Hershey's Best Brownies
Hershey's Best Brownies are versatile, perfect for eating warm or as part of a sundae, and they're a great canvas for mix-ins! A classic, delicious and dependable cocoa-based brownie, tender, moist, and chocolatey. A 1-bowl recipe with just 8 ingredients!
Servings: 24
Calories: 170kcal
Ingredients
- 16 tablespoons unsalted butter (227 grams/2 sticks)
- 2 cups sugar (400 grams)
- 2 teaspoon vanilla (10 grams)
- 4 eggs
- 1 cup all-purpose flour (120 grams)
- ¾ cup cocoa powder (60 grams)
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon table salt
Instructions
- Line a 9x13-inch baking pan with parchment, or grease very well. Set aside. Preheat your oven to 350F.
- Melt butter. Stir in sugar and vanilla extract, and stir until well combined. Check to be sure your bowl isn't too hot, or it will cook the eggs as you add them.
- Use a whisk to add the eggs one at a time, mixing until just combined. Be sure there's no streaks of egg in the mixture, but don't overmix or you'll have cakey brownies.
- Add flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, and salt. Use a rubber spatula to fold the dry ingredients in. Mix only until just combined, but do break up lumps if you find them.
- Scrape the batter into the prepared pan, breaking up any lumps you may find as you pour.
- Bake at 350F for 27-35 minutes. Check early if your oven runs hot. Brownies are best when they're underdone.
- Insert a toothpick into the center; it should have moist crumbs clinging to it. If it has batter, bake another minute or two, then check again. Brownies will no longer look wet on top, and they'll begin to pull away from the sides of pan.
- Cool brownies at least 1 hour before cutting into them to eat them out of the pan; they will still be very fragile at that point. Wait at least 2 hours before removing them from the pan.
- Store brownies, covered, at room temperature. They'll be optimal for about 4 days, and still tasty enough for up to 7.
Notes
These brownies are a great canvas for toppings and add-ins! Our favorite is to add M&Ms to them, but we've also sprinkled in peanut butter chips or topped them with brittle before baking.
These brownies should be tender and moist, not cakey, so do not beat air into the eggs, and do not overmix after adding flour.
Since these brownies don't rely on gluten development, I believe they're a good candidate for turning gluten-free; use a cup-for-cup gluten-free flour blend with xanthan gum.
Make these brownies dairy-free by substituting vegetable oil for the melted butter; simply mix all the wet ingredients together. Brownies made with oil will be more dense.
I cannot recommend any substitutions for the eggs in these brownies.
Omit the salt if using salted butter or margarine.
Calorie count calculated in MyNetDiary and is an estimate only.
Recipe adapted from a canister of Hershey's cocoa powder. I was not reimbursed for this recipe.
Written in 2010, revised in 2018, and rewritten and clarified in 2025.
Nutrition
Calories: 170kcal
