Author: These homemade fudge brownies have a thin layer of crunch on top, and a dark gooey center, making them the perfect brownies! With a rich dark chocolate flavor and chewy edges, these homemade brownies check all the boxes!
I love all things chocolate, whether it’s a pan of literal homemade fudge during the holidays, or a few homemade chocolate chip cookies on the weekend.
But these brownies take the cake when it comes to chocolate decadence! With black velvet cacao and fudgy middle, I know everyone is going to come running when I make a batch!
Homemade Fudgy Brownies
Many years ago I shared a recipe for bakery brownies, which I love! But I wanted something deeper in chocolate flavor, and with a chewy-gooey texture. So I went back to the drawing board to develop a true fudge brownie recipe… and here it is!
Ingredients
Let’s quickly cover the ingredients for these brownies. I often get asked about substitutions in my recipes, so I’m going to list any options here. There is a full printable recipe at the end that has all the measurements included as well!
- Cacao – This recipe uses both regular and black cacao. You can use all of one or the other, but the flavor will be different. I like to split the measurement between the two as the black cacao is SO rich (I’ll talk more about that in a bit)!
- Flour – We use all-purpose einkorn flour, but you can use modern all-purpose flour, or whole wheat flour as well.
- Sugar – Yes, there is sugar in this recipe! I often get emails from people who are shocked that I use sugar… but this is a brownie recipe, not a suggestion for something to make every day for dinner. We make these maybe 2x a year! Anyway, white sugar is recommended here, you can also use panela or maple sugar. However, liquid sugar is not recommended because it will change the texture too much.
- Eggs – Whole eggs are best, but if you can’t have eggs, use 3/4 cup of plain yogurt instead, and increase the flour by 1/2 cup.
- Butter – I like to use salted butter in my baking, but if you like unsalted butter, that’s fine too. No modifications are needed. Vegan butter will work also.
- Baking Powder – This helps give the brownies a bit of rise and helps with the texture as well.
- Salt and Vanilla Extract – These are both flavor conductors, don’t skip them!
The star of the show, the one that gives these brownies their depth of flavor, is the black velvet cacao! If you don’t need or want to use all organic ingredients Hershey’s dark cocoa can fill the need here. But if you do need or want to stay all organic, then this Organic Black Velvet Cacao is the BEST!
The flavor is out of this world, so I highly recommend grabbing some if you can. It’s a decent size bag, and you only need 36g per batch, so it will last you a long time!
Directions
There are a few quirks to this recipe, but they are very simple and worth the effort! The result is a luxuriously rich and dark chocolate brownie that will win over even the toughest critics.
- Melt – Start by melting your butter over medium heat on the stove. You can use the microwave, but it will likely get too hot. You want it to be bubbling, but not boiling.
- Whip – While the butter is melting, add your eggs and sugar to the bowl of an electric mixer (or use a hand mixer). Whip until light and fluffy. Scrape down the bowl as needed.
- Fluff – Add your bubbly butter to the egg and sugar mix and whip again for about 2 minutes.
- Combine – Add all remaining ingredients to the mixing bowl and mix until smooth. Scrape the sides of the bowl and remix to incorporate fully.
- Prep – Line a square baking dish with aluminum foil. This helps the brownie cool just fast enough to form the crunchy top while keeping the gooey center. No buttering is needed, the batter goes right against the foil. Pre-heat the oven to 350°F
- Pour – Add your whipped batter to the lined baking pan and even out the top as best you can.
- Bake – Bake for 35-40 minutes, or until you get a clean toothpick in the middle.
- Cool and Cut – Allow to cool fully before removing the foil. If you can cover the brownies with clingwrap overnight the brownies will be perfectly soft and chewy, and much easier to cut, the next day. If you can’t, it’s ok! Cut into 16 pieces and enjoy!
More Chocolate Recipes to Try Next
If these brownies hit the spot, here are a few more of our favorite chocolate-packed recipes to try next!
Best Homemade Fudge Brownie Recipe
Ingredients
- 1/2 lb butter (2 sticks, or 1 cup)
- 3 eggs
- 2 cups sugar
- 2/3 cup all-purpose flour (84g) (we use all purpose einkorn)
- 36 g unsweetened cacao regular cocoa (not dutch) will also work
- 36 g black cacao dutch or dark cocoa will also work
- 1 tsp sea salt or 1/2 tsp table salt
- 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp vanilla
Instructions
- Start by melting your butter over medium heat on the stove. You can use the microwave, but it will likely get too hot. You want it to be bubbling, but not boiling.
- While the butter is melting, add your eggs and sugar to the bowl of an electric mixer (or use a hand mixer). Whip until light and fluffy. Scrape down the bowl as needed.
- Add your bubbly butter to the egg and sugar mix and whip again for about 2 minutes.
- Add all remaining ingredients to the mixing bowl and mix until smooth. Scrape the sides of the bowl and remix to incorporate fully.
- Line a square (8×8 or 9×9) baking dish with aluminum foil. This helps the brownie cool just fast enough to form the crunchy top while keeping the gooey center. No buttering is needed, the batter goes right against the foil. Pre-heat the oven to 350°F
- Add your whipped batter to the lined baking pan and even out the top as best you can.
- Bake for 35-40 minutes, or until you get a clean toothpick in the middle.
- Allow to cool fully before removing the foil. If you can cover the brownies with clingwrap overnight the brownies will be perfectly soft and chewy, and much easier to cut, the next day. If you can't, it's ok! Cut into 16 pieces and enjoy!
Notes
Ingredients and Substitutions
Let’s quickly cover the ingredients for these brownies. I often get asked about substitutions in my recipes, so I’m going to list any options here. There is a full printable recipe at the end that has all the measurements included as well!- Cacao – This recipe uses both regular and black cacao. You can use all of one or the other, but the flavor will be different. I like to split the measurement between the two as the black cacao is SO rich (I’ll talk more about that in a bit)!
- Flour – We use all-purpose einkorn flour, but you can use modern all-purpose flour, or whole wheat flour as well.
- Sugar – Yes, there is sugar in this recipe! I often get emails from people who are shocked that I use sugar… but this is a brownie recipe, not a suggestion for something to make every day for dinner. We make these maybe 2x a year! Anyway, white sugar is recommended here, you can also use panela or maple sugar. However, liquid sugar is not recommended because it will change the texture too much.
- Eggs – Whole eggs are best, but if you can’t have eggs, use 3/4 cup of plain yogurt instead, and increase the flour by 1/2 cup.
- Butter – I like to use salted butter in my baking, but if you like unsalted butter, that’s fine too. No modifications are needed. Vegan butter will work also.
- Baking Powder – This helps give the brownies a bit of rise and helps with the texture as well.
- Salt and Vanilla Extract – These are both flavor conductors, don’t skip them!
Nutrition
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What size baking tin? These look scrumptious!
They are! I just said “square” as 8×8 or 9×9 will work. I hope that helps!