Best Homemade Brownies

Another wonderful brownie recipe, with a very deep chocolate flavor thanks to the combination of cocoa powder and melted chocolate. They are fudgy, easy to make, and can be frozen, which makes it a great last minute dessert with a scoop of ice cream on top.

I strongly believe one can never have too many brownie recipes. And it's my job to test them and share the best ones I find, lol. I love my job.

This recipe is decadent and the result is gorgeous, especially if you do like me and pour both chocolate sauce and dulce de leche on top before serving them!

Why this recipe works

• Easy: even though this recipe is not one bowl like the Fudgy Brownies, these bars are easy to make with a hand whisk, no special appliance needed.
• Deep flavor: using both melted semi sweet chocolate and cocoa powder guarantees a better chocolate flavor than using only one of them. A perfect synergy.
• Make ahead: these keep well at room temperature for a few days, several days in the refrigerator and can be frozen. How's that for convenience?

Ingredients

As with most brownie recipes, the ingredients are very similar, but the results are different. Comments about some of them:

• Chocolate: use the best semi sweet one you can afford. I like to use 60% to 72%.
• Cocoa powder: it should be unsweetened and the best you can afford.
• Flavorings: I love vanilla paste together with a little pure almond extract. But feel free to use only the former if that's all you have.
• Sugar: I use mostly white combined with a little brown. Use only granulated if that's all you have.

Easy steps

These are delicious and quite simple to make. A couple of bowls, a whisk and a brownie pan get you the fantastic results.

Lining the pan: I like to butter or spray the pan and then take a piece of parchment paper (aluminum foil also works) that is wide as the pan and long enough to hang over, and line the bottom and two sides. The other sides are left only buttered or sprayed, and the paper will help when lifting the whole block of cooled brownies. So you can place it on a flat surface, peel off the paper, and cut them easily in as many squares as you like.

The batter itself comes together in no time.

I put together a video tutorial to guide you 👇🏻

1

Melt butter with chocolate pieces.

2

Beat sugars with eggs in a bowl until frothy.

3

Add melted chocolate and mix until incorporated.

4

Sift flour, salt, and cocoa powder in 2 parts and mix well.

5

I always sift cocoa powder to avoid the little granules that are hard to incorporate by hand.

6

Add flavorings (vanilla and almond extracts) and mix well.

7

Pour into the prepared pan and bake as directed.

8

Cool completely before cutting. I like them better a day after they are baked.

9

And I like to top them with chocolate and dulce de leche sauces. Sometimes I sprinkle them with walnuts.

10

Very decadent fudgy brownies!

Check out my other content @VintageKitchen on Jumprope.

My top tips

• Organization: read the recipe carefully and make sure the ingredients are at the temperature needed, the oven is pre-heated, you have the right size of pan, and any other details that will ensure the best results possible.
• Chocolate: you can find my favorite brands and types of semisweet chocolate in the Notes in the recipe card. I like very dark chocolate, but you can use the ones that are on the sweeter side, between 50%-57%.
• Sauces: as you can see in the image below, I use both chocolate and dulce de leche and make these one of the most decadent brownies/desserts ever! If you never tried these two flavors together you're in for a treat, of the best kind.
• Resting: I find that most chocolate recipes are better the next day. So, if you can, let these rest in the fridge or at room temperature for 24hs.
• Flavorings: besides the vanilla and almond that are used in the recipe, you can add some orange zest, a tablespoon of orange liquor or whisky, a pinch of ground cinnamon, or coffee powder or extract.

Serving brownies

• Plain: like most chocolate recipes that are fudgy and intense, a small piece goes a long way. I like them just cold enough but not straight from the refrigerator because I think the flavor is numbed a little by the cold.
• Plated dessert: put a square on a plate and top with a scoop of ice cream (vanilla, dulce de leche, chocolate, even raspberry) or some whipped cream, and then pour some chocolate sauce if you're going all the way. This is great when you have one batch of brownies and many mouths to feed.
• Over the top brownies: do like I did in these images and add chocolate ganache first, then dulce de leche and finally some chopped walnuts. They will be messy to eat with your hand, but then you have the bonus of licking them, lol.

Other recipes you might like:

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Simple Homemade Brownies

• Author: Paula Montenegro
• Prep Time: 15
• Resting time: 120
• Cook Time: 30
• Total Time: 2 hours 45 minutes
• Yield: 9 squares 1x
• Category: Bars & Brownies
• Method: Baking
• Cuisine: American

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Description

Another wonderful brownie recipe, with a very deep chocolate flavor thanks to the combination of cocoa powder and melted chocolate. They are fudgy, easy to make, and can be frozen.

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Ingredients

Scale 1x2x3x

• ¾ cup (175g) unsalted butter
• 3.5 ounces (100g) semisweet chocolate, in small pieces
• 1 cup (200g) white granulated sugar
• 2 tablespoons (30g) brown sugar
• 3 eggs, at room temperature
• ½ cup (65g) all-purpose flour
• ½ cup (50g) unsweetened cocoa powder
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract or paste
• ¼ teaspoon pure almond extract (optional but recommeded)

Toppings (optional):

• Chocolate ganache, the same one I use for the Chocolate Bundt Cake, or your favorite store-bought chocolate sauce
• Dulce de leche, homemade or you can buy it online (see Notes, below)
• Chopped walnuts

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Instructions

1. Turn the oven to 350°F/180°C.
2. Grease or spray an 8-inch (20cm) square pan. Line with a strip of parchment paper wide as the pan, covering the bottom and two sides. This makes it easier to remove from the pan after it’s baked. 
3. Melt butter in a bowl with the chocolate pieces. You can microwave it in 10 second spurts, mixing well between each one. Or do it in a double boiler making sure the bottom of the bowl is not touching the water. 
4. Put both sugars in a bowl, add the eggs and mix well with a whisk until it’s frothy, about 1 minute. 
5. Add the melted chocolate and mix. 
6. Add vanilla, almond extract and then the sifted dry ingredients (flour, salt, and cocoa powder) in 2 parts. I have them measured and sift them directly over the chocolate mixture, but you can sift them in a different bowl first and then add them. 
7. Mix well until you have a silky, smooth mixture. 
8. Pour into the prepared pan and bake for about 20 minutes, until the edges are firm but the center still jiggles. It might take a few more minutes. But don’t bake them until the whole surface is firm because they won’t be fudgy. 
9. Let cool on a wire rack. I recommend eating them the next day, but that’s hard, I know. So pop them in the fridge for an hour. 
10. Eat them plain or top with chocolate ganache, dulce de leche and chopped walnuts before eating. 

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Notes

Organization: read the recipe carefully and make sure the ingredients are at the temperature needed, the oven is pre-heated, you have the right size of pan, and any other details that will ensure the best results possible.

Chocolate: my favorite ones are Green & Black's Organic 70% Chocolate, Ghirardelli Delight Intense Dark Chocolate, Ghirardelli Premium Baking Bar 60% cacao, Callebaut Belgian Dark Chocolate 54%. 

Cocoa powder: it should be unsweetened and the best you can afford. I love Valrhona Pure Cocoa Powder, Ghirardelli 100% Unsweetened Ground Cocoa, and the very popular Hershey's Unsweetened Cocoa. 

Sauces: as you can see in the image below, I use both chocolate and dulce de leche and make these one of the most decadent brownies/desserts ever! If you never tried these two flavors together you're in for a treat, of the best kind.

Resting: I find that most chocolate recipes are better the next day. So, if you can, let these rest in the fridge or at room temperature for 24hs.

Flavorings: besides the vanilla and almond that are used in the recipe, you can add some orange zest, a tablespoon of orange liquor or whisky, a pinch of ground cinnamon, or coffee powder or extract.

Commercial dulce de leche: you can buy it online. My favorite ones that are usually available are: Cachafaz Dulce de Leche, Havanna Argentina Dulce de Leche sauce, and DDL&Co. premium dulce de leche.

Sugar: I use mostly white combined with a little brown. Use only granulated if that's all you have.

Plain: like most chocolate recipes that are fudgy and intense, a small piece goes a long way. I like them just cold enough but not straight from the refrigerator because I think the flavor is numbed a little by the cold.

Plated dessert: put a square on a plate and top with a scoop of ice cream (vanilla, dulce de leche, chocolate, even raspberry) or some whipped cream, and then pour some chocolate sauce if you're going all the way. This is great when you have one batch of brownies and many mouths to feed.

Keywords: homemade brownies

Paula Montenegro

I'm Paula, a baker for more than 30 years and your designated recipe finder, sharing the best ones on this blog, with simple ingredients + easy-to-follow instructions.