Fudge Brownies

Fudge brownies are my newest favorite brownies. They hit all the right notes. They're thick and dense, rich and very chocolatey. Fudgy but a little cakey. Full of chocolate chips.

I first wrote about this recipe three years ago, but even better - I've streamlined the recipe to make it a one-bowl recipe. Easier clean-up is always a win in my book!

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Since I was 10 years old, my go-to brownie recipe has always been Hershey's Best Brownies. They're easy to make, and delicious. But as I've matured, so have my tastes. I still like making my childhood favorite (particularly when I add M&Ms to the top of it), but when I want a brownie nowadays, I want something really rich and decadent. When I first came across the King Arthur Flour Fudge Brownies recipe, I knew it was what I needed to try.

Although I loved the new recipe, my issue with it was that it used a big mixing bowl or a pot to melt together butter and sugar, and an electric mixer or stand mixer to mix together eggs and cocoa powder. It was definitely more work than the Hershey's Best Brownies, or even rich Best Cocoa Brownies. And more clean-up.

With a little reorganization of ingredients and careful mixing, though, it was easy to transform these into one-bowl brownies!

Brownie Ingredients and Tips

What makes these moist and fudgy brownies special? Chocolate chips that partially melt in warm batter, plus a high proportion of cocoa powder to flour - much more than with Hershey's Best Brownies. This made them much better, and more grown-up.

The chocolate in the brownies helps keep them incredibly moist. You don't have to chill your chocolate chips very long before adding them to the batter. I stuck mine in the fridge when I started making the brownies, so they were chilled no more than 15 minutes.

Heating the butter to melt the sugar into it, and stirring the sugar in it to help it dissolve, helps create a shiny, crackly crust for the brownies. I do this in a 8 cup glass measuring cup (affiliate link) in the microwave.

Adding cocoa powder to the warm butter and sugar helps cool it down, but still, be careful when you add eggs. I haven't had an issue, but if your mixture is too warm, your eggs may cook as you whisk them in.

Once you add the flour, fold the batter gently and do not overmix. You don't want to work much more air into the batter, and you don't want to develop gluten.

Brownies are done when a toothpick inserted into the center of the brownies comes out with crumbs on it. It shouldn't be covered with batter, and it shouldn't be clean. You want lots of moist, sticky crumbs on the toothpick. If your oven runs hot, start checking your brownies at 25 minutes of baking time.

Does It Matter What Kind of Cocoa and Chocolate Chips I Use in Brownies?

Yes and no. I've used both Hershey's cocoa powder (affiliate link) and Saco cocoa powder (affiliate link) (pretty inexpensive) in brownies, with delicious results. I honestly don't pay attention to Dutched versus natural cocoa.

I like any store-brand chocolate chips that is real chocolate (and am interestingly not a fan of Nestle's, which I find to be not rich enough, or too sweet). I often buy whatever is cheapest, but I am also partial to Ghirardelli chocolate chips (affiliate link) whenever I can use them, including in this recipe. I buy them in a big bag at a club store so they're not much more expensive than the store-brand.

In any case, as long as it's actual chocolate (and not just chocolate-flavored), use whatever you'd like!

Love brownies? This is a fantastic recipe, but you may also like Hershey's Best Brownies (best for crowds and kids), Alton Brown's Plain Ol' Brownies (thick and cakey, best with a little frosting), and Best Cocoa Brownies (incredibly rich and dense, but made in a small pan). You'll also love these one-bowl Double Chocolate Cookies with Caramel Chips.

Like this recipe? Rate it and leave a comment below!

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Fudge Brownies

This delicious recipe for fudge brownies is rich and chocolatey. Chilled chocolate chips added to the batter mean you have melty chocolate chips in each bite.

Prep Time25 minutes mins

Cook Time30 minutes mins

Total Time55 minutes mins

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Keyword: brownies, easy brownies, fudge brownies, fudgy brownies, rich brownies

Servings: 24

Calories: 252kcal

Author: Leona Konkel

Ingredients

• 16 tablespoons butter (227 grams/2 sticks)
• 2 ¼ cups sugar (440 grams) (*typo corrected 4/28/19)
• 1 teaspoon vanilla (5 grams)
• 1 ¼ cup cocoa powder (100 grams)
• 4 eggs
• 1 ½ cups flour (180 grams)
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon table salt
• 2 cups chocolate chips (340 grams/12 ounces; I recommend using chilled chocolate chips so they don't all melt)

Instructions

• Melt butter with sugar in the microwave or on the stove: In the microwave, heat butter on high for 1 minute or until the butter melts. Add sugar and stir to combine, then microwave for another 1-2 minutes, stopping it if it starts to bubble. Stir to help dissolve the sugar. (On the stove, heat and stir until the sugar dissolves.)
• Remove butter and sugar from heat. If your mixture and bowl are very hot, wait a few minutes to let cool (so that you don't cook the eggs as you add them). Use a whisk to mix in cocoa powder and vanilla, stirring until combined. Add eggs one at a time, mixing each one in completely. 
  
• Use a rubber spatula to fold in flour, baking powder, and salt. Mix gently until flour is entirely mixed in. Stir in chocolate chips. (Room temperature chocolate chips will melt and help the brownies stay fudgy. Cold chocolate chips will partially melt so the brownies will be fudgy, but you'll also have chocolate chips in them. Cool the batter for 20 minutes, to about room temperature, before adding chocolate chips if you don't want them to melt at all.)
• Scrape batter into a greased 9x13 inch pan. Bake for about 30-35 minutes at 350F. (Start checking at 25 minutes if the butter and sugar bubbled or if you're concerned that you overmixed.) A toothpick inserted into the brownies will come out with moist crumbs, but not batter. (If you hit a chocolate chip, test a different area.) I baked a metal pan for 32 minutes, and a glass pan for 36 minutes. Wait as long as you can before cutting and eating warm brownies. An hour is usually all I last.

Notes

Using chilled chocolate chips means that the chocolate only partially melts into the brownies, providing fudginess in the brownies while also giving delicious bites of chocolate chips.

Heating butter to melt sugar into it, and stirring the sugar to help it dissolve, helps create a shiny, crackly crust for the brownies. If your sugar bubbles, however, you will lose moisture and your brownies may be a little drier and cakier; begin checking your brownies for doneness sooner.

Adding cocoa powder to the warm butter/sugar helps cool it, but still, be careful when adding eggs. If your mixture is too warm, your eggs may cook as you whisk them in. 

After adding flour, fold the batter gently and do not overmix. You don't want to work much more air into the batter, and you don't want to develop gluten. 

Brownies are done when a toothpick inserted into the center of the brownies comes out with crumbs on it. It shouldn't be covered with batter, and it shouldn't be clean. You want lots of moist, sticky crumbs on the toothpick. If your oven runs hot, or if your butter/sugar bubbled, or if you're worried you overmixed the batter, start checking your brownies at 25 minutes of baking time.

Adapted from King Arthur Flour

(Originally published August 23, 2015. Updated in July 2018 with pictures, text, and recipe.)