Chocolate Fudge Brownies Recipe

Dessert is a big part of every meal. I like to bake a quick batch of easy brownies whenever I have company or if I just want to treat my family.

These brownies are chocolatey, gooey, and exactly what you look for in a homemade brownie recipe. With only a few simple ingredients you likely have in your refrigerator and pantry, you can have a pan of fresh chocolate brownies in just 30 minutes. 

Ingredients

½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter

1 and ¼ cup sugar

2 eggs

¼ cup vegetable oil

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

½ cup all purpose flour

½ cup unsweetened cocoa powder

¾ teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon kosher salt*

*Kosher salt is less fine than regular table salt. If you’re using a fine mesh strainer to sift, the flakes will not go through the mesh. I add it separately from the flour and cocoa powder before stirring the batter.

How to Make Homemade Brownies Fudgy

To make a brownie fudgy, it’s all about the amount and type of fat used.

I’ve noticed some brownie recipes (usually of the boxed variety) say that you can make a brownie cakier or fudgier by the amount of eggs used in the recipe. 

For these homemade brownies, fat is the ingredient that can change the density of the brownies. In this recipe, I use melted butter and vegetable oil. 

I use both because butter alone can actually make the brownies fluffier in the oven. Using oil along with the butter makes a dense, gooey brownie, which is exactly what I’m going for. 

Instructions

There are only four quick steps to this delicious, easy brownie recipe.  

I recommend getting all your ingredients prepared and measured out before you start. The quicker you mix and bake, the quicker you can enjoy!

1. Preheat the Oven and Combine Wet Ingredients

Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C) and grease an 8×8 baking dish thoroughly.

Melt butter in a large, microwave-safe bowl. Add sugar and stir to make sure the butter is not too hot for the eggs.

Crack the eggs and add in one at a time, whisking to combine. Next, add the vegetable oil vanilla extract and using a hand mixer on the low speed setting, mix for a full 60-seconds. 

Set aside.

2. Add the Dry Ingredients

Into a sifter or fine mesh strainer, add the flour and cocoa powder. Sift these into the bowl with your wet ingredients. Next add in your kosher salt directly to the batter.

3. Gently Mix Ingredients 

Using a whisk, gently stir all of the ingredients together until combined. This is the step where you do not want to overmix your batter. You want the egg mixture to stay fluffy and just incorporate the dry ingredients. 

4. Pour Batter and Bake

Pour your batter into the prepared baking dish and bake at 350°F (175°C) for 20 to 25 minutes. 

Check the brownies’ doneness by poking a toothpick into the center. Bake them until the toothpick slides out clean and there is no batter sticking to it. 

Let the brownies cool.

Cookware Used

These are a couple pieces of cookware that I find make this recipe a little easier.

Fine Mesh Strainer or Sifter: I’ve been trying to get better about sifting my dry ingredients when baking. It removes any lumps, but also does much of the mixing for you. 

A mesh strainer is my tool of choice. It’s easiest to clean because they’re normally dishwasher safe.

8×8 Baking Dish: You can use a glass dish or an enamel-coated dish for these brownies. I have not found much of a cooking time difference by using either of these pans. 

I prefer to use my Le Creuset stoneware dish because I find that the brownies stick less.

Hand Mixer: As mentioned above, I use a hand mixer for the wet ingredients to give a nice crackly top. 

I don’t recommend using the mixer on the brownie batter once you add the dry ingredients, but to aerate the wet ingredients, it works much better than a whisk. 

Chocolate Fudge Brownie Tips

• Add less sugar if you like a sweeter brownie, dropping down to 1 cup of sugar will not affect the baking.
• Really try to avoid over mixing the batter after adding the dry ingredients. Never use an electric mixer and only stir for as long as it takes to combine all the dry ingredients. Overmixing will ruin the fudgy texture you’ve worked so hard for!
• If you’re a dark chocolate lover, use dark chocolate cocoa powder for a rich, dark flavor.
• Don’t over bake the brownies. Bake them for 20 minutes first then check, only adding time if needed. If you know your oven runs hot, try 15 minutes to start.
• Since you’re melting your butter in the microwave, always add the sugar to the melted butter first and whisk before adding the eggs. This helps avoid cooking and scrambling the eggs in too-hot butter.
• Cool completely before cutting. I know this is the worst tip ever, but trust me, they have to be cool to cut properly and come cleanly out of the pan.

Vegetable Oil vs. Olive Oil

You absolutely can use olive oil in this recipe, but remember that olive oil has more flavor than neutral-tasting vegetable oil. In this recipe I used vegetable oil for wider appeal.

Yet I actually prefer to use extra virgin olive oil in my brownies. 

Tips For a Flaky Brownie Top

This is a big question for homemade brownies. It has taken me some trial and error to figure out the best way to make this happen, and I’m happy to share what I’ve learned with you!

We’ve always been taught not to over mix our brownie batter. But mixing the wet ingredients really well, specifically the butter and eggs, will give you a crackly top and fudgy center.

I use a hand mixer for a full minute once I add the eggs to the butter, sugar, oil and vanilla. See the difference between using a hand mixer and whisking it for the same amount of time.

A hand mixer gives you a much fluffier texture and lighter color, which is what you want for this recipe. Keep reading for the rest of the steps to make this chocolate fudge brownies recipe.

Now, It’s Your Turn!

Making homemade chocolate fudge brownies can be daunting compared to just pouring things out of a box, but I promise they are worth it. 

There are not many ingredients, they are affordable, and you’ll receive compliments for making something so delicious from scratch!

Feel free to adjust the sugar and fat measurements to your liking. More sugar for a sweeter brownie, less fat for a cakier brownie. I hope you enjoy these as much as we do.

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