Homemade Brownies

Name: Thick Chewy Brownies
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 31 min
Total time: 41 min
Cuisine: American
Ingredients: 2oz (1/4 Cup) Water; 1oz (2 Tbsp) Unsalted Butter; 250 Grams(1 1/4 cups) Granulated Sugar; 90 Grams (Scant Cup) Bensdorp Dutch Cocoa Powder; 3oz (scant 1/3 cup) Vegetable Oil; 1 Tablespoon Pure Vanilla Extract; 1 Large Egg Yolk and 1 Large Egg, at room temp.; 1/8 Teaspoon Baking Soda; 1/2 Teaspoon Salt; 1 Tablespoon Cornstarch/ Cornflour; 60 Grams (scant 1/2 cup) All-Purpose/ Plain Flour; 4oz Chocolate (chips, chunks, or bars chopped)

By Elizabeth Waterson // May 22, 2018 (Updated Oct 5, 2024) // 48 Comments

Jump to Recipe· 4.9 from 16 reviews

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Thicky, Chewy, Chocolatey with a Crinkly & Shiny Top, these cocoa powder brownies encompass everything you want in a brownie. Easily made ahead and doubled to serve a crowd, these thick and chewy brownies are perfect I even served them at my sister's wedding at The Ritz Carlton! This easy homemade brownie recipe for thick and chewy brownies will be your new go-to! Made in only one dish, fewer dishes the better!

close up of thick and chewy brownie on a wire rack on a white surface

Living in America brownies are kind of a staple. You know cookies and brownies, you can't live without them, and for good reason. I tend to make a lot of them- as they are easy, convenient, and can sit at room temperature- for all the parties I bake for. Brownies come in so many shapes and forms. Some like them cakey or fudgy, chunks or no chunks (you can make this recipe either way, score!), plain ol' chocolate or add in's, some like them chilled or warm, chewy, dense, crinkly top or not... the list goes on.

I love them thick, chewy, with a crinkly top and full of chunks. I wanted a moist, dense, almost gooey like brownie, nothing resembling cake. If I wanted cake I'd make my Salted Caramel Chocolate Cake. Back to the brownies, in order to make them rich, I wanted to use butter, but all butter lead to a drier brownie, so just as I do when making a yellow cake I did a mixture of butter for richness and vegetable oil for moisture.

Check out this recipe for brownie bites next or my blonde brownies!

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How do I get the shiny and crackly top on my brownies
How Do I Make Homemade Brownies
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Recipe Ratings & Comments

thick and chewy brownies baked and stacked on top of each other broken apart showing melted chocolate on a white marble background

There is a lot of granulated sugar in this recipe but you need it not only for the sweetness but also for the structure of the brownie. When I tried using less the brownies were not as good.

Also, make sure you use a good dutch cocoa powder. I currently use Bensdorp Dutch Cocoa Powder. Other brands I love are Guittard Dutch Cocoa Powder and Valrhona Cocoa Powder.

So without further ado, I bring you my recipe for chewy and thick brownies made with cocoa powder.

Baking is a science and to really achieve the best results I highly recommend investing in a kitchen scale. This OXO Kitchen Scale is the one I use and is also the number one recommended kitchen scale by Cook's Illustrated. Think about it -what one person scoops into a "cup" is completely different from what someone else scoops!

thick and chewy brownies baked and stacked on top of each other on a wire rack showing melted chocolate on a white marble background

How do I get the shiny and crackly top on my brownies

Cooking the sugar with the butter so that the sugar disintegrates is important. And also, stirring in some chocolate chips/chunks at the end. You end up with a gorgeous crinkly shiny crust and you find swirls and chunks of chocolate inside the brownies. The more you mix the chocolate chunks in the warm brownie batter the more will be melted and not left chunky. If you want chocolate chunk filled brownies with lots of chunks I add some chunks once the batter is poured into the prepared pan and just poke them down a bit into the brownie batter.

Most importantly when making the brownies do not over mix. I believe one of the branded brownie box mixes actually tells you the number of times you should mix the batter! Over mixing ruins brownies!

baked thick and chewy brownie on a white marble surface

Also, don't overbake the brownies. You want a toothpick in the center to come out with moist crumbs, not completely dry. If for some reason you accidentally over bake them then take the pan out, let sit on a wire rack for 5 minutes then using the foil lift the brownies out of the pan and place them on a wire rack and turn the fan on in the room. I also do this if I am in a hurry to eat the brownies, which let's be honest I always am.

How Do I Make Homemade Brownies

The beauty of these brownies is you make them all in the same pot. Fewer dishes = happy Elizabeth! There is no need for special baking chocolate or melted chocolate, just cocoa powder brownies. You start with a large heavy bottom pot, add the sugar, butter, water and cocoa powder. Cook over medium heat until the butter is melted and the sugar has melted. The mixture will look thick and not totally combined.

brownie batter start ingredients in a silver pan before cooking on a light white/ grey surface with a colorful multi colored linen

brownie batter mixed in a silver heavy pan with a white and red spatula on a light white/ grey surface with a colorful multi colored linen

Take the pan off the heat and let sit for 5 minutes.

Add the oil, I like using both butter and oil, as the butter gives flavor, the oil provides better moisture and chewiness! Then add the egg and egg yolk, an extra yolk adds chewiness.

brownie batter in a silver pan with vegetable oil being added with a spatula on a light white/ grey surface with a colorful multi colored linen

brownie batter in a silver pan with eggs being added with a wire whisk on a light white/ grey surface with a colorful multi colored linen

Splash in the vanilla extract, pour in baking soda, salt, and cornstarch.

thick and dark brownie batter being mixed with a whisk on a light white/ grey surface with a colorful multi colored linen

baking soda, cornstarch and salt being added to brownie batter with a whisk on a light white/ grey surface with a colorful multi colored linen

flour added to brownie batter with a spatula on a light white/ grey surface with a colorful multi colored linen

Once fully combined add the flour and gently fold until no white streaks remain. Do not over mix. At this point add a handful of chocolate chips/ chunks.

Pour into prepared pan and let bake for 25-35 minutes. Everyone's oven is different, for me, the brownies always bake within 29-31 minutes, but I would start checking at 25 minutes for your oven. Do not overbake the brownies. You want a toothpick in the center to come out with moist crumbs, not completely dry.

brownie batter with chocolate chunks being added in with a spatula on a light white/ grey surface with a colorful multi colored linen

thick and chewy brownie recipe poured into prepared foil lined pan ready to bake on a light white/ grey surface with a colorful multi colored linen

Get wild with this thick and chewy brownies recipe, add in chunks of Reeses Peanut Butter Cups or even Rolo's!

thick and chewy brownies on a silver wire rack on top of a white marble background

If you want these thick and chewy brownies to be chunk/chip-less then add smaller pieces and add them right away, so that all of the chocolate melts. If you want chunks/ chips in your brownies then when you add them to the mixture let the mixture cool for 5 minutes and use bigger chunks.

Some days I make brownies for myself- I like chunks of milk chocolate, so I add big chunks like the photo shows. Other days I bake brownies for my sister who likes no chunks, so I use chocolate chips and mix them well, even putting the pot back over low heat for a minute or two, to ensure the chocolate has melted.

baked brownies cooling on a wire rack with one brownie stood up on its side showing thickness and melty chocolate

baked brownies cooling on a wire rack with one brownie stood up on its side showing thickness

I have tested this thick and chewy brownies recipe at least 20 times in the last 6 months. I wanted it to be just right and now I can say I really do believe this is the best homemade brownie recipe ever. Like many dessert recipes, I do love a bit of fleur de sel sprinkled on top. You can make them GF too by making my almond flour brownies.

If you want a really over the top brownie you could try frosting these brownies with some of my rich thick chocolate frosting or creamy peanut butter frosting on top!

Craving some more classic dessert recipes?

Try my Brown Butter Rice Krispies, How to Make Chocolate Chip Banana Breador my Ultimate Chocolate Chunk Cookies. And don't forget Cosmic Brownies.

★★★★★ Please let me know if you make this recipe by leaving a star rating and comment below!

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