There are two things I am an absolute perfectionist about: Chocolate chip cookies and brownies. I have probably tried hundreds of brownies throughout my life to find the best brownie recipe. These “better than box mix” brownies from scratch truly are the best I have had.
Ingredients in Homemade Brownies
Butter AND Shortening – every home baker knows that butter gives a better taste while shortening gives a better texture. So why not have both! When you melt butter and shortening together it makes the perfect fat combo for this brownie batter. Sugar Unsweetened Cocoa Powder Vanilla Extract Large Eggs – for an extra smooth batter, thoroughly whisk eggs before adding to batter. All Purpose Flour Baking Powder Kosher Salt Chocolate Chips
The Perfect Brownie Breakdown
Baking Tips
The biggest tip for making these brownies is to NOT OVER BAKE. They may seem slightly under-done when you pull them out and that is totally normal. When they cool, they will be soft and chewy. You want these brownies to fail the “toothpick test”, unlike cake. They don’t need to be “done” all the way through. Line the baking pan with parchment paper for easy serving. Use dutch-processed cocoa powder for the best chocolate flavor. Bake these brownies in metal pans instead of glass pans if possible. Metal pans allow for more even heating.
Additions/Subsititutions
These really don’t need anything extra. They are perfect the way they are. If you want to swap out the dark chocolate chips for semi-sweet chocolate chips, that is totally ok. You can even use peanut butter chips or you want to switch it up. We have used mini-chocolate chips before and those work great too. Mint chocolate chips would be a fun substitution around the holidays. Chocolate chunks are also another great way to add gooey chocolate to your brownies. You can also add nuts like pecans or walnuts.
GLUTEN FREE Brownies:
Because there is only just a little over a cup of flour in this recipe it makes it SUPER easy to make gluten free. You can use pretty much any 1:1 flour blend and you will not even be able to tell they are GF. You can use Better Batter, Namaste Four (Costco), or your own flour blend with this recipe. Trust us, we have made them GF for friends and family before and no one even suspected they were GF! Read Next: 33+ Easy Dessert Ideas (with Pictures + Simple Recipes)
More Brownie Recipes
This is a recipe for good ol’ plain chocolate brownies. It is a no-frills homemade recipe. If you are looking to try some other brownie variations, give one of these a try:
Pretzel Crust Cheesecake Brownies Almond Joy Brownies White Chocolate Peppermint Bark Brownies Red Velvet Brownies
How to Make the BEST Homemade Brownies
Almond Joy Brownies
Red Velvet Brownies
Cheesecake Brownies
Peppermint Brownies
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