Looking for the best brownie recipe? Look no further than these perfect chewy brownies – the ideal balance between fudgy and cakey with a rich, deep chocolate flavor guaranteed to please everyone!

This post is sponsored by Divine Chocolate, one of my favorite premium fair trade chocolate companies!

These are, hands down, my favorite brownies.  It’s hard to believe that Bunsen Burner Bakery has been around for over eight years and I am just sharing my favorite brownie recipe.

But in reality, a big part of why I haven’t shared these is because I can’t figure out the best way to describe them.

Brownies usually fall into two camps: fudgy or cakey.  These brownies aren’t fudgy – thin and dense, with a rich, gooey center.  But they also aren’t cakey, dry and tall, crumbly, like a a richer version of a chocolate sheet cake.

What they are is like a perfect mix of the two.  A little crumbly and cakey, but perfectly moist and rich.  Super chocolatey. 

So when I asked my most recent taste-testing panel for descriptions, I received helpful gems like: chocolatey.  Delicious.  They taste like brownies.  

So we’re going with chewy, because that’s the best descriptor that I have.

These are the kind of brownies that you can really sink your teeth into – they’re not gooey, but they’re not dry and crumbly, either.  The edges don’t get super crispy, and the top doesn’t get super duper crackly. 

It’s the perfect combination brownie mix that seems to win over both fudgy and cakey brownie lovers – and even people who don’t like chocolate desserts, like me.

And what they are is chocolatey – truly chocolatey, thanks to the addition of melted chocolate, meaning these are the perfect recipe to share for #Choctoberfest!

{And don’t forget to enter the Choctoberfest giveaway – all the info you need to enter is here!}

How to Make Perfect Chewy Brownies

I talk a lot about kitchen chemistry around here, and brownies are kind of the ultimate example of kitchen chemistry.  Using almost the exact same ingredients but changing the ratios can change the texture from thin, dense, and fudge-like to thick, airy, and cake-like.

For fudgy brownies, increase the fat content of the brownies — i.e., more butter and chocolate.  For cakier brownies, increase the dry ingredients — i.e., more flour and switch from melted chocolate to cocoa powder.  

So it’s probably not surprising that we’re using characteristics of both fudgy and cakey brownies in these perfect middle-of-the-road rich chocolatey all-people-pleasing brownies.

Like fudgy brownies, these perfect chewy brownies start with melted butter and chopped chocolate, while cakey brownies often use oil and cocoa powder. 

But like their cakey counterparts, we’ll include some chemical leaveners (baking soda and baking powder) for a little bit of lift, which keeps these from getting too dense and heavy.

Let’s also talk about another… non-traditional ingredient.  These brownies contain heavy cream.  It’s not a usual ingredient in brownies, and I just want to point it out because it’s not a typo. 

It’s supposed to be there, and it’s what makes these brownies moist, unlike most cakey brownies.

Because these brownies use melted butter, everything can be whisked by hand — my favorite kind of baking! 

I alway prefer to melt the butter and chocolate together over the stove for better control, so this is actually a two-bowl recipe, but still – it’s easy, it comes together quickly, and it’s even better than boxed mix.

And let’s be honest – boxed mix brownies are pretty good, so homemade brownies have to be REALLY good to make them worth the effort to make from scratch.  These perfect chewy brownies?  Worth the effort.

Secret for the BEST Brownies – Good Quality Ingredients

These perfect chewy brownies are pretty simple.  No fillings, like nuts, peanut butter cups, or m&ms.  No frostings or layers of chocolate ganache on top.

So in order to make these really shine, I like to use high quality ingredients, especially chocolate. 

Chocolate chips contain excess stabilizers to help  the individual chips hold their shapes.  They contain less cocoa butter, meaning they are less smooth when they melt, and are less flavorful.

I love Divine Chocolate’s baking line for high quality desserts — their chocolate is not only ethical (it’s fair trade and made without palm oil), vegan society certified and soy free, but it’s also made from 100% pure cocoa butter — which means it melts beautifully and its delicious, too!

Divine Chocolate’s baking line consists of three premium quality flavors ranging from 55% to 100% cocoa for all your delicious desserts – ranging from semi-sweet to bittersweet to unsweetened. 

For these perfect chewy brownies, I like to use a combination of semi-sweet and bittersweet chocolate, but you can use all of one or the other based on how sweet or dark you prefer your brownies!

How to Store Perfect Chewy Brownies

Real talk: these brownies are so good, you probably don’t have to figure out how to store them. 

Buuuut just in case you have more willpower than we do, or you want to make them in advance for an event, brownies are great to make ahead of time!

Brownies can be stored at room temperature for 4 to 5 days in an airtight container at room temperature, or frozen for up to 3 months. 

Brownies will thaw better if frozen uncut as one large sheet still in the pan; bring to room temperature and thaw before cutting.

To keep the brownies uncut, line the 9×13-inch pan with foil, extending foil over the edges of the baking pan.  Use this excess foil as a handle to lift the brownies out of the pan in one piece, as shown above. ↑↑↑

Adjusting Brownie Recipe Size

This recipe bakes in a 9×13-inch pan.  If you don’t need this many brownies at once, I still always recommend baking the full recipe and either passing on half to friends or neighbors, or freezing half for later.

For a smaller size, this recipe can be scaled down to two-thirds of the original recipe and baked in a 9×9-inch square pan.

To scale appropriately, multiply each ingredient by 2/3 (0.66) to determine the appropriate amount to use.  For example, 8 ounces of chopped chocolate x (2/3) = 5.3 ounces of chopped chocolate.  9 tablespoons butter x (2/3) = 6 tablespoons butter.

Bake for 25 minutes and check for doneness.

Tips and Tricks for Perfect Chewy Brownies

1. Use high quality baking chocolate – chocolate chips contain extra stabilizers which prevent them from melting smoothly, so use a baking chocolate bar to melt with the butter.’
2. Melt the chocolate and butter together slowly over low heat – this helps everything melt smoothly and makes sure the chocolate won’t overheat and start to seize.  Stir often while melting!
3. Beat in the eggs hard by hand. Using a wooden spoon, beat in the eggs – as hard as possible! This encourages the shiny, crackly brownie tops.
4. Chill your brownie batter! This step is a little optional – I’ve made these plenty of times without doing this, but popping the prepared batter in the fridge for 30-60 minutes before baking makes the brownies taste extra rich and decadent after they bake.
5. Don’t overbake the brownies! Our brownies will stay in the pan to cool, so they’ll continue to cook for a little after they come out of the oven.  As a result, we want them to be just slightly underbaked when we pull them out of the oven — look for a few moist crumbs stuck to your tester.

More Brownie Recipes:

• Pumpkin Swirl Brownies
• Brownies with Salted Tahini Buttercream
• Pumpkin Cheesecake Brownies
• Cherry Cheesecake Brownies
• Cream Cheese Swirl Brownies
• Peanut Butter Crunch Brownies
• All Brownie Recipes »

Continue to Content

Perfect Chewy Brownies

Yield: 24 brownies

Prep Time: 30 minutes

Cook Time: 30 minutes

Total Time: 1 hour

Looking for the best brownie recipe? Look no further than these perfect chewy brownies – the ideal balance between fudgy and cakey with a rich, deep chocolate flavor guaranteed to please everyone!

Print

Ingredients

• 8 ounces bittersweet or semisweet baking chocolate, coarsely chopped
• 9 tablespoons unsalted butter, coarsely chopped
• 1/2 cup heavy cream
• 1 1/4 cup granulated sugar
• 3 large eggs, room temperature
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
• 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 6 ounces chocolate chips

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350 °F. Line a 9x13-inch metal baking pan with aluminum foil. Extend the foil over the edges of the pan to create a handle to lift the brownies out of the pan after cooling. Spray the foil with nonstick cooking spray.
2. Melt the chocolate and butter. Combine the 8 ounces of chopped chocolate, butter, and heavy cream in a small, heavy bottom sauce pan over medium heat. Stir continuously until melted and smooth. Set aside and cool until lukewarm, about 10 minutes.
3. Mix the brownie batter. In a large mixing bowl, beat together the sugar, eggs, and vanilla extract for 2 to 3 minutes using a wooden spoon. Add in the chocolate mixture, beating for another 1 to 2 minutes. Stir in the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt, stirring until no streaks of flour remain. Stir in the chocolate chips. Refrigerate the batter for 30-60 minutes, up to 24 hours.
4. Bake the brownies. Spread the brownie batter evenly into the prepared pan. Bake until brownies are puffed and just start to look dry on top, 28 to 30 minutes, and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out with a moist crumb. Cool the brownies in the pan. Once cool, use the foil handles to remove the brownies and aluminum foil from the pan and cut into 24 squares with a serrated knife.

Notes

1. Use high quality baking chocolate – chocolate chips contain extra stabilizers which prevent them from melting smoothly, so use a baking chocolate bar to melt with the butter.
2. Melt the chocolate and butter together slowly over low heat – this helps everything melt smoothly and makes sure the chocolate won’t overheat and start to seize. 
3. Chill your brownie batter. Popping the prepared batter in the fridge for 30-60 minutes before baking makes the brownies taste extra rich and decadent after they bake.
4. Don’t overbake the brownies! Brownies will stay in the pan to cool, so they’ll continue to cook for a little after they come out of the oven.  As a result, you want them to be just slightly underbaked when we pull them out of the oven.
5. Brownies can be stored at room temperature for 4 to 5 days in an airtight container at room temperature, or frozen for up to 3 months.
6. For a smaller size, this recipe can be scaled down to two-thirds of the original recipe and baked in a 9×9-inch square pan. Check brownies for doneness starting at 25 minutes.

Recommended Products

As an Amazon Associate and member of other affiliate programs, I earn from qualifying purchases.

• 
  Calphalon Nonstick Bakeware, 9-inch by 13-inch
• 
  Anchor Hocking Glass Mixing Bowl Set

Nutrition Information:

Yield: 24 Serving Size: 1 brownie
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 215Total Fat: 11.7gCarbohydrates: 24.9gProtein: 2.5g

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