Thick, Fudgy, Chewy, Ultimate Brownies are the most decadent, fantastic brownies ever! Intense chocolate flavor, tissue-thin crinkly crust, and ultra rich, your search for the ultimate brownie recipe ends here.
I have already posted several brownie recipes here on House of Nash Eats, including my Mississippi Mud Brownies and Easy Caramel Pecan Brownies.
But I haven’t yet posted a recipe for my favorite classic, deeply chocolatey, thick and fudgy, chewy and dense, ultimate brownies. The ones I make in place of box mix brownies, which, let’s face it, is the gold standard for many people when it comes to brownies. The recipe I go to when I want to bring out the big guns and do an intensely chocolate brownie.
But the time has come and that time is now.
I stumbled onto this recipe for Ultimate Brownies from Tessa at Handle the Heat and fell in love. When I saw her recipe I knew I had to try it because it is quite similar to the trusted classic brownie recipe I had been making for years, with just a couple of tweaks that result in even better thick, fudgy, chewy, ultimate brownies.
One of those tweaks is actually beating the sugar and the eggs together for a few minutes until a thick, ribbon-like texture forms. This is the step that is going to give you that perfect, tissue-thin crinkly crust on top of your brownies. But it also helps the brownies rise just enough, without using baking powder or baking soda, which would make for more cakey brownies (aka, not what I am going for when making the ultimate fudgy, chewy brownie). And the extra egg yolk added to the batter really adds a richness and keeps the texture of the brownies nice and moist and chewy.
Honestly, one of the best parts for me about making brownies from scratch is the way they smell. The process of melting chocolate and butter to add to the sugar and eggs fills your kitchen with the most incredible aroma that you just never get by mixing up a batch of boxed mix brownies. Using both unsweetened chocolate and semisweet chocolate chips in these brownies provides some serious chocolate flavor without making a dry or crumbly brownie the way cocoa powder sometimes does.
Be sure to cool the brownies completely (yeah right) before cutting. Really though, the chocolate flavor actually develops and improves as the brownies cool, so if you can hold out, giving the brownies a chance to really cool down makes them even more delicious! You can always reheat for a few seconds in the microwave before serving if you want a warm brownie.
These thick, fudgy, chewy, ultimate brownies are the perfect base for a hot fudge brownie sundae, especially if you load them with chopped walnuts (necessary, in my opinion, although Paul typically prefers his brownies without nuts).
Thick, Fudgy, Chewy, Ultimate Brownies are the most decadent, fantastic brownies ever! Intense chocolate flavor, tissue-thin crinkly crust, and ultra rich, your search for the ultimate brownie recipe ends here.
- 1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
- 12 tablespoons butter, cut into chunks
- 4 ounces high quality unsweetened chocolate, chopped
- 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
- 3 large eggs, plus 1 egg yolk
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup chopped walnuts (optional)
- 1 cup chocolate chips (optional)
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Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a square 8x8" baking dish with parchment paper and spray with cooking spray.
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Combine the chocolate chips, butter, and chopped unsweetened chocolate in a large microwave-safe bowl. Microwave on high in 30 second bursts, stirring well with a spoon or spatula between bursts, until completely melted and smooth. Allow to cool for a few minutes before continuing.
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In a separate bowl, combine the eggs, egg yolk, and sugar and beat with an electric mixer for 3 minutes on medium-high speed until light and thick. This step is important because it is what is going to give that papery thin, crackly crust and perfect brownie texture that you want. Add the vanilla and beat again until combined.
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Add the slightly cooled melted chocolate and butter to the eggs, sugar and vanilla and stir to combine using a wooden spoon or spatula. Sprinkle the flour and salt over the batter and gently stir it in, just until no streaks of flour remain. Stir in chopped walnuts and/or additional chocolate chips, if desired.
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Pour the brownie batter into the prepared baking dish and bake for 35 to 40 minutes, until a toothpick or skewer inserted into the center of the brownies comes out mostly clean with only a few crumbs attached. Be sure not to overbake these brownies.
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Cool completely before cutting. Store in an airtight container for up to 4 days in the fridge.
Recipe from Handle the Heat.
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I'm Amy: former lawyer, now SAHM in the CA Bay Area. I love food, photography, books, travel, exercise, adoption and pie. Definitely pie. 
You had me at thick, fudgy and chewy. This is how brownies should look, and now I need some.
Wait, only 15 minutes of prep time with just a few ingredients? Yes please! These look absolutely delicious and I must have one immediately! Thank you for sharing! Luci’s Morsels | fashion. food. frivolity.
These brownies look AMAZING! I can see why they are the ultimate fudge brownies. I need one now with a big dollop of cream
If your goal was to make me swoon with these brownies, then Mission Accomplished! Gorgeous. And I love how there’s no leavener to keep them fudgy and dense — the way a brownie should be.
Thanks, Lisa! I couldn’t agree more!
I can imagine the aroma in the kitchen while making these brownies. These look absolutely decadent and delicious. Love the pictures too.
Dense, chewy brownies are my absolute favorite! This look like they would be absolutely perfect!! Pinned!!
Mine too! Thanks, Kathryn!
These look fabulous, Amy! All that chewy chocolatey deliciousness. Just need a tall glass of milk and you’re set!
I think I’ll make these this weekend. I really want to make them right now but seeing as I haven’t had breakfast yet, that might be a bad idea 😉
Oh my word! These look amazing!! I could eat about 5 if these right now 🙂
That looks absolutely delicious!! I love the crusty top of a brownie but have a hard time getting my brownies to do that! I can’t wait to try your method!
I made these last night and they turned out AMAZING!
I followed the recipe exactly and made sure not to try and cut them too soon. I also used my trick of using a plastic knife to cut them with. My friends said they tasted like molten chocolate!
I’m so happy to hear how much you enjoyed them! I always forget about that trick of using a plastic knife to cut brownies but it totally works! So smart!
You can almost taste them through the screen! Nuts for me please!
There is nothing more perfect than fudgy, chewy brownie. Unless of course it is a fudgy, chewy brownie with ice cream!
You have me drooling at my computer! They sound amazing!
These brownies look like dessert perfection! So thick and chewy, just the way brownies should be. Yum! These would not last long in my house 😉
We LOVE homemade brownies. Me, being a farmgirl, born and raised and my husband, being a subdivision boy, differ on brownies. I developed my own recipe to be similar to boxed brownies too, because that’s what he grew up on! Love all your tips!
Oh My! You seem to have nailed the brownie recipe..these look perfect. Loving it. Drooling..Will need to pin it.
I made these for a birthday at work and they still talk about them to this day. I doubled the recipe and cooked them in a 9×13 pan. They were super thick and delicious. I set them up with vanilla ice cream and various toppings. It’s not my turn for the birthday dessert this month but I have been asked to make them again.
Yay! I love it!
These are the best brownies I have ever had! Thank you for sharing this recipe! My family loved them! These will be regularly made in our house!
So glad you enjoyed them Tara!