The Best Chewy Brownies
Like many other baking enthusiasts, I never stop trying recipes, even if I already have a favorite. I love chewy brownies. And I love box mix brownies. But I wanted to find something that I could call “THE BETTER THAN A BOX MIX” brownie, with easy ingredients that I probably have stashed in my pantry in case the desire for a brownie hits me at 9 pm on a Thursday night. (Not saying that happens….just maybe).
And yes, I already have a recipe for wonderful chocolate chip brownies on this blog. I still love those brownies. But one can never have too many fantastic recipes. Especially when it comes to brownies.
For this recipe, I wanted a good plain brownie. And by plain, I don’t mean lacking flavor! I just mean no extras- like chocolate chips, or pecans, or icing. Just a simple chewy brownie. You, however, or more than welcome to throw some of those ingredients in if you wish! But for me, I just wanted classic brownie flavor.
Y’all. These brownies are everything. Just look at those shiny, perfectly crackly brownie tops. The edges just a smidge chewier than the insides, and smooth chocolate sweetness in every bite. Heaven!
They were devoured by my family so fast! Safe to say, it’s a new favorite.
Chewy Brownies (Better than Box Mix!)
Ingredients
- 1/3 cup (28 grams) unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1/2 cup + 2 tablespoons (148 ml) boiling water
- 1/3 cup (2 ounces) semi-sweet chocolate chips*
- 4 tablespoons (57 grams) salted butter, melted*
- 1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons (140 grams) vegetable oil (I use corn oil)
- 2 eggs
- 2 egg yolks
- 1 tsp vanilla bean paste or 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 2 1/2 cups (496 grams) granulated sugar
- 1 3/4 cups (248 grams) bread flour (or all purpose*)
- 1 teaspoon salt
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- Prepare a 9 x 13 baking dish with parchment paper & spray with nonstick baking spray. Leave an over hang for easy removal.
- In a small microwave safe bowl, melt the butter for 30 seconds then stir until all butter is melted. Set aside.
- In a large microwave safe bowl, heat the water in the microwave until boiling, around 3 minutes.
- Remove the bowl from the microwave and whisk in the cocoa powder until smooth. Stir in the chocolate chips and whisk until all are completely melted and mixture is smooth. Whisk in the butter & oil and continue stirring until smooth. (Notice a pattern here?) Add in the eggs, yolks and vanilla and whisk until (you guessed it….smooth.) Add in the sugar-you know the rest. Add the flour and salt and with a rubber spatula, fold in until fully incorporated. You don’t want to beat this in-but there also should be no lumps remaining.
- Spread into your prepared pan and bake for 30-40 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out with just a few moist crumbs attached. If the toothpick comes out with wet brownie mix, give it 3-5 minutes more and check again.
- Once brownies are done, let them cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then remove to cool completely on a wire rack.
Notes
*For the chocolate chips-unsweetened chocolate can also be used here if you prefer. I like the added sweetness the chocolate chips provide. If you’re using unsweetened chocolate, chop the pieces into tiny slivers before adding to the water & cocoa mixture for easier melting.
*All purpose flour can be used instead of bread flour, but for the chewiest brownie, bread flour is a must! The higher protein bread flour allows for a chewy texture in baked goods.
Go enjoy your brownies!
Hi Katie, if ever I’ll use bread flour in making brownies, do I need to fold the flour with the wet mixture gently and for a few times only or for several minutes? I’m just confuse since I’ve read from other articles that we have to mix it with the batter for a longer time to develop gluten strands to make it chewy? I don’t want a brownie that’s giving me too much “melt in your mouth” feeling like a pure fudge brownie. Instead, I want something that feels “elastic” and “sticky” but not too soft nor hard. I want it in between fudgy and cakey. Sorry if my description is a bit vague. Thank you.
Hi! I just want to let you know that I made this, and it’s one of the best brownies I’ve tried! The top is crispy, and I would say that the rest is moist, chewy, fudgy and a little bit cakey at the same time! To me it is the perfect texture.
L9ve this recipe made it 3 times already in the past 2 weeks
I made these on Saturday, and they’re already gone. These are the best brownies that I’ve ever had in my entire life. Crispy on the top, gooey and rich in the center. I added extra chocolate chips to the batter. Heavenly!
Could warm buttermilk be added instead of water?
I’ve never used buttermilk in this recipe, but you could give it a try!
Totally amazing recipe. For years I’ve tried to find a good brownie recipe, and this is it! Thank you!
So happy to hear that you enjoyed the recipe!
The absolute best chewy chocolate brownie out there!!!
I’m a big fan of bread flour and when I read your recipe and saw the ingredient bread flour I was ready to bake!
Yummy
Your recipe Katie is tops!
Thank you 🙂
Just wanted to say that this recipe is great! I had purchased wayyyy too much bread flour recently and wanted to get rid of some extra cheesecake batter I’d made when I came across your recipe. I made “cheesecake” brownies with your recipe and they were fantastic, had my family asking me to make them again the next week LOL. I mistakenly used whole eggs the first time instead of eggs *and* egg yolks but they still have a great texture. Definitely one of my favorite recipes I’ve come across. Thanks Katie!
I’m so glad you enjoyed the recipe! The cheesecake addition sounds awesome!