The Best Homemade Brownies – Never Bake Brownies from a Box Again
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When I was first married (nearly 20 years ago), brownies were one of the things I baked using a box mix. I had tried several recipes, and could never get that crisp edged/soft center combo that makes brownies oh-so-good. Then I found this recipe – the best homemade brownies I’ve ever tasted. I have not purchased a box mix since. You can make them with or without nuts, or half and half. The recipe is so simple that the boys can make it on their own. I hope you enjoy it, so you, too, never make brownies from a box again.
The Best Homemade Brownies Recipe
Adapted from Hershey’s Chocolate and Cocoa Cookbook
Ingredients
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1/2 cup butter, softened
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
- 2 eggs
- 1/2 cup unsifted all-purpose flour, unbleached, unbromated – or – gluten free flour blend such as Cup4Cup or Pamela’s
- 1/3 cup cocoa, preferably organic, Fair Trade certified
- 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup chopped nuts, optional
Directions: In a medium bowl, cream together butter and sugar. Add eggs and vanilla, blend until smooth. In a separate bowl, sift together dry ingredients. Gradually blend dry ingredients into sugar mixture, stirring until just blended. Do not overmix. Nuts may be added at this time, or sprinkled over some or all of the batter in the pan just prior to baking.
Spread batter evenly in a greased 8 inch square baking pan, or an 8 inch round or heart shaped pan. I usually use my 8 inch glass baking dish, or double the batch and use a 9×13 pyrex baking dish. I’ve taken to sprinkling the nuts on half of the batter because my husband likes them but my boys don’t, so that way they can each grab what they prefer easily.
Bake metal pans 30-35 minutes at 350 degrees F, glass pans 30-35 minutes at 335 degrees, until edges are set. Center will be soft but will firm up at the brownies cool. DON’T OVERBAKE! Only the edges should be set up when you take the pan out of the oven. If they’re coming out on the dry side, bake them for less time or drop the temp, or both. I always bake in a heavy glass pan, so that takes longer to bake then metal, and doesn’t dry out as quickly. The Cup4Cup or Pamela’s flour blends work great! You’d never know they were gluten free.
If you want to mix things up, you can bake with extra dark cocoa such as King Arthur Black Cocoa. This cocoa has a more pronounced chocolate flavor and rich, deep color. The top and bottom brownie photos in this post were made with black cocoa, and paired up with fresh strawberries and vanilla ice cream.
If you want to get a little fancy for Valentine’s Day (or other special occasion), you can bake in a 9-Inch Heart Pan and use some simple stencils with powdered sugar. I cut stencils out of some scrap paper and set them on the brownie.
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I used my The Pampered Chef Flour/Sugar Shaker to sprinkle the top with powdered sugar (a sifter would work, too), and then removed the stencils. If sugar creeps in under the stencils, you can remove it by gently dabbing at the excess with a damp fingertip. Isn’t it sweet?
The boys couldn’t wait until daddy got home to sample it, but they did only cut off one edge so he got to see the letters. 🙂
PrintBest Homemade Brownies
Quick and easy homemade brownies that you can make from scratch in minutes. Rich and delicious, enjoy with nuts or without.
Ingredients
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1/2 cup butter, softened
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
- 2 eggs
- 1/2 cup unsifted all-purpose flour, unbleached, unbromated – or – gluten free flour blend such as Cup4Cup or Pamela’s
- 1/3 cup cocoa, preferably organic, Fair Trade certified
- 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup chopped nuts, optional
Instructions
- In a medium bowl, cream together butter and sugar. Add eggs and vanilla, blend until smooth. In a separate bowl, sift together dry ingredients. Gradually blend dry ingredients into sugar mixture, stirring until just blended. Do not overmix. Nuts may be added at this time, or sprinkled over some or all of the batter in the pan just prior to baking.
- Spread batter evenly in a greased 8 inch square baking pan, or an 8 inch round or heart shaped pan. I usually use my 8 inch glass baking dish, or double the batch and use a 9×13 pyrex baking dish. I’ve taken to sprinkling the nuts on half of the batter because my husband likes them but my boys don’t, so that way they can each grab what they prefer easily.
- Bake metal pans 30-35 minutes at 350 degrees F, glass pans 30-35 minutes at 335 degrees, until edges are set. Center will be soft but will firm up at the brownies cool. DON’T OVERBAKE! Only the edges should be set up when you take the pan out of the oven. If they’re coming out on the dry side, bake them for less time or drop the temp, or both. I always bake in a heavy glass pan, so that takes longer to bake then metal, and doesn’t dry out as quickly. The Cup4Cup or Pamela’s flour blends work great! You’d never know they were gluten free.
Notes
- If you want to get a little fancy for Valentine’s Day (or other special occasion), you can bake in a 9-Inch Heart Pan and use some simple stencils with powdered sugar. I cut stencils out of some scrap paper and set them on the brownie.
You may also enjoy:
- Sourdough Brownies (they’re really easy and not sour at all – I promise)
- Chocolate Chestnut Brownies
- Honey Sweetened No-Bake Chocolate Peanut Butter Bars
Sun Oven Brownies
P.S. These brownies also bake well in a Sun Oven. They were the first recipe we made in ours.
Originally published in 2012, updated July 2016.
At which stage can I add caramel sauce and nuts?
I don’t normally add caramel sauce, but if you wanted to try it, I’d swirl it over the top of the batter just before it went in the oven. Nuts can be mixed in after the dry ingredients, or sprinkled over the top just before the batter goes into the oven.