Fresh homemade brownies from scratch are delicious and decadent and they are easier to make than you might think! Unsweetened chocolate and a few basic pantry ingredients are all you need.
Is there anything better than warm, chocolatey brownies fresh from the oven? Sure, you can make them with a boxed mix from the grocery store, but if you haven’t learned how to make brownies from scratch, you really are missing out.
Why You’ll Love Homemade Brownies From Scratch
To Die For Texture – When you make brownies from scratch they are perfectly moist and fudgy in the middle with crispy edges that are just right.
Minimal Ingredients – It really doesn’t take much to make homemade brownies. Chocolate, butter, sugar, flour, eggs, salt, and vanilla extract are all you need.
Easy To Make – It takes about the same amount of time to make brownies from scratch as it does to make a boxed mix. Melt the chocolate, add the ingredients to a bowl and mix together, pour it into a dish, and bake.
Rich, Chocolatey Flavor – We use unsweetened chocolate so that they aren’t overly sweet, but they still have that rich, luscious chocolate flavor you look for in a good brownie.
Customizable – You can make this recipe your own, and change it up every time by adding your favorite mix-ins. Chocolate (or white chocolate) chips, chopped pecans or walnuts, a spoonful of coffee or espresso powder, dulce de leche, bananas, peanut butter, and marshmallows are all amazing additions that will take your brownies to the next level.
Brownies From Scratch Ingredients Notes
- Butter: Boxed mixes usually call for vegetable oil, but these homemade brownies from scratch are made with real butter resulting in a softer, fudgier texture.
- Unsweetened chocolate: We use unsweetened chocolate instead of cocoa powder to get a brownie that is moist and chewy, but a bit less dense without sacrificing the chocolate flavor.
- Vanilla: Vanilla extract enhances the other flavors in the brownies. It’s not required, but you might miss it if you leave it out.
- Sugar, Flour, Salt, and Eggs: All staples in homemade brownies from scratch! We use three eggs to ensure ours are moist!
Refer to the recipe card below for a complete ingredients list with precise measurements.
How To Make Brownies From Scratch
- Melt the butter & chocolate: Using a large microwaveable bowl, melt the chocolate and butter in the microwave, stirring between intervals until mostly melted then whisk until smooth. Allow the mixture to cool a bit so that the hot butter and chocolate don’t cook the eggs.
- Whisk in the ingredients: Add the rest of the ingredients to the bowl, starting with the sugar, eggs, salt, and vanilla. Cream together, then stir in flour until well incorporated.
- Bake: Pour into a greased baking dish, bake, cool, and serve!
Variations, Substitutions, & Cooking Tips
Add mix-ins – Stir in nuts, marshmallows, dulce de leche, bananas, peanut butter, chocolate or white chocolate chips, freeze dried fruit, butterscotch, Kahlua, candied ginger or orange peel, M&Ms, or pretzels.
Just add Coffee – Many consider coffee or espresso powder to be the secret ingredient to making brownies and creating an ultra-chocolatey flavor. A half teaspoon to teaspoon of instant coffee or espresso powder should work and don’t worry you won’t actually taste the coffee. For brownie recipes that call for water, you can substitute with cold coffee.
Go minty – A quarter teaspoon of mint, spearmint or peppermint extract should flavor any brownies just right.
Frost them – Add a layer of fresh homemade frosting, drizzle them with caramel sauce, or dust the tops with powdered sugar.
Prep the pan – Before adding your brownie batter, you can lightly spray the baking dish with nonstick cooking spray to prevent sticking, or line the dish with parchment paper or foil.
Bake in the middle – Use the middle rack or position in your oven for the most even bake on your brownies.
Go Metal – Use a metal baking pan for crispier edges.
Beat the eggs first! – Beat your eggs before adding them to the rest of the batter to get crackly tops, and don’t overmix once the ingredients are blended.
Storage – Keep your brownies on the counter in an airtight container for up to 4 days.
How to Make Brownies from Scratch
Fresh homemade brownies from scratch are delicious and decadent and they are easier to make than you might think! Unsweetened chocolate and a few basic pantry ingredients are all you need.
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups butter
- 4 ounces unsweetened chocolate
- 1 1/4 cup sugar
- 3 eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup flour
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 325F.
- In a large microwaveable mixing bowl, melt butter and chocolate in microwave for one minute. Stir well, continuing to microwave in 15 second increments until mixture is mostly melted with a few small chocolate pieces remaining. Whisk vigorously until remaining chocolate melts and mixture is smooth.
- Add sugar, eggs, vanilla and salt, whisking vigorously until smooth. Add flour and continue whisking until well-incorporated.
- Pour mixture into a greased 8x8 pan. Bake for 40 minutes or until just baked through. Allow to cool, then cut into squares and serve.
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