Fudgy Brownies {Homemade Brownies Like The Boxed Mix!}
These homemade fudgy brownies are a boxed brownie knockoff, and they are even more delicious and decadent and fudgy than any boxed mix!
As promised, here is the all-cocoa powder fudgy brownie recipe I used when judging the difference between natural and dutch-process cocoa powders.
This is the closest homemade recipe to rival the boxed brownie mixes I’ve found – which means a lot in my family since Brian adores the boxed brownie variety.
And I can’t bring myself to buy them (nothing against the boxed brownies – there is a time and a place, but I’m always on a quest to get a homemade version!).
Which means these fudgy brownies are a very happy compromise, especially considering that this simple homemade recipe takes maybe two minutes longer than the boxed mix.
Ok, three.
The decadent, fudgy brownies are so delicious, they easily gain access to The Best Recipe list.
Fudgy, dense and downright decadent and addicting, the chocolate flavor comes exclusively from cocoa powder instead of melted chocolate in the batter, which means using natural or dutch-process can vary the chocolate flavor (see this post for more details).
Either way is delicious, but I have to admit that because I love my chocolate dark, the dutch-process cocoa in these brownies is heavenly to my dark chocolate loving palette.
It makes for a slightly more mild chocolate flavor that isn’t as sharp as natural, unsweetened cocoa (but is still decadent and rich).
Test it out and see decide for yourself.
It may take two or three batches, but seriously, what’s so wrong with extra brownies laying around, right?
One Year Ago: Blueberry Fool
Two Years Ago: Perfect Corn on the Cob
Three Years Ago: Cookie Dough Topped Brownies
The Best Fudgy Brownies {Think: Homemade Brownies Like The Boxed Mix!}
Ingredients
- 10 tablespoons (142 g) butter
- 1 ¼ cups (265 g) granulated sugar
- ¾ cup (79 g) plus 2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder (natural or Dutch-process)
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 2 large eggs
- ½ cup (71 g) all-purpose flour
Instructions
- Position a rack in the lower third of the oven and preheat the oven to 325°F. Line the bottom and sides of an 8×8-inch square baking pan with parchment paper or foil, leaving an overhang on two opposite sides. Lightly grease with cooking spray and set aside.
- Combine the butter, sugar, cocoa, and salt in a medium microwave-safe bowl. Microwave for one minute intervals, stirring in between, until the butter is melted and the mixture is smooth. Set the mixture aside until it cools slightly (is warm to the touch not hot). It will look gritty but it will become smooth once the other ingredients are added.
- Stir in the vanilla with a wooden spoon or rubber spatula. Add the eggs one at a time, stirring vigorously after each one. When the batter looks thick, shiny, and well blended, add the flour and stir until you cannot see it any longer, then beat vigorously for 40 strokes with the wooden spoon or a rubber spatula. Spread evenly in the lined pan.
- Bake until a toothpick inserted into the center emerges slightly moist with batter, 20 to 25 minutes. Let cool completely on a rack. After the brownies are cooled completely, I like to throw the pan in the refrigerator – cold brownies cut much easier and taste heavenly. Lift up the ends of the parchment or foil liner, and transfer the brownies to a cutting board. Cut into squares and serve.
Notes
Recommended Products
Recipe Source: adapted slightly from Smitten Kitchen originally from Alice Medrich’s Bittersweet
The perfect recipe! Perfect!
Wow these really are exactly like box brownies, with out the mystery ingredients! I will say mine took a lot longer to bake, about 38 minutes. But they were delicious and I’d make them again!
I have made this recipe multiple times in different pans, and I have also found that they need to bake for 38-39 min. Delicious! Not sure why it takes so much longer than what the recipe calls for, but they always end up being quickly devoured in this house! Thanks for all of the amazing recipes Mel!
I finally found the ultimate brownie recipe. Wow! I thought they were good an hour after they came out of the oven but they were excellent the day after. Chewy and chocolatey. I made 3 batches. First was just plain. Second batch I added dark chocolate chips as per my daughter’s request and third batch I added walnuts. All three were a hit in my house.
Thank you so much for this recipe!!!
These are way too salty. Everyone in my house agrees and we couldn’t eat them. 🙁 Very sad. Thought it must be because I used salted butter, but in the comments it says the recipe uses salted butter.
i have made these brownies n they turned out so fudgy n goey. loved them.. thanks alot for this yummy recipe.
Made these and loved them!!! So good, easy and fudgy. I used a saucepan to melt the butter on the stove, and then just made the whole recipe in the same saucepan. Super easy and convenient. Also uses pantry ingredients so one can whip them up anytime.
Hey. I as well made them in a saucepan and I was wondering if you melted it until all the ingredients melted together.
I absolutely love this recipe!!! I use the regular cocoa powder as well as dark cocoa powder… My favorite is the dark chocolate!!! I just made 4 batches this weekend, 2 regular and 2 dark , for my niece’s birthday (she turned 14). She requested a brownie cake and that’s what she got!!! It was beautiful, tasted amazing, and at the end of the party, there were no brownies left! I was requested to share this recipe with several of the guests before they went home!!!
Thanks for sharing 🙂
These are the only brownies I make. They are amazing!
Very good recipe! Tastes like a box mix. I put some chocolate chips on top and it was perfection
Hi there! I have been following your blog for several years now and have always loved your recipes. This recipe? Amazing! We used to buy the Ghiradelli brownie box mixes at Costco, but I found your recipe for these TASTY brownies. Both kids LOVE them and declared loudly, “THIS IS BETTER THAN COSTCO!” Thanks 🙂 another MEL recipe to add to my favorites. 🙂
Yahoo!
This recipe was exactly what I was looking for. Delicious taste and easy to make. I also want to thank you Mel for adding ounces to the ingredients; this really does make a big difference when baking.
Thank you! I appreciate recipes that have weight measures, too. 🙂
I am a scratch baker, proud to use gourmet ingredients and test recipes until I find the BEST for each baked good. That said, even I would break down every now and then and bake a boxed brownie for sheer nostalgia of flavor and texture. This recipe is the perfect solution: the taste and texture you’re looking for with a boxed brownie, with the freshness and purity of scratch ingredients. No more flavor of those processed ingredients. So good! I finally get to say “I’ll never bake a boxed brownie again” just as I did with cakes 15 years ago. Bless your heart for this recipe!
The taste was amazing. It tastes exactly like you said it would , the boxed mix.
We added dark choclete chips.
It tasted extra good with it .
My husband and I had these for our “the kids are finally in bed” late night snack a couple of nights ago, and they were great. But the next day, holy cow, they were completely different *amazing* brownies, and even on the third day they were just as awesome. They become so much more fudgy after letting them sit overnight! I guess I’m now a believer. I’ll have to try extra hard remember to plan ahead when I want brownies from now on.
It’s a great recipe the way it is but I have changed it up a bit and made it much richer and chocolatey by doing the following: the following:
* add an extra Tablespoon of butter to the butter quantity as well as rubbing bottom and sides of the 13X9 glass baking dish lightly with butter in place of a liner.
! ! ! you have to monitor while baking and not overtake or edges will burn ! ! !
*I add a good pinch of baking powder to the all purpose flour.
* I use the 2 large eggs PLUS one extra egg yolk.
Following original recipe instructions until the end when I add. * 2T chocolate cook pudding mix (cook kind is much richer but instant might work as well) and mix in well and then *add a T or 2 of milk to moisten it back up and mix well again and spread into the buttered baking dish. It will be thick and spread easily.
***I always use an electric mixer instead of spatula because it adds a little air into the mixture and is easier with such a thick mix.
Right before I put it into the oven I
sprinkle sparingly either chocolate chips or broken up vanilla Charleston Chew pieces on to the top – (these are our personal favorite) then bake at the 325°F
It’s usually done about 22 minutes or so. My rule of thumb is that when you smell brownies your about 3 minutes from it being done. Check with toothpick anyway if you have them.
Cool in pan
They are chewy, cakey, chocolaty good. So rich that even a hard core chocoholic won’t be able to eat more than a couple at a time…with A LOT OF MILK. There are a couple in my house so this has been verified.
I just made these tonight. All I had on hand was Hershey’s Special Dark cocoa powder, so, unsurprisingly, they came out as dark chocolate brownies. I’m not a huge fan of dark chocolate, but that didn’t stop me from eating them! The consistency is just like a box mix. Mine took about 15 minutes to mix and 34 minutes to bake. They didn’t really sastisfy my brownie craving, but I can’t blame the recipe at all. They truly are a homemade version of boxed brownies!
I doubled this recipe and put it in the oven for 35 minutes and the were PERFECT!! These are sooo delicious! My whole family loves them!!
I made these the other day for a quick before bed treat. While mixing them up I discovered I was out of sugar. So I sent my husband to the basement to grab some and continued mixing. He took so long I was finished with it by the time he got back. And had to add the sugar last. Please, by all that is holy and in the name of beautiful brownies, DONT make my mistake! Follow the directions. Mel will never lead you astray if you follow the directions! I ended up with a burned, sloppy, fudgy mess. So sorry brownies…
Hi Mel, this brownie recipe is epic. It never ever fails. I’ve become so brave with this recipe that I started substituting wheat flour with mixed millet flour. Now it’s a gluten free recipe with the nourishing goodness of millets and it still tastes phenomenally good.
The millet flour I mix and keep in my kitchen contains equal quantities of – finger millet, foxtail millet, barnyard millet, pearl millet, amaranth flour and sorghum.
Thanks for all your wonderful recipes. I haven’t looked at another baking site since I found yours!!
Finding a sweet treat that both my husband and I agree on has been one of the longest running arguments in my marriage. I’m glad to say that this receipe, as is, no modifications has settled that marital qualm. This recipe is so easy and the end result is so amazing. I cannot thank you enough.
Only one problem. I’ve made these brownies now three times in two weeks. Once they’re gone we have to have more. We may be addicted. Well worth the guilty feeling though.
Thanks again!!!
This is everything a brownie should taste like but never does (as in, it is actually cocoa flavored instead of sugar flavored)!!! LOVE LOVE LOVE it! We made them for FHE dessert last night and I’m getting requests again already!
How would it be to cook the brownies in cup cake pans? Could I add about 2 table spoons of crunchie peanut butter to the receipe?
I think you could certainly try either of those options! I haven’t made them that way but good luck if you experiment.
Did you end up doing this? Was thinking about doing mini cupcakes but I have no idea how long to bake!
Hi! Marian from the Philippines here. I so love this recipe. I used 2/3 black cocoa and 1/3 premium cocoa (dutch-processed) then substituted white sugar with brown sugar. Tastes soooooo gooooddd. Baked them for 35 minutes. Perfectly paired with vanilla ice cream. yummmm <3
Hi Mel! We love these brownies! My daughter has asked that I make them for her upcoming baptism. I was wondering if you have made these ahead and froze them? Does that work well for this recipe? Also, could I triple or quadruple the recipe to make it in a sheet? We are feeding an army, ya know?!! What are your thoughts. I don’t want to ruin something so delicious for my sweet daughter’s baptism. Thanks!
Hi Anne – yes, these can definitely be frozen ahead of time. I haven’t baked the brownies in a sheet pan; I’m guessing a triple batch would work (might be on the thin side). Good luck!
Hello Ms. Mel,
I just wanted to make a shout out with these ohhh so yummy brownie recipe. I started making these on the 4rth of Feb and you can’t believe that I already made 7 and half dozens of orders in less than a week and more orders to come. For a young full time woman like me this is really perfect for an extra income. Thank you for sharing your recipe. These brownies are superb. They love it coz its very soft, moist, chewy urrrrg just perfect 🙂 Maraming Salamat.
Rivjane,
dxb
Mel I love the brownies and cheat whenever I make them as I am a diabetic and really shouldn’t. I know 24 packets of splenda are equal th a cup of sugar.but ii also know the taste is much sweeter. Any suggestions on how i can substitute splenda for sugar? I yruly am in love with these brownies!!!!
Hi Patricia – unfortunately, I’m not going to be much help since I haven’t subbed Splenda in these brownies (or anything, actually). Sorry about that!
Usually you want to half the amount with splenda. My mom is a diabetic 🙂
Try Stevia In The Raw, they sell it in bulk in the baking section.
Hi Mel. I have a question. I have made your brownie so many times but lately I have been having a problem. Brownies end up rising for some reason resulting with big dent in the bottom. Do you think it is because I am stirring too much after adding flours?
Hmmm, that might be it but I’m not sure what you mean by a big dent in the bottom. Can you describe more what’s happening?
Made these today. Doubled it and used my Pampered Chef mini muffin pan to make brownie bites! WONDERFUL!
How long did you bake them?
I came across this brownie recipe about a year ago and let me tell you, it’s the best brownie I’ve ever had!! When family is coming I make sure to make a double batch so I’m sure to get some for myself!!!
I am extremely picky & this is by far THE BEST brownie recipe. I have also used coconut oil instead of butter, using 3 tbsp less of the oil and omitting the melting step, and they also turn out amazing! Thank you!
Hi Mel!
I have tried this recipe today and it is really good! Like over the top good! I never thought that cocoa based brownie would be this really really good. I know I might be exaggerating but hey. This is really good. Have cut it into squares, put it on the table top and just when i finished the dishes, my brothers have them all gobbled up! I love how dark chocolatey and really fudgey it is. Thank you for sharing this recipe!
super simple and fudge-a-licious!!!
They were too bitter!
Hi Mel! Could I by any chance swirl in some caramel sauce in the batter? To make caramel brownies! Would the consistency change?
I haven’t tried that but you could certainly experiment!
Oh my gosh. I just made these here in France for an event I’m attending tonight. They are just delicious! I hate to give them away. I google “fudgy brownies” for a recipe and yours appeared and looked so easy….and it was! Thank you.
what kind of sugar do I use? brown or white?
White.
I just made a batch of these brownies and they’re really easy to make, came out moist and fudgy. I followed all the instructions, except changed the flour to buckwheat flour. Then added chopped walnuts before pouring to the baking pan. I extended the baking time another 10 min more because it still hasn’t set after 20 min.
I had to leave a comment! I am a phenomenal cookie baker and cook but fail at brownies repeatedly- it’s so frustrating! I made these last night. Followed your recipe and methods to a precise “T”. Added 1 cup of chocolate chips after 40 strokes. Baked for 35 minutes. Let them cool COMPLETELY before cutting .
Awesome. Fudge centers, chewy outsides. Excellent chocolate flavor.
This recipe is a keeper. Ingredients are all in my kitchen at all times. And this was so easy. Thank you SO MUCH. This is my go-to from now on.
I did the dark chocolate version and I was amazed that it tastes exactly like the box. I had my doubts only because I have tried many other types of brownie recipes. They were great! For those who say it’s too gooey, try baking it for longer and trust the toothpick check method. I baked mine 15 minutes longer and they were perfect! Thank you so much!
We have made these brownies twice now and my teenage sons have nicknamed them “the Bownies of Mordor” because we all become dangerously selfish and irrational when in the presence of these treats. Best. Brownies. Ever.
Haha! This totally made me laugh out loud.
This is the best recipe for a fudgy brownie I’ve ever found. Recipe’s a keeper and I’ll be making these again for sure. Followed the recipe exactly, including the amount of time in the oven and they came out perfectly.
I made these a day ago and they were really tasty! Even my fiancé loved them and he doesn’t eat much sweets. The only think is next time I will cook them longer. I cooked for 40 min. and it still was too gooey in the middle. Also the top didn’t “crack” as pictured. Either that or I would bake in a longer pan at 20-25 min. Thank you for the recipe!
These really are the best recipe I have found. So easy. And so precise on the time. I made Brooke’s with them. Peanutbutter ones. And because these are so fudgy, they kind of tasted like a peanutbutter cup. Love this recipe.
I absolutely hate the taste of boxed brownie mix. Homemade is so much better!!!
I followed the recipe exactly and did not care for this recipe. It tasted quite chalky and I think it was rather a waste of good ingredients. Sorry.
These are perfection….! So easy and can’t wait to add stuff to them.!
I tried these in a mini muffin tin. Done in about 18 minutes. They have a cake-like texture in the middle and edges a bit crispy. I love the flavor. Any ideas to make them somewhat chewy? 🙂
Hmmm, not really sure, maybe add another egg yolk?
These are the best brownies ever!! They beat the box brownies any day. I’ve made them so many times.
Thanks Mel!
Omg, these brownies were amazing. Fantastic. I made them for my boyfriend but ate the whole batch before he got home so i had to make a new batch. Thanks for the recipe! super fantastic
I have used your recipe a few times, and LOVED it; it’s perfect. Then I lost it. I have been looking for months, trying to find it again, I couldn’t remember what it was called or where I found it. I’m so excited that I found it again today! Can’t wait to make these for my boyfriend. He’s never had brownies from scratch. I hate all the extra crap that’s in pre-boxed foods. 😀 And I LOVE that this uses so much cocoa powder!
Made these and I love the flavor. I think that rich dark chocolate is the best. I used dutch processed cocoa powder. I also used KAF whole wheat flour, which I think made the texture a bit grainy. I didn’t mind it though. The only other thing I didn’t follow the instructions on were stirring for 40 strokes. So maybe it was that. The flavor though is exactly what I want and I will make them again.