This post may contain affiliate links. Please read our disclosure policy.
These fudgy brownies exist because I spent a stupid amount of time being annoyed that boxed brownies had a better chew than mine. Not better flavor. Better chew. That dense, slightly springy pull you only seem to get from a box, which no scratch recipe I tried could touch. The fix turned out to be one tablespoon of cornstarch.
What you get from these fudgy brownies is real melted chocolate flavor with box mix texture, plus that shiny crackly top from whipping the eggs and sugar. I have not gone back since. If you only want a few, the same idea works as small batch brownies in a loaf pan, which is what I make when it is just the two of us.
Quick Look: At These Fudgy Brownies
- 🍫 What it is: A one pan scratch brownie built to have the chew of a box mix.
- ⭐ Why it works: One tablespoon of cornstarch sets the crumb without building gluten structure.
- 💛 Why you’ll love it: No stand mixer needed and no leavener to get wrong.
- ⚠️ What to watch for: Pull them when the toothpick has moist crumbs. Clean means overbaked.
- 🍳 Pan notes: 8×8 metal pan. Halve it in a loaf pan for the same bake time.
- ❄️ Make ahead: Four days airtight, two months frozen as a slab or squares.
- ⏱️ Ready in: 40 minutes, plus full cooling before you slice.
Why They work
Most fudgy brownie recipes get the fudge right and the chew wrong. Fudgy is about fat. Chewy is about starch. This one does both.
The fat comes from three places: melted butter, a little neutral oil, and four ounces of real dark chocolate. Fat coats the flour and blocks gluten from forming, which is what keeps the middle of these fudgy brownies dense instead of cakey. There is no baking powder or baking soda anywhere in this recipe, on purpose. Leavener is the single fastest way to turn fudgy brownies into cakey ones.
The chew in these fudgy brownies comes from the cornstarch. Cornstarch is pure starch with no protein, so it thickens and sets without building structure. The crumb stays soft and a little springy instead of short and crumbly. Boxed mixes get there using soft low protein flour. One tablespoon of cornstarch gets you there with regular all purpose flour, which is what you already have. If you would rather start from a box, I have ten tested ways to make boxed brownies better.
The crackly top on these fudgy brownies comes from whipping. You beat the eggs, yolk, granulated sugar and powdered sugar for a full three to six minutes, until it is thick, pale and ribbons off the beater. That dissolves the sugar and floats it to the surface, where it dries into a thin shiny shell. Most guides will tell you whipping makes brownies cakey, and it would, if there were leavener and more flour in the batter. Here there is only half a cup of flour and nothing to leaven it, so the air has nothing to hold onto. You get the shine without the cake.
Table of Contents
Key Ingredients
Everything in these fudgy brownies is pantry standard except maybe the espresso powder, and that one is optional.
- Unsalted butter and neutral oil: Butter for flavor, oil for staying power. Oil is liquid at room temperature, so these stay soft on day three.
- Dark or bittersweet chocolate: Four ounces of 70 percent, melted right into the butter. This is where the fudge comes from.
- Dutch process cocoa powder: Deeper color and smoother flavor than natural cocoa, and it gets bloomed in the hot butter so it tastes stronger.
- Granulated sugar and powdered sugar: The powdered sugar dissolves faster into the eggs, which is what builds that meringue like crust.
- Eggs plus one extra yolk: Two whole eggs for structure, one extra yolk for richness.
- Cornstarch: One tablespoon. This is the whole trick, do not leave it out.
- All purpose flour: Only half a cup. More flour is more cake.
- Espresso powder: It will not taste like coffee. It makes the chocolate taste more like chocolate. If you want to lean all the way in, my espresso brownies go much further.
- Kosher salt and flaky sea salt: Kosher in the batter, flaky on top the second they come out.
- Semi sweet chocolate chunks: Folded in for melted pools. Chips hold their shape, chunks puddle.
- Walnuts or pecans: Optional, and much better toasted first.
Substitutions And Additions
- Natural cocoa instead of Dutch process: Works fine. Lighter in color, sharper in flavor, still fudgy brownies. For the opposite direction, my black cocoa brownies go almost jet black.
- Salted butter: Go ahead, just drop the kosher salt to a quarter teaspoon.
- No espresso powder: Skip it, or use half a teaspoon of instant coffee.
- Milk chocolate: You can, but they get noticeably sweeter. Keep 60 to 70 percent chocolate in the melted base and save the milk chocolate for the mix ins.
- No chocolate bar in the house: Make my chewy brownies with cocoa powder instead, which is built without any melted chocolate at all.
- Doubling: Use a 9×13 metal pan and add five to eight minutes. Start checking at 28.
- Mix ins: Half to three quarters of a cup total. Chopped nuts, peanut butter swirled through the top, or crushed cookies, which is essentially my fudgy Oreo brownies.
How To Make Fudgy Brownies
- Heat the oven to 350F and line an 8×8 metal pan with parchment, leaving an overhang on two sides so you can lift the whole slab out later.
- Melt the butter, oil and chopped dark chocolate together in 30 second bursts, stirring between each, until smooth.
- Whisk the cocoa powder and espresso powder into the hot chocolate mixture. The heat blooms the cocoa and the flavor gets noticeably deeper. Set it aside to cool for a few minutes.
- In a separate large bowl, beat the eggs, yolk, granulated sugar, powdered sugar and vanilla for three to six minutes. A stand mixer, a hand mixer or a whisk and some patience all work. Stop when it is thick, pale, and falls off the beater in a ribbon. This step is what gives fudgy brownies their crackly top, so do not rush it.
- Pour the slightly cooled chocolate mixture into the whipped egg mixture and stir until combined. You can see in the photo below how thick and pale the eggs should be before the chocolate goes in
- Sift in the flour, cornstarch and salt. Fold with a spatula until you cannot see dry streaks, then stop.
- Fold in the chocolate chunks and pecans. Overmixing here is what makes fudgy brownies tough. Scrape into the pan, smooth the top, and tap the pan once on the counter to knock out the big air pockets.
- Bake 25 minutes, checking from 23. A toothpick in the center should come out with moist crumbs clinging to it. Clean means overbaked.
- Sprinkle with flaky sea salt while still warm, then cool completely in the pan. For clean edges, chill 30 minutes and wipe the knife between cuts.
- Enjoy the most delicious from scratch brownie of your life!
Expert Tips
- Weigh your flour for these fudgy brownies if you own a scale. A packed measuring cup is the number one reason scratch brownies come out cakey.
- Use a metal pan. Glass insulates, so the edges overbake before the center sets.
- Let the chocolate mixture cool a couple of minutes before it meets the eggs, or you will scramble them.
- Do not skip the flaky salt. It is a five second step that makes them taste like they came from a bakery.
Fudgy Brownies FAQs
Cornstarch is pure starch with no protein, so it sets the batter without building gluten structure. That gives fudgy brownies a soft, slightly springy, chewy crumb instead of a crumbly one, which is exactly what boxed brownies taste like. The ratio to remember is one tablespoon of cornstarch per half cup of flour. You can add it to almost any brownie recipe you already like.
Three things make brownies fudgy instead of cakey. A high ratio of fat to flour, no chemical leavener, and pulling them out of the oven early. This recipe uses half a cup of flour against butter, oil and four ounces of melted chocolate, and there is no baking powder or baking soda in it at all. If your fudgy brownies keep coming out cakey, too much flour is almost always the culprit.
Fudgy brownies get their crackly top from whipped eggs and sugar, so you are most likely not whipping long enough. It needs a full three to six minutes until the mixture is thick and pale and ribbons. The powdered sugar helps here too, because it dissolves faster than granulated. If the mixture still looks grainy and loose, keep going.
Yes. Natural cocoa is more acidic, so the fudgy brownies come out a little lighter in color and sharper in chocolate flavor. The texture does not change, because there is no baking soda in the recipe for the acidity to react with.
Store fudgy brownies airtight at room temperature for four days, or in the fridge for a week. They freeze well for two months, either as a whole slab or as cut squares with parchment between them. Thaw on the counter, or microwave a square for about 10 seconds to get it gooey again.
More Brownie Favorites
If you tried this homemade fudgry brownie recipe or any other recipe on my blog, please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how you it goes in the comments! I love hearing from you!
Homemade Fudgy Brownies
Ingredients
- ½ cup unsalted butter
- 3 tbsp neutral oil vegetable or grape seed oil
- 4 oz 70% dark chocolate, chopped
- 2/3 cup Dutch process cocoa powder
- 2 large eggs room temp
- 1 egg yolk
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- ½ cup powdered sugar
- 1½ tsp vanilla extract
- ½ cup all-purpose flour
- 1 tbsp cornstarch
- ½ tsp kosher salt
- 1 tsp instant espresso powder
Mix-ins
- 1/2 cup semi sweet chocolate chunks or chips (optional)
- 1/2 cup pecans or walnuts toasted and chopped (optional)
- flaky sea salt for finishing
Instructions
- Preheat to 350°F. then line an 8×8-inch metal pan with parchment and set aside.
- In a heatproof bowl, combine butter, chopped chocolate, and oil. Melt gently (microwave in 30 sec bursts or over a double boiler), then stir in cocoa powder and the espresso powder until smooth. Let it cool slightly.½ cup unsalted butter, 3 tbsp neutral oil, 4 oz 70% dark chocolate, chopped, 2/3 cup Dutch process cocoa powder, 1 tsp instant espresso powder
- In a large bowl, beat eggs, yolk, granulated sugar, powdered sugar, and vanilla on high speed for 3-6 minutes until thick, pale, and ribbon-y. This is where that shiny crackle top is born!2 large eggs , 1 egg yolk, 1 cup granulated sugar, ½ cup powdered sugar, 1½ tsp vanilla extract
- With the mixer on low, slowly pour in the slightly cooled chocolate-butter mixture.
- Sift the dry ingredients into the brownie batter mixture. Gently fold into the batter with a spatula.½ cup all-purpose flour, 1 tbsp cornstarch, ½ tsp kosher salt
- Fold in the chocolate chips and nuts if using.1/2 cup semi sweet chocolate chunks or chips, 1/2 cup pecans or walnuts
- Pour the batter into the prepared pan, smooth the top, and tap the pan once on the counter. Bake 25 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out with moist crumbs
- Let cool in pan for a little bit then prinkle with flaky sea salt while still warm, then cool completely in the pan before slicing.flaky sea salt
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
I have struggled with finding a good brownie recipe… but this is it. worked like a charm first time. thanks
So glad you liked it!
Hi, by powdered sugar, you mean caster or confectioner’s sugar( or icing sugar that has cornstarch in it) ?
Confectioner’s sugar