If you’re sick of the same ole box mix, but still want a super easy brownie recipe to whip up quickly in just one bowl, this simple recipe for chocolate chip brownies is for you!
Homemade fudgy brownies are not only my weakness, but they are the very reason I started baking and creating recipes in the first place!
A friendly challenge from my husband to make the perfect brownie recipe is what prompted me to make these, and I’ve been hooked on creating simple yet delicious recipes ever since!
There’s something about the smell of fresh-out-the-oven homemade brownies that just makes a house feel like a home. And the smell coming from my kitchen at this very moment has me more excited than ever to share this recipe with you.
As a busy mom and environmental scientist, one-bowl recipes are my absolute favorite! Less clean-up means we save on both time and water! A total win, win!
Green tip: Speaking of cleanup, if you have a dishwasher-use it! Comparing dishwashing to handwashing, using an efficient dishwasher uses 1/6th the amount of water to get your dishes clean!
Chocolate Chip Brownies Ingredients & Substitutions
Here’s everything you need:
- Unsalted butter. Salted butter can absolutely be used in a pinch. If you do lose salted butter, leave out the added salt.
- Oil. Vegetable, canola, grapeseed, or coconut oil (in liquid form).
- Sugar. Granulated white sugar works best.
- Eggs.
- Vanilla extract.
- Cocoa powder. I use unsweetened, dark cocoa powder.
- All-purpose flour.
- Salt.
- Espresso powder. This is optional, and is not intended to lend a coffee taste, but just to bring out the flavor of the cocoa powder.
- Chocolate chips. I use dark chocolate chips, but you can also use semi-sweet.
Butter Vs Oil in Brownies
Butter is much more flavorful than oil in brownies, but using butter alone can yield a cakier brownie. We are going for fudgy brownies here. Just a touch of oil on top of the butter in this recipe makes it extra moist.
How to Make Brownies with Chocolate Chips
Preheat and Prep Your Brownie Pan
The easiest way to line your baking pan is with parchment paper and a pair of scissors. Grab a piece of parchment paper that is about 2 inches longer than your pan on all sides.
Place your pan in the center of the parchment paper, and use scissors to cut out all four corners as pictured below.
Your parchment paper should now be able to slide easily into your pan. The flaps also make your brownies super easy to remove from the pan, working as makeshift handles to lift the brownies out.
If you would rather grease your pan than line it, you certainly can. Use butter, oil, or nonstick spray.
Cream Together the Fat and Sugar
It’s imperative that your butter is softened in order to get the best consistency to your brownie batter. That means not melted, and not too cold and rigid.
The easiest way to soften your butter is to just allow it to rest at room temperature for about 30 minutes before you start baking.
If you forget or need your butter softened fast, check out my article on how to soften butter quickly.
Add the softened butter, oil, and sugar to a large mixing bowl and use a hand mixer on high to cream it together until its fluffy and well-combined. Don’t rush this step, it can take up to 5 minutes with the hand mixer on high!
“Creaming” just means dissolving the sugar with fat (in this case butter and oil) to avoid any grittiness in your brownie batter. It also aerates the batter and ultimately makes for a fudgier brownie.
Add the Wet Ingredients Next
Once your butter, oil, and sugar are well-combined, it’s time to add the eggs and vanilla extract. Use the hand mixer again until just-combined (we don’t want to over-mix the batter once the eggs are in there).
Here’s my obligatory reminder that it’s always best practice to crack your eggs into a separate dish instead of directly into your batter. This will allow you to fish out any accidental eggshells and protect your progress so far if you get a bad egg.
That being said, if you’re confident in your egg-cracking skills—go for it!
Add the Dry Ingredients
Next, add the cocoa powder, all-purpose flour, espresso powder, and salt. I purposefully did not add any rising agent (baking powder or baking soda) because I like super-fudgy brownies.
The espresso powder is optional but recommended for the best flavor. The presence of the espresso powder just brings out the chocolaty flavor. We are not adding enough to get a coffee taste.
Mix your dry ingredients into your batter until just combined. You should be left with an airy batter.
Add the Chocolate Chips Last
The last step to making your fudgy homemade brownie batter is to fold in the chocolate chips.
Add the chocolate chips to the bowl with the batter and use a spatula to carefully fold them in to maintain the airy texture of the batter.
How to Perfectly Bake Fudgy Brownies
Use your spatula again to transfer the chocolate chip brownie batter to your prepped baking pan and spread it out.
You will get some spreading while the brownies bake, so it doesn’t have to be perfect by any means. Still, it’s best to help the batter out by using the spatula to smooth it into all four corners of the pan.
Bake at 350°F for 25-30 minutes on the top rack of the preheated oven. In my oven, these homemade brownies are perfect after 28 minutes every time.
You’ll know they’re ready if you give the pan a shake and the center doesn’t wobble.
How to Properly Store Fudgy Chocolate Chip Brownies
Keep your one-bowl brownies in an airtight container or cover them to keep them fresh. At room temperature, these yummy fudgy squares will stay delicious for 3-4 days.
And in the fridge, these brownies will last up to a week!
If you want to extend the life of your brownies, you can freeze them in an airtight container for up to 4 months. Simply allow them to thaw at room temperature before biting into them.
Why these One-Bowl Chocolate Chip Brownie Recipe will be your Go-To for Fudgy Brownies
- They’re simple. Only one bowl, 10 simple ingredients, and 30 minutes of baking time.
- The texture. They’re fudgy and freckled with chocolate chips for the perfect bite every time.
- They’re foolproof. This is a brownie recipe that really can’t go wrong. Whether you’re a beginner baker or a total pro, the outcome will be delicious regardless.
If you’re loving these chocolate chip brownies and want more delicious brownie recipes, check out these Buckeye Brownies and Raspberry Cheesecake Brownies.
One-Bowl Fudgy Chocolate Chip Brownies
Print Save RateEquipment
- 9×9-inch or 8×8-inch baking pan
Ingredients
- ½ cup unsalted butter (softened)
- 1 tablespoon oil (canola, vegetable, grapeseed, or coconut in liquid form)
- 1 ¼ cups granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- ½ cup all-purpose flour
- ½ cup unsweetened cocoa powder (I used dark)
- ¼ teaspoon salt (plus an optional extra pinch of flaky salt for the top)
- 2 teaspoons espresso powder (optional)
- 1 cup chocolate chips (dark or semi-sweet)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F and line your pan with parchment paper.
- In a large mixing bowl, use a hand mixer on high to combine the softened butter, oil, and sugar for 2-3 minutes to cream together.
- Add the eggs and vanilla and use the hand mixer on low until combined.
- Mix in flour, cocoa powder, espresso powder (optional), and salt and combine until smooth. Your batter should be light and airy.
- Use a spatula to fold in the chocolate chips.
- Transfer the brownie batter to your prepped pan and use a spatula to spread it out in an even layer.
- Bake for 25-30 minutes on the top rack of the oven, until the middle doesn't wobble when shaken. Option to crack on sea salt or pink Himalayan salt. Allow to cool completely before removing from the pan and slicing into 9 or 16 brownies!
Pro Tips
- When the brownies first come out of the oven, they may seem slightly underdone. This is intentional as they will continue to cook until they cool. However, if you are one of those people who prefers the corner pieces and not the ooey-gooey middle bits, leave them in the oven for 5 extra minutes in order to get a crispier treat.
- I like my brownies chunkier, so I use a 9-inch by 9-inch pan or an 8-inch by 8-inch pan. If you want thinner brownies, you can easily use a 13-inch by 9-inch pan. No need to alter the cooking time or anything. I’ve made them in this size pan before and they are equally delicious.
- If you love brownies as much as I do, you’ll love this collection of my greatest brownie recipes!
- Chocolate lover? Me too! You’ll love the collection of my best chocolate recipes!
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