and her friend just made these for the school’s bake sale. We used a 10 oz bag of Trader Joe’s semi sweet chunks, along with TJ’s 3 milk chocolate bars chopped up. This kept them from being too dark chocolate tasting, since my daughter isn’t a big dark chocolate fan. I like the taste that comes from boxed mixes (!) meaning I prefer cocoa to melted chocolate. My daughter doesn’t like mixes so I took a chance on this recipe, hoping we just have different preferences for a brownie. I am pleased that we both loved this recipe.
I’m looking for a brownie recipe that is fudgey but NOT a dark chocolate flavor (more of a lighter/milk chocolate flavor). Would these fit the bill? Or which of your many brownie recipes would you recommend? Thanks in advance for the help!! We are a big fan of your recipes around here!
Hey Melanie – these are definitely on the darker side of the chocolate spectrum. I don’t think I have any brownie recipes that have a milk chocolate flavor, but you could maybe use milk chocolate chips in this recipe? https://www.melskitchencafe.com/easiest-brownies-in-the-world/
Literally best brownies ever. HIGHLY RECOMEND
Delicious! I made these tonight for a last-minute birthday celebration. Despite having to make some substitutions, they turned out rich and fudge-like. I had to use margarine in place of butter and had to substitute mini semi-sweet chocolate chips for 10 oz. of the chopped semisweet chocolate (used 6 oz. chopped leftover semisweet bar + 10 oz mini chips). Baked for 24 minutes. and they came right to the top of my NordicWare sheet pan. They were the best homemade brownies I have made!
I made these brownies as a base for an ice cream “cake” since I prefer brownies over cake. I chose this recipe specifically due to the melted chocolate and the mention of being good out of the freezer. They are amazing out of the freezer too as mentioned and they are some of the best I’ve had, period. I added walnuts to them in addition to the chocolate chips since I love walnuts in brownies. I typically prefer the crispy edges and corners of a brownie but with these I didn’t even think about that when eating them, they are that good. As a former chef, who isn’t great at baking, the ease of this recipe was great and this recipe was almost fool proof.
Glad you loved the recipe, Josh! Thanks for taking the time to leave a comment. 🙂
Hey Mel!
I know the yield is a lot of brownies, but about how many would you say? We are having a party soon for my daughter’s baptism, and want to make them ahead of time & freeze for the party; I just want to make sure we have enough since judging by these comments, they will go fast!
Thanks!
I think you could easily cut these into about 24 – 30 squares.
ok….best HOMEMADE brownies ever!!! they were absolutely amazing. I cooked them for 20 minutes instead of 25-30. I also used half mint chocolate chips, half regular semisweet chocolate chips in the chocolate that was melted (i melted on the stovetop, stirring constantly, and it was just fine). I’ve tried all mel’s brownie recipes but these ones are far and away the best to me. (and my family!)
So happy to hear this report back – thanks, Kerri!
These are THE BEST brownies ever. I rarely need a whole pan of brownies, but I wouldn’t make any other recipe.
P.S. I only bake these for 15 minutes. I make them on the stove–melt the chocolate and butter in a saucepan and then add the other ingredients as it goes, just with the heat off. Always measure the flour by weight and don’t over-mix after it’s added. I always chill mine completely before cutting–tastier and easier to cut.
Please help me out here Mel! Your recipes almost never steer me wrong, but this one is off. I too have some of the same issues of other commenters. My brownies look nothing like yours. They are a bit crumbly and dry, and the top has teeny tiny bubbles… not a nice flake like yours. The flavor is awesome though; so I really want to get these right, as I bake all of the time.
The only thing I can think of is that something must have gone wrong in the whisking process… I never really saw any big bubbles, like someone else mentioned as well. I saw a few, but was expecting big bubbles, so I kept whisking, every though it was glossy. I am wondering if those of us having this issue are maybe over-stirring at this point in the recipe? Help! -xo
Hey Shaynee, sorry these didn’t work out for you! It’s possible overmixing might cause the brownies to be crumbly, but I’m not positive. What elevation do you live at? You aren’t the only one that’s had a result of crumbly texture in the brownies, so something must be a common factor with those struggling with the recipe. I’m right about 2,000 elevation and these are moist and fudgy not crumbly, but darn, I want them to work out for you. Making sure the flour isn’t packed into the measuring cup will help, too.
I am coming forward from the land of silence to SPEAK about these brownies- I have tried and LOVED lots of recipes from your blog for yeeeears (and honestly, many of them deserve a shout out, but I’m just a quiet person!), however, I made these this weekend and am dying over how amazing they are~ the fudginess and chocolatey goodness is perfection….but what threw me out of the shadows to say something is that I JUST had one out of the freezer. OH. MY. GOSH. I’m doomed- because in worse news, I dumped the first batch of batter onto my sheet pan only to realize I had pulled out the monstrous one instead of the 12×18 one….so I had to make another batch of batter to fill up the pan. SOOOO now I have enough brownies to officially kill my summer bod. haha! Truly, thank you for making my time in the kitchen (on SOOO many occasions) WORTH the effort!! I have so many favorite recipes from you!
Haha, I love this! I agree that knowing these brownies are ridiculously amazing out of the freezer is a very, very dangerous thing. That is a ton of brownies! 🙂
I love your recipes Mel..but somehow mine too came out crumbly yet I under baked them after reading other reviews “just in case.” The only thing I can think is maybe I didn’t whisk long enough after adding the eggs and vanilla…I saw tiny bubbles..but maybe there weren’t enough…oh well…I tried! 🙂
Darn! Sorry they didn’t work out well, Gessica.
Hi! Can I use dark brown sugar instead? If so, do I need to adjust quantities? Thank you!
You probably can – haven’t tried it myself, but I think it should be ok.
could I use parchment instead of greasing pan
I would probably grease the edges of the pan regardless of if you use parchment or not.
We don’t like dark/semisweet chocolate. Could I just use all milk chocolate or will the sugar amounts need to be adjusted?
I’m not sure, Chrissy – you’ll have to experiment. Milk chocolate melts a bit differently than semisweet and I haven’t tried it myself. You’ll definitely want to reduce the sugar a bit if you try it. These aren’t any “darker” than a normal brownie though. Even my milk chocolate only friends love these brownies, if that helps!
I just bought the ingredients for these brownies, but I bought baking chocolate. Will that work?
Yes, it should!
I just made this. I’m a frequent baker and followed directions to a T but baked several less minutes than recommended (I like gooey brownies). The brownies still came out crumbly and super dry. I’m so bummed! I’m not sure what the problem was besides over baking (despite the fact that I cooked them less time). Oh-well! I still love your recipes c
Sorry to hear that, Brittany! That’s super odd because the brownies are really soft and fudgy, sorry they didn’t work out!
Same here. Totally overdone.
Mine as well…but I used bakers chocolate and not chips. Should that matter?
My recommendation would be to use only semi sweet chocolate chips and not bittersweet chocolate. I used the Ghirardelli bittersweet chips and even though they melted well….I just don’t feel like these are sweet enough for my taste. They taste ok… But definitely not sweet like a box brownie mix. I think if I had used only semi sweet, they would have tested better. I love the idea of a sheet cake brownie though…. So i may try these again. Maybe they will taste better frozen.
I’m adding a follow up… My husband completely disagrees with me and thinks these are the bomb and delicious. That said he loves dark chocolate and I hate it.
Do you know how many cups of chocolate chips equal one pound?
Hello Keri – Mel doesn’t have access to internet right now so I’m helping her out with comments for the next few days. It depends on the chocolate chips, but probably right around 2 2/3 cups.
Hi Keri, Emily’s right – it’s about 2 2/3 cups.
I have them cooling on the counter right now, are they suppose to look different on top than boxed brownie mix? It looks dry, but not in a bad way. Maybe “set” is a better word? I did 25 mins
Hey Tara, I’m not really sure since it’s been ages since I made a boxed mix. Did they taste ok?
Thanks for your prior answer to the “baking sheet” dilemma, very helpful. Sorry for another silly question but I don’t have a microwave, so how do you advise I proceed with Step 2? These look so yummy and I sense you have provided the Holy Brownie which I have been seeking for many years…
You can definitely do the melting on the stovetop and then scrape the mixture into a bowl and add the sugar (then just proceed with the recipe).
Thanks for your prior answer to the “baking sheet” dilemma, very helpful. Sorry for another silly question but I don’t have a microwave, so how do you advise I proceed with Step 2? These look so yummy and I feel you have provided the holy brownie to which I have been seeking…
Just made these yesterday, Mel, and am making them again for my daughter’s friends.
They are super easy and incredibly yummy! Love them, and you, and your blog!
I’ve assigned my finicky younger kid to pull recipes from your site that we’ll make to tease her taste buds.
Made the chicken spiedies the other day and Miss Finicky has had them 3 times in 2 days! Super yum!
Thank you for all you do!
Thanks, Cathy! So happy you are loving the recipes; made my day!
Question… did you pick up and drop the tray of brownies that are in the photo? Which way do you usually do it? Does dropping it make it more or less like the box brownie?
Nope, didn’t tap the ones in the photo. I think dropping it halfway through baking makes the brownies slightly more dense and fudgy.
Made ice cream sandwiches with these. You are my kid’s new favorite person 🙂
Love that idea!
These are superb! I made them last night to give to the teachers for their end of the year gifts and they turned out perfect. I cannot stop eating the leftover brownies! Thanks for another great recipe!
Really only 1/2 c. white sugar? I plan to make these for the 4th of July but want to make sure I make them correctly. Thanks Mel!
Yep, the 1 cup brown sugar makes up the extra sweetness.
So I am a bit perplexed by the “sheet pan” is that a common cookie sheet or a cake sheet pan? You state a 12X18″ but I’d like to see the third measurement there too that would make it definitive.
And the pound of chocolate – is that baker’s chocolate, some other bar, or what?
Thanks Mel. They look delicious for sure.
I think in official terms it’s called a baker’s half sheet pan. I’m not sure what you mean by a 3rd measurement, but usually half sheet pans like this are around that 12X18-inch size – they can vary slightly by brand and are a common rimmed baking sheet in home kitchens for cookies and large sheet cakes. They are about an inch high. I usually use bar chocolate for melting (not candy bar, but rather the bar chocolate found most often above the chocolate chips in the baking aisle at most grocery stores). However, my one exception is Ghirardelli chocolate – the bittersweet baking chips melt like a dream.
This might potentially be a dumb question but what’s the difference between the chocolate that you chop and chocolate chips?
Not a dumb question at all, Emily! Chocolate chips often don’t melt as well as baking chocolate (like the bars of chocolate that are often above the chocolate chips in the baking aisle) because chocolate chips have a different amount of cocoa butter that allow them to hold that cute little shape. I’ve found that Ghirardelli chocolate chips melt pretty well (but other brands not so well).
I literally laughed out loud at the yield on the brownies.
These were a hit at our BBQ today. Thanks Mel! Ina Garten’s brownie recipe only worked for me when I lived in Baltimore…they overflow everytime I’ve tried making them since living in Denver. I’d given up on having anything like them, so glad to have a replacement recipe!
I just make these brownies. I have been a faithful Mel follower for years. Yours are pretty much the only recipes that we use in our house and we are devoted and grateful to you. But I think I messed these brownie babies up. I taste baking powder or something. It was 1/2 tablespoon in the recipe. You have never steered us wrong before, so I will try again, but I am sad these didn’t turn out. Still hopelessly devoted to you…
Hey Alexa, thanks for leaving your comment. Sorry you didn’t love these! I’m not sure why you are getting a strong baking powder flavor (yes, the 1/2 tablespoon is correct); I just ran to my freezer and pulled one out to taste it (not that I haven’t eaten them dozens of times before) just to make sure it didn’t taste too strong of baking powder because I’m super bummed for you (but all I taste is fudgy brownie flavor). Do you mind sharing what brand of chocolate you used? Since there’s so much chocolate in this recipe, I’m wondering if the off-taste might be related to that? I usually use Ghirardelli, if that helps at all.
I love gheardelli and did use about 1 cup of 60% cocoa bittersweet, as well as 1/2 cup nestle semisweet (partial bag needed to be used). For the melting in the first step, I thought I needed the baking bar; so I used bakers 56% semisweet and an organic 70% cocoa bittersweet. Could that be it? All the crazy chocolate brands and bitters? Funny side note: I found my two daughters playing chef today. They had meal plans with “Melskitchencafe” written by every invented dish. When I asked them who they were pretending to be, my 7 year old said , “I’m Mel!” You are famous at our house.
That’s adorable about your girls! Way more flattering than I deserve, that’s for sure! 🙂 There are so many chocolate options, it’s hard to know about the flavor/taste. I think what you used sounds just fine, though. I’m bummed that the flavor wasn’t right for you, though. Sorry!
They smell and look amazing but my oven does not agree. It overflowed! I used a 12×18 pan. I don’t know what else could have went wrong. They are still very edible! 🙂
What?? Oh no, Lauren! That’s the worst outcome; I know how frustrating that can be since it happened to me when I tried Ina Garten’s version. Darn it! I’m racking my brains to figure out how that would have happened since I’ve made these at least six times with no overflowage. Do you know what brand your sheet pans are? (shouldn’t matter if they are at least 1-inch high but just want to check)
What altitude do you live at? In high altitudes things rise more, potentially causing overflowing, so if you live at an altitude higher than Mel, you may have to either use a bigger pan or leave some batter out of the pan next time. I learned the hard way that I should only fill muffin cups halfway when I moved from sea level to 7,000 feet.
That’s a good point – thanks for mentioning it and something I should put in the notes of the recipe. I live at about 2,500 feet so I don’t have typical high altitude issues (but have lived at 6,000 feet before so I remember there are issues with baking). Thanks for bringing up the altitude issue!
Let’s say I want to half this recipe, what size pan should I use? Thanks 😉 Looks delicious!
I think it might work in a 9X13-inch pan but I haven’t tried it.
What a delicious post for today, the unofficial first day of summer. I laughed at the Ina Garten brownie mess. Usually her recipes are pretty great–too funny. Well, I am sure yours are perfected, so I will have to try them for my next large gathering this summer. Thank you!!!
These look amazing, but I don’t have a sheet pan. Have you ever tried a half recipe in a 9×13?
I think that would probably work although I haven’t tried it. My favorite recipe for a 9X13-inch pan of brownies is here:
http://www.melskitchencafe.com/deep-dark-chocolate-brownies/
These look amazing! How long can you keep them frozen?
I wish I could say I know firsthand they keep for months but they don’t last that long around here. 🙂 I’m guessing well-sealed in a bag or container, they’d be fine up to a month.
I have kept another brownie recipe of Mel’s frozen in the freezer for just over 6 months and they are still heavenly. I would say they could last even longer and be great well wrapped.
Hi! So I made these at my job, I’m the juice barista and unofficial baker lol. I sold out and my coworkers loved them but my issue is I want my brownies to look like yours. I used chocolate chips we had on hand, I also used a conventional oven , I think that’s what it’s called , the ones you’d have at a restaurant . Any tips ? I’m a real presentation gal, so although they tasted good I wish they looked like yours.
What did yours look like?
This is just what I needed for today! Do you use the Baker’s chocolate for the pound of chocolate?
Hi Kim, I usually use Ghirardelli’s bittersweet baking chips because they melt so well (the only chocolate chips that melt quite that well) but Baker’s chocolate would work great, too.
Super helpful info! I’ve been wondering how those baking chips are. They are so much cheaper than the bittersweet bars at my grocery store and I always wondered if they were inferior. Bonus! Less chopping since they are in chip form!
Just make sure you get the real chocolate and not the candy melts. 🙂