Classic One-Bowl Brownies
Have you been searching for the perfect, better than box, brownie recipe that whips up in one bowl? This is everything you could possibly want in a brownie, including a chewy brownies with a soft, crinkly top, and it is just beyond easy. Let’s get started.
Classic One-Bowl Brownies
This recipe comes together in a snap, but it helps to get all of your ingredients prepped.
Yield: 1 8×8-inch pan (or 9×9-inch for thinner brownies)
Prep time: 15 minutes
Cook time: 30 minutes
Ingredients
- ○ 1 cup of unsalted butter
- ○ 3 eggs
- ○ 1 tablespoon of coffee (or an extra tablespoon of water or vanilla instead)
- ○ 1 tablespoon of vanilla
- ○ 1 cup of granulated sugar
- ○ 1 cup or again, 200 grams of light brown sugar (You could use dark brown sugar if you want to)
- ○ 120 grams or 1 cup of flour
- ○ Three quarters of a cup of cocoa powder (blend of Dutch and natural, or all Dutch, or all natural)
- ○ 1 teaspoon of salt
- ○ Some chocolate chips (You could also add chocolate chunks. If you’re adding nuts, I would say go for a cup of toasted nuts, and then maybe like a cup of chocolate chips or half a cup of chocolate chips)
Instructions
- First off, I’m prepping my baking dish. It’s an eight by eight, but you could also use a nine by nine. You’ll just get a slightly thinner brownie, which is totally fine.
- What we’re doing is adding a square of parchment paper, and I’m just trimming where the corners are, where I hope they are. And then we’re gonna place it in. This will let our brownie come out in a snap. If you don’t do this, you’re in for a rough surprise after it comes out of the oven, because it will stick. Just fold really quickly. This turns out I’ll be so happy. Okay, look at that. Nice and perfect. Now we have a beautiful open rectangular prism to pop our brownie batter into when we’re ready. Set it aside and onto our bowl.
- Melt one cup of unsalted butter. If you’re melting it in the microwave, which is of course the easiest way, just make sure you do short bursts and give it a mix, because if you go for too long, the water in that butter will turn to steam and explode, and I’ve had to clean butter out of my microwave so many times, learn from my mistakes.
- Also, crack three eggs into a bowl. This way you can fish out any shells before they go into the batter.
- One cup of melted butter into a large bowl. This recipe does call for a tablespoon of coffee, so save some of your morning coffee or make a fresh batch and feel refreshed. Also, if you are totally anti-coffee, you can skip this and add like an extra tablespoon of water or vanilla instead. The coffee just wakes the chocolate flavor up, a secret for incredible fudgy brownies with a secret coffee boost.
- Add a tablespoon of coffee, a tablespoon of vanilla, one cup of granulated sugar, one cup or again, 200 grams of light brown sugar. You can add the eggs in now, and by the by, like the order doesn’t really matter in the beginning, dump it all in at the same time if you want.
- Time to give it a whisk. Nice and smooth, perfect.
- If you love to bloom cocoa powder, bloom the cocoa powder. So that means that you would add the cocoa powder right away to the warm, very warm melted butter. And just let it mix it in, let it infuse for a while, and it will become like extra chocolatey fudgy, but these brownies are mega chocolate, mega fudgy, so I don’t consider it a necessary step, but I’ve gotten some questions about it. So yes, bloom away if that’s you.
- Now let’s add those dry ingredients, starting with my 120 grams or one cup of flour, three quarters of a cup of cocoa powder, and I’m using a blend of Dutch and natural, but you could use all Dutch if you want, or even all natural. Dutch cocoa powder will be a little bit more fudgy, and it’s kind of my favorite, but people have different personal preferences.
- Add one teaspoon of salt and just sifted in here. The cocoa powder tends to be lumpy, so sifting it is a nice way to make sure there are no lumps, and everything is nice and homogeneous after being mixed in.
- Give it one more whisk, and this time we’re gonna mix it until it’s almost combined. Be careful, this is a big bowl, but it’s not big enough to contain the mess if I get going. The deal is that it’s gonna be a little bit thick, but kind of like when you’re making a sugar glaze, and it’s like a big lump, it just takes a minute to mix in, mellow out, and get with the program. Also, you don’t have to use a whisk for this. Not a bad idea to switch to a spatula and just continue folding it in. Look at that. That’s the rich brownie batter we’re talking about.
- What do we have to add? Some chocolate chips. In you have the chocolate chips. Just fold those chocolate chips since they’re nice and even, and. The batter is good to go, and would be amazing paired with an easy homemade chocolate fudge sauce.
- Let’s get it into that prepared pan. This paper liner is making me so happy, I cannot tell you. Get this batter in there. This will self level out in the oven, but I do want to give it a bit of a head start. So I’m just going to push it towards the edges. If you want, you can finish this off with a sprinkle of chocolate chips on top, but this is like 100% pure chocolate, so this is good for me.
- It’s gonna go into the oven now at 350 for about half an hour. The center will be just set, and this is the sort of thing where if you wanna under bake it just a little bit, it’s gonna be nice and fudgy, but you can go a little bit longer in the oven and kind of crisp that edge up a bit more.
- Like a cookie, it’s gonna want to settle down and cool for a bit before you handle it or cut it. So just be patient.
- My brownie is out of the oven and it cooled down enough that it’s now solid. And look at this, do you see? That is exactly what I want a brownie to look like. That glossy kind of crackled top up. My mouth is watering and this smells beyond.
- Let me show you why it was so important for the paper liner to be there. There we go, that is amazing. No fuss, no must. Unfold it. We’re gonna cut some now. That is beyond the shadow of a doubt, like the fudgiest brownie you could have. It has like a nice kind of like, you know, almost crisp edge in the corner, but the center is like molten chocolate. For me, it’s edge all the way. I actually like the corner pieces because I like the crunchy parts a little bit of fudgy in the middle. It is one of my favorite things, similar to the delight of easy fudgy double chocolate chip cookies.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I substitute the coffee?
Yes, if you are totally anti-coffee, you can skip this and add like an extra tablespoon of water or vanilla instead. The coffee just wakes the chocolate flavor up.
What kind of cocoa powder should I use?
I am using a blend of Dutch and natural, but you could use all Dutch if you want, or even all natural. Dutch cocoa powder will be a little bit more fudgy.
How can I make the brownies more fudgy or with crispier edges?
If you wanna under bake it just a little bit, it’s gonna be nice and fudgy, but you can go a little bit longer in the oven and kind of crisp that edge up a bit more for fudgy brownies with crackly top and gooey texture.
What if I don’t have parchment paper?
If you don’t use parchment paper, you’re in for a rough surprise after it comes out of the oven, because it will stick. It is highly recommended to use it for easy removal.
Classic One-Bowl Brownies Recipe for Fudgy, Easy Baking
Discover the perfect, better-than-box brownie recipe that whips up effortlessly in just one bowl. These classic one-bowl brownies are everything you could possibly want: rich, fudgy, and incredibly easy to make.
- 1 cup (226g) unsalted butter
- 3 large eggs
- 1 tablespoon strong brewed coffee (or 1 tbsp water or extra vanilla)
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 1 cup (200g) granulated sugar
- 1 cup (200g) light brown sugar (packed, or dark brown sugar)
- 1 cup (120g) all-purpose flour
- ¾ cup (75g) cocoa powder (blend of Dutch and natural, or all Dutch, or all natural)
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup chocolate chips (or chocolate chunks; optional: 1 cup toasted nuts + ½ cup chocolate chips)
- Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C). Prepare an 8×8-inch baking dish (or 9×9-inch for thinner brownies) by lining it with parchment paper, leaving an overhang on two sides for easy removal. This is crucial to prevent sticking.
- In a microwave-safe bowl, melt 1 cup of unsalted butter in short bursts, stirring in between, to avoid explosions. Set aside.
- Crack the 3 eggs into a separate small bowl to easily remove any shells before adding to the batter.
- In a large bowl, combine the melted butter, 1 tablespoon of coffee (or alternative), 1 tablespoon of vanilla, 1 cup of granulated sugar, and 1 cup of light brown sugar. Add the cracked eggs.
- Whisk the wet ingredients together until smooth and well combined.
- If blooming cocoa powder, add it to the warm melted butter mixture now and let it infuse for a while before adding other dry ingredients (this is optional but can enhance chocolate flavor).
- Add the dry ingredients: 1 cup of flour, ¾ cup of cocoa powder, and 1 teaspoon of salt. Sift the cocoa powder to prevent lumps.
- Whisk or fold the dry ingredients into the wet mixture until almost combined. The batter will be thick. Switch to a spatula if needed to fully incorporate all ingredients without overmixing.
- Fold in the chocolate chips until evenly distributed.
- Pour the brownie batter into the prepared baking dish. Spread it towards the edges with a spatula to level it out. Optionally, sprinkle extra chocolate chips on top.
- Bake at 350°F (175°C) for about 30 minutes. The center should be just set. For fudgier brownies, slightly underbake. For crispier edges, bake a little longer.
- Allow the brownies to cool completely in the pan on a wire rack before attempting to handle or cut them. This allows them to set and become solid.
- Once cooled, use the parchment paper overhangs to lift the brownies out of the pan. Cut into squares and serve.
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