The easiest one bowl classic fudge brownie with a beautiful shiny flaky crust.
Yesterday you saw my deliciously boozy Baileys Irish Cream Brownie Chocolatini. Today, you’ll see (part 2 of 3) the homemade brownies I made for it. It’s my very own tried and true recipe. One I’ve made countless times and never fails me.
I’ve been hesitant in showing you this recipe thinking there are so many out there, so why mine? Why another classic brownie recipe? But when you make it enough times, you’re able to determine how much or how little you need to adjust certain ingredients to your liking.
I am by no means a professional recipe developer (although I try to create everything on my own) so when I come up with something and it works, I try it again. If it works again aaand again then, I know I’ve got something going here and you better believe, I will announce it to the world. Because I’m proud!
How many times have you made brownies from scratch only to have it end up too cake-like, dry, not fudgy enough or lacked the flaky cracked top?! That irks me sooo bad. A brownie is not a brownie if it’s not fudgy with a flaky top. Let’s not forget that this is the reason why brownies differ from any other square or bars known. So unless your goal is to go for a cake-like version of a brownie such as Betty Crocker’s Spicy Mexican Brownie then, I can understand.
You just can’t say no to Betty.
So as the name implies here’s my recipe, a one-bowl fudge brownie that’ll always remain a classic. I hope you try it, like it, love it and share it. And if you do, tell me about it too.
Part 2 of a 3-part series
- Part 1 – BAILEYS Irish Cream Brownie Chocolatini
- Part 2 – Homemade One-Bowl Classic Fudge Brownies
- Part 3 – Easy Homemade BAILEYS Irish Cream – Ice Cream
If you enjoyed this recipe, consider commenting & rating below. I love to see your feedback and help answer any questions. Don’t forget to check below for related recipes.
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Easy One-Bowl Classic Fudge Brownies
- Total Time: 1 hour
- Yield: 16 squares 1x
- Diet: Vegetarian
Description
The easiest one bowl classic fudge brownie with a beautiful shiny flaky crust.
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup (113 grams) unsalted butter
- 1 cup (200 grams) granulated sugar
- 1/2 cup (34 grams) unsweetened cocoa powder
- 2 large eggs (100 grams)
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 3/4 cup (90 grams) all-purpose flour
Equipment
Instructions
- Heat oven to 350°F (175°C). Grease bottom and sides of an 8×8 inch (20×20 cm) baking pan and line it with parchment paper leaving excess parchment to hang over the sides for easy removal; set aside.
- In a medium bowl, melt butter in the microwave for 30 seconds. Heat for another 10 to 15 seconds, stir partially melted butter to allow the residual heat to fully melt the remaining butter.
- Whisk in sugar and cocoa. Beat in eggs and vanilla.
- Using a rubber spatula, fold flour into the chocolate-mixture until it is completely blended with no dry pockets of flour; batter will be thick. Pour batter into the prepared pan. Using an angled spatula, evenly spread the batter across the pan.
- Bake for 35 to 40 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. ENJOY!
Notes
- If you double/triple the ingredients, the amounts listed in the instructions as well as the size of the bakeware and cook/bake time may not reflect; adjust accordingly. Alternatively, you may ask for guidance using the comment section below.
- This recipe, originally created over 10 years ago, was made with a greater sweet tooth. The amount of sugar in the original recipe was 1 1/2 cups (300 grams). Many of you love the original brownies however, with growing feedback of being too sweet, I’ve re-tested the recipe and have concluded, reducing the sugar by 1/3 was the ‘sweet spot’ to avoid an overwhelmingly sweet brownie. If you loved the original, please continue to use 1 1/2 cups of sugar.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 40 minutes
- Category: Brownie
- Cuisine: American
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My granddaughters and I love these brownies! They’re so fudgy and just delicious. Our favorite brownie recipe.
Hi Judy,
So glad to hear your family loves them!! Thanks for stopping by and sharing your experience!
– Connie
I just made these brownies today. and I am gonna reduce the sugar to 1 cup. I really like this recipe. I had to leave mine in the oven 5 minutes longer. I used a glass cake dish.
Great recipe!! My first time making brownies from scratch and this was super easy to follow. I will definitely make these again.
Hi Jenny!
Yay! Glad you like this recipe and that it was a success for your first brownies from scratch! It was one of my firsts created many moons ago. Since then, I’ve made a variety of brownies using this recipe as the base. Thanks so much for sharing your experience!
– Connie
Hi Eileen,
I’m glad you liked this recipe! And it’s completely understandable on reducing the sugar to 1 cup. This recipe was originally made around 10 years ago when I had a stronger sweet tooth. Thanks so much for sharing your experience!
~ Connie
I’m sure it’s just me. I doubled the recipe and put it in an 8×8. After 40 minutes it was still very raw in the middle. But the outside was perfect. If I double the recipe does that count for 2 pans?
Thank you!
Hi Janice,
The plugin used to create the recipe card allows doubling and tripling the ingredients but it unfortunately doesn’t take into account the instructions of the recipe. Generally, when doubling the ingredients, the bakeware will have to go up in size as well as increased bake time. If you double this recipe, use a 9×13 inch pan and bake a minimum for 45 mins checking readiness about every 5 mins until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out dry or with a few dry crumbs. Hope if and when you give this another try, that it’s a success!
~ Connie
Can I substitute bakers chocolate squares for cocoa powder? I would melt the chocolate with the butter. Should I adjust the flour since the chocolate adds more liquid?
Way way too much sugar. Tastes like chocolate flavored sugar. Wouldn’t recommend this version as is.
Hi Bevel,
Sweetness can be subjective and mine has certainly changed over the years. Though it may not work for all recipes, in this one, the amount of sugar used can be decreased to your liking.
I thought so too, so I used 1 cup instead of 1 and a half and it was perfect✌
Hi Lori,
I may have to re-evaluate the amount of sugar in this one. It was made long ago when I had a heavier sweet tooth. Nevertheless, I appreciate you letting us know what worked for you!
You nearly burnt my kitchen to a crisp. 30 mins in and black smoke everywhere. Don’t recommend leaving it unattended!
Miah, This must have been scary and frustrating. So sorry this happened!
I can assure you 30 mins is the average bake time for brownies in an 8×8 pan so the fact yours burned tells me something else was the culprit, because this should not have happened. Might I suggest having your oven calibrated? Sometimes oven temps can change over time.
Hahaha…you’re so kind and patient!
I wouldn’t have been.
That is not the recipe’s fault! You must have done something wrong. No need to be so rude!
Quick, easy, and really good. Personally, I think they’re a little too sweet, but everything else is perfect. I’d love to make them again, would it be ok to use less sugar?
Hi Amalia!
I’m so glad you like them! Yes, you can use less sugar. Instead of using 1 1/2 cups, try 1 cup instead. See how that goes and adjust the next time after that if it wasn’t sweet enough.
– Connie
Easy and scrumptious, and I love that it’s a relatively small recipe. (Some brownie recipes ask for a big pan – that’s just dangerous! 😀 ) This one is perfect! Thanks!
Hi Hettie, I’m so glad you found this one to be perfect! Thanks for sharing your experience. 😀
– Connie | URBAN BAKES
This is my favorite, all time brownie recipe! there’s a lot that are similar, but THIS is the one!!
Im going to SAVE it this time!
Aww! Thanks, Jackie! Glad to see this brownie recipe is your favorite 😀
Thank you!
– Connie
Hi Connie,
this is a great recipe!
I have a silly question though.. is it possible to use a Mix Butter (butter mix with margarine, it’s a widely available here in Indonesia, and much more affordable than a pure butter).
Hi Widi,
Thank you so much!
I had to look up this ingredient and came across a brand called Dairygold butter blend that has margarine in it. Margarine alone or mixed with butter should be fine to use as a substitute for the 1/2 cup butter this recipe calls for. To be honest, many years ago I used to use margarine instead of butter so I’m pretty sure the recipe will work just fine 🙂
– Connie
I notice the pan size did not change when the recipe doubled or triple. Should a larger baken pan be used.
Hi Marilyn,
The recipe card is only able to change the quantities of the ingredients. But you ask a good question about the pan size. Yes, if you decide to double/triple the recipe, use a 9×13 inch pan. The bake time will be closer to 40 minutes however, check it at the 35 min mark with a toothpick to help determine if it needs more time. Hope this helps and would love to know how it turned out!
– Connie
Absolutely delicious. Made these tonight for my family and I added in some chocolate chips and walnuts and it was the perfect amount of gooey/not too dry. Just right. Will definitely be making again.
That’s awesome! I love walnuts in my brownies too. So glad you and your family thought these were delicious!
– Connie
Hi- I love this recipe and have made it a few times, thanks for sharing. Quick question because I know 1+1 does not always equal 2 in baking. When I select 1 recipe, it’s 1 stick of butter but when I change it to 2, it’s still 1 stick of butter. I made 2 single recipes just in case, but is the butter measurement correct when doubling? Thanks!
Hi Nat!
You’re absolutely right in baking that 1+1 doesn’t always equal to 2. That’s usually the case for very large or very small recipes when flavors/textures can begin to go off from the original recipe. In this case for doubling, you’re still in the safe zone. Use 1 cup of butter (2 sticks). The recipe card only recognizes the first number on the ingredient line which is why the quantity in parenthesis didn’t double when switched to 2 – a small glitch in the system but very good question.
If doubling, I recommend splitting the batter in half to bake one batch at a time while keeping the reserved batter covered in the fridge until ready to bake. However, if you decide to bake in 2 separate 8×8 pans, keep them on the same rack and the time may have to increase by 5 to 10 minutes.
Glad you love the recipe! Happy baking!
– Connie | URBAN BAKES
Hi .. great recipe ..love the cracks top is so thick Crack. Is the hot mixture (butter) need to cooled first?, Before mix in egg and sugar ?..
Thank you so much.,
Nad, from Indonesia.
Hi Noor,
I apologize for the delay in response. I have been out of work for 3 weeks and so I am now catching up on messages. I’m glad you like the cracked top, that’s the best part! As for the recipe, make sure the butter is just melted. It will cool down to about room temperature when you mix in the sugar and cocoa. Then afterwards, you can mix in the eggs. Adding the eggs after the sugar and cocoa will prevent the eggs from curdling. Let me know your thoughts if you make them. Have fun!
~ Connie