I’m just going to be a cliché food blogger and say it–this is the best brownie recipe. They’re chewy, fudgy, and have those beautiful shiny crinkle tops. This is a tested and perfected brownie recipe that I’m excited to share with you!

chewy fudge brownies with sea salt on top

I spent almost all my life thinking that no brownie could beat a box mix brownie. I had tried and tried to replicate the texture and flavors of Betty Crocker or Ghirardelli but everything turned out too fudgy, dry, or didn’t have that beautiful crinkle top. There was one time I tried to be ~healthier~ and made some olive oil brownies that tasted like dirt. I’ll admit when I make horrible things like that haha.

These challenges are my hypothesis as to why all us food bloggers always say “better than the boxed mix” when we create brownie recipes because it’s HARD! When we’re able to create an amazing brownie from scratch it’s a triumph. It took months of testing, tons of chocolate, and a lot of forcing my boyfriend to give feedback to develop this brownie recipe, but I’m so happy with the results. If you’re here because you want to learn how to make the best brownies–i’m here for you!

These brownies are the perfect balance between chewy and fudgy. They’re rich, chocolately, and just melt in your mouth. I make them with salted butter as well to help balance out the sweetness.

Ingredients for Brownies

First, in terms of equipment, you will need:

A microwaveable bowl (something that can hold about 2 cups of liquid)
A stand or hand mixer
An 8″x8″ aluminum baking pan

As for ingredients:

Dark chocolate chips or chopped dark chocolate: I personally think dark chocolate has a much richer, nuanced flavor than milk chocolate and works perfectly in brownies.
Dutch-processed cocoa powder
Salted butter: use a good, cultured or European style butter for the best flavor
A neutral oil, such as vegetable or avocado
Granulated sugar
Brown sugar: this helps add some chewiness
2 large eggs, at room temperature. To quickly bring the eggs to room temperature, soak them in a bowl of very hot water for 10 minutes.
Vanilla extract
All-purpose flour
Kosher salt

As an option, you can also add a chocolate drizzle and a pinch of flaky sea salt on top to finish these off as I did! How do you make the best brownies better? Add some flaky sea salt–you won’t regret it!

How to Make the Best Brownies

Use both chocolate and cocoa powder

From experience, using just melted chocolate in the batter results in very fudgy brownies with no chew. However, using only cocoa powder results in a cakier texture that has no fudginess. To get that perfect texture, I use both! That way you get gooeyness with a bit of chew.

Using high quality chocolate, as well, makes a huge difference. When chocolate is the most important element in this recipe, using a really great chocolate results in better flavor. I love to use Ghirardelli dark chocolate chips and Droste (which Cooks Illustrated named their favorite cocoa powder!), Ghirardelli, or Guittard cocoa powder.

Beat the eggs–a lot

One of the most important steps in this recipe is to beat the sugar and eggs together for 6-8 minutes in a stand mixer. By the end, you will have a thick, pale yellow, and ribbony mixture. This will dissolve the sugar into the eggs, which will rise to the top while baking, helping give the brownies a noticeable shiny crust on top.

Also, make sure to use room temperature eggs! Cold ingredients are not your friend when making brownies. I’ve tried this recipe before with cold eggs and it led to really dull tops.

Know when brownies are done

I admit–it can be hard to know when to pull brownies out of the oven. Here are three tricks I like to use to test done-ness. I will say, when in doubt, it is better to underbake rather than overbake. A too dry, overdone brownie always loses.

Here are three ways I like to use to judge done-ness:

The toothpick method: insert a toothpick into the center of your brownies. If you still see raw batter, they are not done. If you see a few moist crumbs clinging onto it, then they are perfect.
The eyeball method: if you like your brownies on the more done end, look to the edges in your pan. If the edges are starting to pull away from the sides, then your brownies are done.
The wiggle method: give your pan a little wiggle. If the middle does not jiggle (ha that rhymes), then the brownies are done.

Add-In & Customization Ideas

Brownies are a glorious base for customizations. Here are a few!

Add a teaspoon of espresso powder
Add some chopped walnuts or pecans
Add chunks of your favorite candy bar or broken up Oreos
Test out different brands/types chocolate chips to find a favorite
Frost with chocolate frosting
Make them with browned butter
Swirl in some cookie butter before baking

How to Store Leftover Brownies

Store leftover brownies in an airtight container. They will be good for up to 3 days at room temperature.

Did You Make This Recipe?

If so, I’d love to hear from you! Please leave a rating and/or comment to spread the love and help others find this recipe.

Also feel free take a picture and share it with me on Instagram @toppedwithhoney. Looking forward to seeing your super chewy and decadent brownies.

If you’re not ready to bake yet, no problem! Simply hover over any image in this post (pick your favorite), or tap if you’re on mobile, and click the pin icon in the corner to save for later.