Best Chocolate Chip Brownies Recipe From Scratch

Best Chocolate Chip Brownies Recipe From Scratch

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Why are boxed mix brownies SO. FREAKING. GOOD? The fudgy, rich texture, deep chocolate flavor and crackly top you get with brownies baked from a box of brownie mix is what I crave every time I make brownies from scratch. And to be totally honest, I’m usually disappointed. Why does it seem impossible to achieve this with homemade brownies? Shouldn’t homemade always be better?

I’m not exaggerating when I say I’ve spent YEARS searching for a recipe. Tweaking various ingredients & techniques only to scrap it all and start over at square one. Again. And again. I’ve been on a quest to find a brownie recipe that can hold a candle to boxed mix. (Why does that sound so weird to say?)

 

But you guys… we finally did it. When I say these brownies are the ONLY recipe you’ll ever need, I am being serious. So serious. Trust me, I never joke about chocolate.

 

These brownies are so fudgy. I’m talking insanely fudgy. They have that signature boxed mix crackly top. Tons of chocolate chips make them even fudgier and give some extra chocolate surprises in every bite. A little bit of instant espresso is barely detectable but deepens the chocolate flavor. You can leave out the espresso powder if you’re not a big coffee lover. But I promise it only adds to the extreme chocolaty-ness (is that a word?).

They are easy to make, the measurements are basic and they come together in less than 10 minutes. Even though they do admittedly contain sugar, butter and white flour (gasp!), at least you can pronounce all the ingredients, amirite?

Warning: If you keep these on hand you may sneak bites every time you walk by, and before you know it, you’ve eaten a whole pan of brownies in 1 day. This is a real danger.

Recipe below followed by a few of our favorite flavor variations.


AuthorLiz A.DifficultyBeginner

Learn how to make fudgy, decadent, chocolate, homemade brownies from scratch. Better than box mix with all the cocoa, butter, coconut oil, vanilla & coffee. Makes 12 generous or 16 small brownies.

brownie recipe

Yields12 Servings

Insanely Tasty Ingredients
 1 cup butter, melted
 2 tbsp coconut oil
 2 cups granulated sugar
 1 tbsp vanilla extract
 1 tbsp instant decaf coffee or decaf espresso powder
 4 eggs
 1 cup all-purpose flour
 1 cup cocoa powder
 1 tsp salt
 2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips

Directions & Such
1

Preheat the oven to 350ºF.

2

Grease a 9x13 metal baking pan and set aside.

3

Melt butter, let cool to room temp. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment or with an electric mixer, cream together melted and cooled butter with coconut oil and sugar.

4

Beat in vanilla and instant espresso powder. With the mixer running, add the eggs, one at a time.

5

Once the eggs are added, beat really well with the mixer at medium-high speed for at least a full minute (the batter should be a pale yellow color). Incorporating all this together is key to achieving the crackly top we talked about.

6

Add flour, cocoa powder and salt and mix until just combined, scraping down the bowl as you go.

7

Stir in the choc chips. Mix until just barely combined – don't over mix.

8

Pour into the greased 9x13 metal pan. Bake at 350ºF until the middle is just set, 22-28 minutes. My oven takes exactly 25 min. Let cool and slice.

9

Serve brownies as-is or with a scoop of your favorite ice cream. Try a few of our favorite variations if you’re looking to add a little spice to your brownie game.

10

A few of my favorite variations:

Mint-chocolate chip.
Omit the vanilla and instead add 1 tsp peppermint extract. Replace half of the chocolate chips with andes mint baking chips.

Caramel sea salt.
Remove brownies when they have about 5-10 minutes left to bake. Unwrap 25-35 caramels and dot them on top of the brownies. Return to the oven. When the brownies are cooked and the caramel is melty, remove from the oven and sprinkle the top with large flaky sea salt.

Dark chocolate peanut butter.
Replace half the cocoa powder with dark cocoa powder. Spread peanut butter on top of each slice before serving. Bonus: if the brownies are fresh out of the oven and still warm, the peanut butter will get all melty and gooey and delicious.

Mexican mocha.
Add an additional tablespoon of the instant espresso powder along with 2 tsp cinnamon and ¼-½ tsp cayenne pepper depending on your spice tolerance. Replace half of the chocolate chips with chopped walnuts.

Ingredients

Insanely Tasty Ingredients
 1 cup butter, melted
 2 tbsp coconut oil
 2 cups granulated sugar
 1 tbsp vanilla extract
 1 tbsp instant decaf coffee or decaf espresso powder
 4 eggs
 1 cup all-purpose flour
 1 cup cocoa powder
 1 tsp salt
 2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips

Directions

Directions & Such
1

Preheat the oven to 350ºF.

2

Grease a 9x13 metal baking pan and set aside.

3

Melt butter, let cool to room temp. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment or with an electric mixer, cream together melted and cooled butter with coconut oil and sugar.

4

Beat in vanilla and instant espresso powder. With the mixer running, add the eggs, one at a time.

5

Once the eggs are added, beat really well with the mixer at medium-high speed for at least a full minute (the batter should be a pale yellow color). Incorporating all this together is key to achieving the crackly top we talked about.

6

Add flour, cocoa powder and salt and mix until just combined, scraping down the bowl as you go.

7

Stir in the choc chips. Mix until just barely combined – don't over mix.

8

Pour into the greased 9x13 metal pan. Bake at 350ºF until the middle is just set, 22-28 minutes. My oven takes exactly 25 min. Let cool and slice.

9

Serve brownies as-is or with a scoop of your favorite ice cream. Try a few of our favorite variations if you’re looking to add a little spice to your brownie game.

10

A few of my favorite variations:

Mint-chocolate chip.
Omit the vanilla and instead add 1 tsp peppermint extract. Replace half of the chocolate chips with andes mint baking chips.

Caramel sea salt.
Remove brownies when they have about 5-10 minutes left to bake. Unwrap 25-35 caramels and dot them on top of the brownies. Return to the oven. When the brownies are cooked and the caramel is melty, remove from the oven and sprinkle the top with large flaky sea salt.

Dark chocolate peanut butter.
Replace half the cocoa powder with dark cocoa powder. Spread peanut butter on top of each slice before serving. Bonus: if the brownies are fresh out of the oven and still warm, the peanut butter will get all melty and gooey and delicious.

Mexican mocha.
Add an additional tablespoon of the instant espresso powder along with 2 tsp cinnamon and ¼-½ tsp cayenne pepper depending on your spice tolerance. Replace half of the chocolate chips with chopped walnuts.

The Only Brownie Recipe You’ll Ever Need


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1 thought on “Best Chocolate Chip Brownies Recipe From Scratch”

  • Liz,
    Thank you so much for this devine recipe! My friends and husband love it! I’m stashing this for years to come!
    Thanks again,
    Patricia

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