Super fudgy and dense cocoa brownies are gooey on the inside, have a crinkly top, and are made with just 6 ingredients in under 30 minutes! This easy recipe makes the BEST brownies and is the only brownie recipe you will ever need.

I’ve got a super-easy yet DELICIOUS fudgy brownie recipe for you today. Brownies can’t get any fudgier or easier to make than this folks!

These brownies are fudgy, dense, rich, and super chocolate and with just a few basic ingredients and 30 minutes of your time, you’ve got yourself a batch of brownies that is out of this world!

They’re so chocolaty and delicious my only worry is eating the whole batch right out of the oven…

The super fudgy interior along with the crispy crinkle top is a combo made in heaven and will become your new favorite brownies!

A few years back I was hooked on boxed brownie mix and to be honest I thought they were “alright”. I mainly used the mix because it’s very easy to use because the thought of making brownies from scratch terrified me. Turns out, it’s not hard at all!

It may take any extra step making it from scratch but I swear it tastes 1 billion times better and once you try it you will NEVER EVER go back to brownie mix again!

Like I said, these brownies are simple and easy to make. The entire brownie mixture will be made in the pot or bowl you decide to melt your butter.

To save yourself time and effort, melt the butter in the same bowl that you will be mixing the brownie mix in. I like to use a glass microwave-safe mixing bowl so I can go right in to add the rest of the ingredients after melting the butter.

After melting the butter add the sugar and cocoa and stir until fully combined. Then add the eggs, vanilla, flour, and salt; mix and you’re done!

If you like you can now add 1/2 cup of chocolate chips, nuts, m&m’s, marshmallows, Reese’s or whatever your heart desires!

TIP FOR MAKING THE BEST FUDGE BROWNIES

Don’t overmix the batter. Overmixing the batter will allow air to get trapped in the batter and will result in cakey brownies.

Don’t overbake the brownies. If you are looking for fudgy brownies then remove them from the oven when the sides have begun to shrink away from the sides of the pan but the center is still gooey.

Cool before cutting. As hard as it may be, resist the urge to cut the brownies right out of the oven. Instead, cool them to room temperature or place them in the fridge to cool for at least an hour before cutting into them. This extra step will result in perfect professional cuts.

If you’re like me and you love CHOCOLATE, then do yourself a favor and chop up 4 oz of baking chocolate and stir them into the batter. This will take the brownies (which are already AMAZING) to the next level and make them EVEN BETTER.

 

4.73 from 625 votes

Easy One Bowl Fudgy Cocoa Brownies

By: Layla
Super fudgy and dense cocoa brownies are gooey on the inside, have a crinkly top, and are made with just 6 ingredients in under 30 minutes! This easy recipe makes the BEST brownies and is the only brownie recipe you will ever need.
Prep5 minutes
Cook20 minutes
Total25 minutes
Servings 16

Ingredients 

  • 1/2 cup butter, or oil
  • 1 cup sugar, see note
  • 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa, preferably, dutch processed
  • 2 large eggs
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla
  • 1/4 cup flour
  • 1/4 tsp salt, leave out if using salted butter
  • 1/2 cup favorite adds-ins , (chopped dark chocolate, chocolate chips or walnut)

Instructions 

  • Pre-heat oven to 350F. Grease an 8x8 square pan or a 9x5 loaf pan or line with parchment or foil; set aside.
  • In a large microwave-safe mixing bowl, add the butter and microwave for 1 minute or until completely melted. Add the sugar and cocoa powder and whisk vigorously for at least a minute, until the sugar has dissolved.
  • Add eggs one at a time then vanilla and whisk for at least 1 minute, until well combined and batter is shiny.
  • Stir in flour and salt until the flour is fully combined. Be careful not to overmix mix.
  • (optional) fold in 1/2 cup of nuts, raisins, chocolate chips or anything you desire.
  • Spread in pan and bake for approximately 20 minutes or until the center is slightly set.  Be careful not to over-bake!
  • Cool completely then cut into 9 large squares or 16 small squares ( I cut mine into 16)

Video

Notes

For EXTRA gooey brownies: Add 1 tablespoon oil of choice to the batter along with the butter.
For espresso flavor: add 1 teaspoon of instant coffee or espresso powder to boost the chocolate flavor.
Doubling the recipe: This recipe also doubles well in a 9x13 pan or 9x9 pan, add 5-7 minutes of baking time. To double, adjust the serving size above to 32. 
The sweetness: The recipe calls for 1 cup of sugar; feel free to use between 3/4 cup - 1 1/4 cup depending on your personal preference! 
Don't over-bake. Be sure to bake these brownies for no more than 20-25 minutes. Overbaking the brownies will make them dry and cakey.
The serving size: we cut the brownies into 16 small brownies and the serving size is per brownie. To cut into larger brownies, cut into 9 large pieces.

Nutrition

Serving: 1brownie, Calories: 128kcal, Carbohydrates: 17g, Protein: 2g, Fat: 7g, Saturated Fat: 4g, Cholesterol: 36mg, Sodium: 96mg, Potassium: 53mg, Fiber: 1g, Sugar: 13g, Vitamin A: 207IU, Calcium: 8mg, Iron: 1mg

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

Additional Info

Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Keyword: brownies,, cocoa, easy, fudge, gooey, quick
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692 Comments

  1. Bookmarked. I looked at a packaged brownie mix and cringed. I have cocoa, flour, salt and sugar in my pantry. If I have to add oil/butter and eggs anyway, why am I paying them to stir the other ingredients and put it in some cellophane inside a box?!! Making “Chocolate- covered Strawberry Brownies” tonight from our Farmers and Consumers Market Bulletin. Thank you for your simple, concise recipe. I did cut sugar to 3/4 cup since the brownies will be covered in strawberries and ganache.

  2. Heavenly, I added some butterscotch morsels.

  3. I replaced 1/2 of the cocoa with protein powder and cut down the sugar AND replaced 1/2 of it with xylitol and these were still amazing!! Great recipe – thanks for sharing it!!

  4. These brownies were amazing. I added chocolate chips and a table spoon of instant espresso powder. I accidentally made these in a 9×9 so I had to bake them longer and they were thin but they tasted fine. Next time I’ll use an 8×8 pan like I’m supposed to lol bit they were nice and fudgy like I like them.

  5. i just baked these brownies for my whole swing club, the whole family loved them!!!

  6. the brownies are so good!!! I love them so much, but of you like me then make a little more because the brownies mixture was that good I ate half..

    whoops

    1. One thing. Me and my friend friend used 1 cup of Nesquik and 2/3 of the sugar. I recommend this if you want sweeter brownies.

  7. I don’t usually leave comments on things like this, but holy HECK am I in love!! Ive been sharing this recipe with everyone, it’s absolutely perfect

  8. i cooked for 15 minutes and the edges were burnt but other than that it tasted great

  9. Delicious!!! The kids ate them all very quickly. Great chocolate flavor.

  10. The taste of these brownies is delicious , but the recipe needs to say to use self-rising flour or you need to add baking soda. They didn’t rise at all. I called them brownie crisps!

  11. I absolutely love these brownies! They are clearly the best I have ever made!

  12. This recipe is now my go-to for brownies. Every time I’ve made brownies in the past, they’ve turned out cakey, not these. They turned out so gooey and soft! Very fudgy too. Two thumbs up!

  13. I made these on a Tuesday when I had company over and they were so good I decided to make them again that Thursday totally recommend super fast to make and delicious

  14. Can I bake the batter in a cupcake tin or would it not work?

    1. Yes! I did this and it worked, but they were bigger and it only made 6 cupcake sized brownies.

    2. Sure it will work but be sure to keep an eye out on the baking time.

  15. I made these as a “using up what’s in the pantry dessert. Yum !!

  16. EXCELLENT recipe. We added about a 1/2 cup of peanut butter to a double batch, and they came out fudgy, and delicious. And, surprisingly, not over-sweet, which is a common flaw in brownie recipes imo. They ARE rich, but that just encourages taking them one (or two) at a time instead of eating the whole dang pan.

  17. BEST BROWNIES EVER! EASIEST BROWNIES EVER! Thank you

  18. Thank you. I love this recipe. Even it’s my first brownie but I think it the only recipe I will ever need. Super easy, simple and delicious!! I put peanuts and raisins and it’s yummy and crunchy!! However, I found that my top didn’t look like yours. It would be better if I had crinkly top. Would you please explain a bit more how to apply butter and sugar on it???

    1. Thanks for the feedback! For the crinkly top, be sure to whip the butter, sugar, and cocoa powder well.

  19. It was fast and done with one bowl as promised, but this missed the mark for my family. Even the center that was barely baked still managed to be crumbly. The center is always my favorite part because it is usually the fudgest part. So, that very much bummed me out.

    I added the one cup of sugar and the chocolate powder was still very bitter. We added chocolate chips on top and that helped the flavor.

    I will not be making this again.

  20. These tasted amazing! I couldn’t believe that my brownies turned out this great!

  21. These are so easy and delicious.
    I added a little bit of mocha coffee to the batter and they taste great with that hint of coffee.
    I’m going to have fun adding a variety of different things to this recipe!
    Thank you so much for sharing this with us.
    Have a great evening

  22. Hi ,

    Can you use normal baking butter or does it need to be unsalted butter ?

    Thanks

  23. These are really fun to make I love them and I got new hot pads and baking mit so that is fun too

  24. when you say flour is it cake flour or self-eaising flour

  25. Is 20 minutes accurate? I’m 20 3 minutes in and still liquid?

    1. Love this basic recipe, but I needed to cook closer to 30 minutes to get them done enough to eat without a spoon!

  26. These are SO good. My only question is how did you get the tops of yours to look crackly. Mine had more of a matte finish. Inside was fudgey and chewy, but the top looked cake like. Any tips??

    1. For the crinkly top, be sure to cream the butter and sugar!

  27. This recipe looks very simple and doable but I don’t have unsweetened cocoa powder and wondering if I can use ghiradelli sweet ground powder?

    1. Hi Jennifer, I’ve never heard of sweet ground powder. Is that cocoa powder? if so, I would use it and reduce the sugar in the recipe.

      1. Had the same issue as a few other comments here, it was basically raw batter. I cooked it for longer and it just did not set. Even after letting it cool. My son thought it was pudding! He liked it, but I’m just not sure what went wrong with ours and some of the others here.

  28. I made these for the first time, are used an 8 x 8 pan. Bake them for 20 minutes. Must’ve been too long because they turned out dry and cake like. Will try it again but not back as long. They do have a good flavor though.

    1. OK, I really don’t know what I’m doing wrong. I have made these three times now and each time they turn out cake like, not fudgy gooey like the recipe says.

      1. Are you using all-purpose flour or self-rising flour? Also, are you adding the extra oil?

  29. I have probably baked these seven times so far and I love them. I’m going to start a small business selling brownies

  30. Made these twice. Just finished third. Doubled and added tiny chocolate chips.

  31. My brownies always come out tasting like coco powder do these???

    1. Nope! These brownies taste just like “real” chocolate!

  32. I’d love to try this but I only have 10×14 inch pan 🙁 would that work if i double the recipe?

    1. If you have thick aluminum foil make it as a barrier and bake. My daughter does that for her cookie sheet

    2. Yes, doubling will work but you would need to bake for at least 30 minutes and keep an eye on it after that!

  33. Yum! I spontaneously added some of this morning’s leftover coffee, as well as a hit of cinnamon and cayenne pepper, and it’s so good!

  34. They taste amazing BUT doubling doesn’t work well at all. I did exactly as stated in the notes with a 9×13 pan and adding 5-7 minutes. It took 20 extra minutes (45 minutes total) and they still didn’t turn out right. The edges are hard and slightly crunchy while the center is almost liquid like. I’ll try again but in 2 pans as 2 batches definitely not doubled.