Extreme fudge alert! These ultimate fudge brownies are rich, chocolatey, and dense! They’re the ultimate chocolate lovers brownie!
Table of contents
Ultimate Fudge Brownies
If you google “ultimate fudge brownies” there are millions of search results... (I don’t recommend doing this if you’re hungry.) I’ve thrown quite a few brownie recipes out there myself, however, none provided that box mix-esque fudginess that we all know and love.
So often, ultimate fudge brownie recipes are disappointing (at least all the ones I’ve tried)... but I’m here to change your views on that. Those ultimate “fudge” brownies that are drier than the Sahara desert in the summertime? Never again. Brownies that are too sweet OR not sweet enough? No thanks. And brownies that are described as “chewy” but taste like chocolate cake? Later dude. It’s time to say goodbye to mediocre brownies and HELLO to the best ultimate fudge brownies ever.
I don’t like throwing around ‘best’ and ‘ultimate’ all the time since I know brownie recipes can be subjective, of course. I don’t want to step on your Great Grandma Edna’s recipe or your favorite boxed mix, but for me, this is my new favorite.
Ingredients for Ultimate Fudge Brownies
You probably have most of what you need to make these brownies already sitting in your kitchen. Here's what you'll need:
- Butter: The one and only. A high fat-to-flour ratio is one of the reasons these brownies are so ridiculously fudgy.
- Dark chocolate: I love using 70% cacao dark chocolate in my baked goods; but you could also opt for a semisweet chocolate for this recipe. When it comes to baking with chocolate, make sure to use the highest quality one that has the fewest ingredients.
- Cocoa powder: I recommend using a Dutch-processed cocoa for that deep, chocolatey flavor although your regular unsweetened cocoa powder will work just fine!
- Espresso powder: This is different than instant coffee! Espresso powder further brings out the chocolate flavor; don't worry... your brownies won't taste like coffee, I promise!
- Sugar: This recipe uses both granulated and dark brown sugar for the ideal fudge brownie texture.
- Vanilla: Leaving it out will result in brownies that taste a little bland.
- Salt: Brownies made without salt taste a little plain, so don’t skip it.
- Eggs: Three large (room temperature) eggs are all you need.
- All-purpose flour: Only ½ cup of all-purpose flour is needed!
How to Make the Best Ultimate Fudge Brownies
These are rather simple to make but they do require a little extra work compared to your basic one bowl brownie recipe. I promise it's worth it though! You'll need a saucepan, a hand or stand mixer, and three mixing bowls. To make them, you'll follow these steps:
- Melt the butter with dark chocolate, cocoa powder, and espresso powder. Here’s where the saucepan comes into play. You'll melt the butter until it's vigorously (read: violently) bubbling and then pour it over the chopped chocolate, some of the cocoa powder, and the espresso powder. After sitting for a minute or so, you'll whisk it all together until you're left with a smooth and well-combined chocolatey mixture.
- Whisk the sugars, vanilla, salt, and eggs together. This step is crucial to this recipe. You'll combine both sugars, vanilla extract, salt, and all three eggs in the bowl of your mixer and whisk them on high speed for precisely 10 minutes. This process incorporates a ton of air into our batter which will act as our leavening agent (rather than including any baking powder/baking soda). The final result will look like an extremely thick, pale yellow pancake batter.
- Add the chocolate mixture. With the mixer running, you'll slowly stream in the melted chocolate mixture and then mix it on high for about a minute or two to make sure it's nice and combined. Make sure to add the chocolate gradually so you don't run the risk of 1) cooking the eggs or 2) deflating your batter.
- Add the dry ingredients. Once the chocolate mixture is incorporated, you'll sift in the flour and remaining cocoa powder and then carefully fold the batter until the dry ingredients are completely combined. Again, careful not to deflate the batter or overmix!
- Bake. Once your dry ingredients are mixed in, you're ready to transfer the batter to your prepared pan and bake! You'll bake them for 20 minutes and then remove the pan from the oven and *carefully* slam it on a solid, flat surface a few times. What this does is deflate them ever so slightly which contributes to an even thickness/texture and helps guarantee that beautiful crackly top. After slamming the pan on the counter a few times, the brownies will need another 10 minutes or so in the oven. Every oven is different, so keep a close eye on the brownies after returning them to the oven.
Ultimate Fudge Brownies Recipe Troubleshooting & FAQ
CAN I DOUBLE THIS ULTIMATE FUDGE BROWNIE RECIPE?
Yes! You can easily double the recipe, and bake it in a 13×9-inch pan. You can adjust the 'servings' slider from 16 to 32 in the recipe card to get the proper measurements. Just keep in mind that your brownies might take a few minutes longer to bake overall.
DO I REALLY NEED A MIXER TO MAKE THESE ULTIMATE FUDGE BROWNIES?
Unfortunately, yes! Whisking the ingredients by hand just won't incorporate as much air into the batter, which is essentially our leavening agent. The recipe also instructs you to add melted chocolate and butter to eggs while the mixture is still warm. Using a hand or stand mixer helps prevent the eggs in the batter from scrambling because the whisking motion distributes heat more evenly!
CAN I REDUCE THE SUGAR IN THESE ULTIMATE FUDGE BROWNIES?
I don't recommend it, but you can reduce the granulated sugar by ¼ cup (50 grams), and should be fine! I wouldn't mess with the dark brown sugar at all since the moisture (from the molasses in the brown sugar) helps contribute to the brownies' chewiness and fudginess.
WHAT CAN I SUBSTITUTE THE EGGS WITH?
I haven't tested this recipe using any sort of egg substitute nor do I plan to, unfortunately. The eggs are such a key component in this recipe and contribute to the overall thickness, texture, and fudginess of the brownies; I'm skeptical that any sort of substitute would work without significantly changing the final result.
HELP! MY BROWNIES DON'T HAVE THE SHINY PAPER CRINKLE TOP LIKE YOURS DO! WHAT DID I DO WRONG?
It’s likely one of three things! You either 1) used too much flour, 2) used too little sugar, or 3) baked the brownies for too long. If you used cup measures as opposed to weight measures, your ingredients were probably a little off. As weird as this sounds, measuring cups aren’t as accurate as you think and it's easier to use too much or too little of an ingredient when using volume measures. This is why I list ingredients by grams first and why you should really be measuring by weight with a kitchen scale instead—it’s much more reliable and completely eliminates any inconsistencies.
If you used weight measures and are STILL experiencing issues, it’s likely that the brownies were overbaked. Check out the notes below on how to test brownies for doneness.
HELP! MY BROWNIES CAME OUT A LITTLE CAKEY AND TOUGH. WHAT DID I DO WRONG?
Cakey, tough brownies are caused by overmixing the batter! When mixing the dry ingredients into the rest of the batter, simply mix just until the flour disappears! If you mix beyond that, your brownies will come out tough and no one wants that...
HOW CAN YOU TELL WHEN THE BROWNIES ARE DONE BAKING?
A toothpick is your best friend when testing brownies for doneness. You'll want to remove these brownies when your toothpick is covered in moist crumbs; they might even still look ever so slightly underdone in the center. The residual heat of the pan will continue to finish cooking them to fudgy perfection, however, so make sure to let them cool completely in the pan.
HOW DO I STORE THESE ULTIMATE FUDGE BROWNIES?
Store these brownies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to three days.
CAN I FREEZE LEFTOVER ULTIMATE FUDGE BROWNIES?
You can absolutely freeze these brownies! To do so, individually wrap any leftover brownies in two layers of plastic wrap, then a layer of aluminum foil. (The aluminum foil will prevent the bars from absorbing any other flavors or odors in the freezer.) Freeze for up to 3 months. Transfer the brownies to the refrigerator to thaw overnight before serving. You can eat the brownies straight from the fridge, or rewarmed in the microwave.
If you like your brownie recipe to be fudgy and super chocolatey, well then, these ultimate fudge brownies were made for you. Give 'em a try and let me know what you think!
*Blog post updated July 27, 2021*
Ultimate Fudge Brownies
Ingredients
- 230 g unsalted butter
- 115 g dark chocolate chopped (70% cacao)
- 45 g cocoa powder divided
- 2 tsp espresso powder
- 150 g granulated sugar
- 110 g dark brown sugar
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 tsp coarse sea salt
- 3 large eggs (approx. 150 grams)
- 60 g all-purpose flour
Instructions
- Grease an 8×8-inch pan with butter, then line with parchment paper, leaving overhang on all sides. Grease the parchment with butter, then set aside.
- Combine the chopped chocolate, espresso powder, and 2 tablespoons (15 g) of cocoa powder in a medium heatproof bowl and set aside.115 g dark chocolate, 45 g cocoa powder, 2 tsp espresso powder
- Add the butter to a small saucepan over medium heat and cook until the butter just comes to a vigorous simmer, stirring often. Immediately pour the hot butter over the chocolate mixture and let sit for 2 minutes. Whisk until the chocolate is completely smooth and melted, then set aside.230 g unsalted butter
- Preheat oven to preheat to 350°F.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, or using an electric hand mixer, whisk together the granulated sugar, brown sugar, vanilla extract, salt, and eggs for exactly 10 minutes on medium-high.150 g granulated sugar, 110 g dark brown sugar, 2 tsp vanilla extract, 1 tsp coarse sea salt, 3 large eggs
- With the mixer on, pour in the slightly cooled chocolate mixture and mix until smooth.
- Sift in the flour and remaining cocoa powder and use a rubber spatula to gently fold until just combined.45 g cocoa powder, 60 g all-purpose flour
- Pour the batter into the prepared baking pan and smooth the top with a spatula. Bake for 20 minutes and then remove the pan from the oven and slam them on a flat surface 2-3 times (this deflates them slightly, giving them a more even texture and encourages that beautiful crackly top). Return to the oven and bake until a wooden skewer inserted into the center of the brownies comes out fudgy but the edges look cooked through, about 10 additional minutes.* The center of the brownies will seem underbaked, but the brownies will continue to set as they cool.
- Allow brownies to cool completely in the pan.
- Use the parchment paper to lift the cooled brownies out of the pan. Cut into 16 bars and serve. Enjoy!
Notes
Nutrition
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May I substitute some of the butter for oil?
In theory, it should work! I've never tested it myself, however.
Got the recipe from Mikes cookbook, but I figured I’d leave a review here as well! These brownies were deeply chocolatey and the fudgiest brownies I’ve ever had. My family devoured these with ice cream. Be warned though that these are extremely rich and not for the faint of heart!
These have been super highly rated by everyone I’ve made them for 🙂
Tried this recipe because I think there's no end to good brownie recipes and I have followed your insta for a while but finally tried a recipe of yours recently. Also, saw how commenting and rating bloggers' blog posts is a better way to support then just following them on insta so here I am. My ideal brownie is a chewy one but I love this recipe because flavor wise it's essentially perfect.
Hi! Should the eggs be room temp or cold from the fridge? Thanks, these look so delicious!
Room temp is ideal! But I've made these with eggs straight from the fridge and had no issues! 🙂
Awesome, thanks so much for the quick reply!
Hi Mike,
Is it 350F fan or gas?
I can’t wait to bake these brownies. They seem heavenly!
Thanks!
All of my recipes are developed and tested using a gas oven (no fan)!
Hi!
My brownies ended up cakey/spongey and a tad dry.
What do you think I did wrong? Did I bake them for too long?
Sounds like they were either baked too long or your oven might run a little hot!
To tell you the truth I tried several recipes and they were all caky not a fudgy brownies I accidentally came to Mike's page and can't trust any body's recipes anymore all are just perfect I already backed the common role, it turned out so awesome and brownies also. Thanks a thousands time Mike.
I just wonder If I can reduce the amount of sugar do you think it goes well cause It was a bit sweet for my taste
Thanks again the best ever
You could reduce either the granulated or brown sugar by 1/4 cup (50 grams); I wouldn't recommend reducing any lower than that!
I’m officially addicted to these brownies! The best I’ve had in a loooong while. I’ve made them several times in just the last couple of months. Perfect for an afternoon treat or late night chocolate craving and they always hit the spot! I have to exercise some serious self control to not continue eating brownie after brownie. Thanks for sharing this delicious recipe, Mike!
Have made these twice now. Perfect both times, deliciously fudgy! My go to recipe now!
This is legit the best brownie recipe ever. I've tried so many recipes but never get that perfect fudgy consistency. It's either too cakey or too fudgy. I loved this!!!! I prefer lesser sugar so I used 1/4 cup of sugar instead and it was perfect.
Hi Mike,
Can you suggest any replacement for eggs?
These brownies look heavenly and i would love to try the eggless version.
I don't test my recipes using egg substitutes, so I'm not sure, unfortunately. Sorry!!
Brilliant recipe.
I had seen these on your Instagram and knew I needed to make them. Did not disappoint!!!! Rich, fudgey delicious brownies and a concise easy to execute recipe. THANK YOU!
this is the best brownie recipe ever !!!
I've made this so many times and everyone loved it.
Thank you for the best recipe
Best dark chocolate desert ever! OK - I am seriously picky about my chocolate desserts and I have been making various chocolate cakes, flourless desserts and brownies for years. This is the recipe I’ve been looking for. It’s perfect. They came out just like the picture. I did double the recipe and used a glass 9x13. I didn’t use parchment paper - just nonstick spray. For the chocolate, I used Godiva 69% cacao chocolate chips and Hershey’s Special Dark Cocoa. For cooking time, I found that 17 minutes - after the counter banging step - was exactly right for the doubled recipe in my standard gas oven.
Mike - thank you for a great recipe!
Everyone Else -make these today! They are worth the effort and you won’t be disappointed.
I had the same experience that another person had with the brownies never cooking all the way through because I have a ceramic pan. 🙁 I kept taking them out every 2-5 minutes after the 30 min were up, and the toothpick wasn’t just fudgy, it was completely liquid in the middle. The contents jiggled when I took it out. I know a ceramic pan isn’t ideal but it’s all I have, and I hoped they would cook eventually. I know it’s not your fault! The recipe looks amazing. Perhaps you can tell folks in the recipe that they really need a metal pan or this will not turn out at all like they want, just like you need to beat the eggs and sugars for 10 minutes. Or maybe I really did something else wrong. I ended up taking them out for good when it got puffy and cracked down the middle. Will try again when I can get a metal pan.
Hello mike, is it gonna affect the texture if I used only the half amount of sugar?
Absolutely. I would keep the amount of sugar the same or find a healthier brownie recipe on Google!
I made these after I saw it on thefeedfeed last night. I thought the technique of beating the sugar and eggs together was super interesting, not something I had seen before in a brownie recipe. The batter tasted amazing and I was looking forward to some fudgey gooey brownies today, but it turned out more cake like and sadly not fudgey at all. I measured the flour by spoon and level method so it wasn’t a case of too much flour...
Sorry to hear these didn't come out as intended! These brownies are the furthest thing from cakey though so a few things could have gone wrong. I would recommend weighing your ingredients, first off. These brownies only require 60g of all-purpose flour; spooning and leveling the flour, while more accurate than scooping/packing, often still leaves you with more flour than what's needed, especially depending on the measuring cup used! A scale is 100% the way to go. The other two things that could make these turn out cakey would be overmixing the batter after the flour is added and overbaking! These brownies should seem underbaked when you remove them from the oven, and it's the residual heat from the pan that finishes cooking them completely and allows them to set!
These are SO good! Probably the best brownie I have had in a long time! The egg beating in the sugar technique is new for me but I think it was the game changer. So so good! I substituted the flour for a 1:1 gluten free flour and they tasted amazing!
Wow, these are seriously SO good! such a unique way to combine all the ingredients and i think it works perfectly. I substituted a 1:1 gluten free flour and they are SO fudgy and delicious! I modified and added oreos to half the pan for a project i am working on and they seriously turned out beautiful and delicious! awesome recipe!
These were AMAZING!! Had to bake a bit longer due to my glass baking dish but they turned out just perfect in the end! You never disappoint Mike!!
Hi, just wanna give you suggestion, please write metric measure for who does it with metric, thank you !
This recipe, like most of my recipes, already includes the metric measurements. If you look in the recipe card underneath the ingredients, it gives you the option to switch to metric. Hope you find this helpful. 🙂
Hi Mike! I’ve been testing LOTS of different brownie recipes lately and this one is definitely my favorite! But ALL of my brownies sink in the middle so I end up with a thin center and high/thick edges. I always follow the recipes throughly and even purchased an oven thermometer to be extra sure. At this point I just don’t know what I’m doing wrong.
I made these for my family and they turned out delicious regardless of sinking! Gone in minutes!
Thank you and I hope you are well!
It could be from the type of baking pan you're using! I recommend the USA Pan brand or Nordic Ware. You could also try lowering the oven temperature by about 15-25 degrees and baking for a slightly longer period of time!
Hi ,
What can I use instead of eggs . Thanks
I don't recommend replacing the eggs; they're crucial to the recipe.
Hi! Lovely recipe ! I would love to try it out!
Question please, wjen baking do u use convection mode with fan, or top-bottom heat? Thanks 🙂
I use a gas oven with heat coming from the bottom! 🙂
I just made these brownies and OMG!!! I am amazed at how perfect and delicious these are. Beautiful perfect crackle top and the most fudgy gooey center! Thank you so much for this amazing recipe Mike!
So glad you like them! 🙂
Hello, that recipe is amazing! Just a question, my boyfriend is intolerant to mik and all dairies, what can I use instead of butter (if there's an option)?
Thank you so much!
You could either try using a vegan butter or replacing the butter with 3/4 cup of neutral oil (like canola).
I am trying for the first time. When I double the ingredients with the slider tool, how do I adjust the baking time?
Thanks.
After baking for 20 minutes and banging the pan on a flat surface, I would bake them for an additional 15-20 minutes (instead of just 10).
Hi! Planning to make this tomorrow. Given the quarantine, I only have access to simple dark chocolate bars (not 70%- in fact, it doesn't say!) Since these bars would be sweeter than what you've recommended, can I just lower the sugars? Will a simple taste test of the mixture be indicative of the final sweetness of the product? Thanks in advance!
Oh no! Sometimes the cacao percentage is listed in small print near the nutritional facts or you can google the brand! If it's labeled as dark chocolate, you should be fine leaving the sugar amounts as is! I've made these with semisweet (46% cacao) chocolate and didn't find they were too sweet! If you want to reduce the sugar still, I'd go with 1/4 cup of brown sugar instead of 1/2 cup!
Is there no need for baking powder at all?
Nope! Beating the eggs (with the sugars) for 10 minutes incorporates air and makes it so no leavening agents are required. 🙂
I made these to take to a potluck after seeing the recipe on the Feed Feed and WOW. These are the best brownies I have ever made!! I didn't get the smooth crackly top but honestly it didn't matter. The flavor and texture were unbelievable - rich, chocolatey, and fudgy. I just found my new favorite brownie recipe!!
So glad you enjoyed! These are my go-to brownies too! 🙂
What speed do you do the egg and sugar mixture? Medium?
Medium-high/high! I usually have my KitchenAid on speed 8. 🙂
YES YES YES! I’ve tried to find a brownie recipe to suit my taste and this hits the spot...and my waist line 😭
Hahaha SO glad you like them! 🙂
I tried to make these brownies... But they were just too TOO gooey. I've never ever said that about a brownie before, but they were so gooey it was like they didn't cook all the way through. I just checked the temperature of my oven the day before, too. I left the brownies in for almost 25 extra minutes. They had to be eaten with spoons.
Oh no! Sorry to hear you're having trouble with the recipe; I've never encountered that or had anyone reach out with that problem before. Make sure you use a metal baking pan instead of glass or ceramic so that everything cooks more evenly!
Hey there ! This sounds so tempting but I’m a bit thrown off by the metric conversions 😟 . The metric cal says 6 tbsp is about 40 g . But in the instructions you mention take 2 tbsp initially and 15 g in brackets ? Also one tbsp generally is 15g so 2 would
Be 30g yeah ? Even if I go by the 2 tbsp is 15 it still works out to be 45 g and not 40 and if I work it out the regular way ie 1 tbsp = 15 g then 6 tbsp would
Be 90 ! So confusing ! Please help !
15g of cocoa powder = 1/8 cup of cocoa powder = 2 tbsp of cocoa powder
Using the above math, 6 tbsp of cocoa powder = 45g of cocoa powder
However, simply follow the recipe/instruction of adding 2 tbsp (15g) of cocoa powder to the butter/chocolate mixture and then sifting "the rest" into the batter. Whether you use 40g or 45g of cocoa powder, the brownies will still be delicious! I'll edit the metric conversion for clarity purposes. 🙂
Can I substitute granulated sugar for caster sugar?
Yes you can!
Do you sprinkle the brownies with additional sea salt after they're baked or should I skip this? The pictures show salt but that wasn't listed in the directions. I'm excited to make these and want to get them right! Thanks!!
I sprinkle the top of the brownies with flaky sea salt about halfway through baking. It's totally optional though!
I made these brownies for my friend visiting from Milan so she could have some American desserts. Needless to say the brownies did not last long! They were gone in 24 hours! We also took some to a friends’ house for dinner. Rave reviews. They are fudgy, crackled on top, perfect edges, and high enough so you feel like you are eating a substantial enough bar. I hate a flat brownie! This one was just the right height. The added espresso powder really enhanced the chocolate flavor. I would recc quality chocolate as well. I really found no flaws! My friend asked for me to write down the recipe for her so I did, and she took it with her back to Italy this morning. I’ve added another copy for myself to add to my permanent recipe files. This will be my go-to from now on! Thank you for working this recipe out and sharing with us, Mike!
So glad to hear that, Sara!!! That just made my day 🙂
Hi,
Do you used unsweetened cacao powder or dutch procees.thanks
I almost always use Dutch-processed! This recipe will work with plain unsweetened cocoa powder though if that's all you have 🙂
Is there a conversion for using espresso rather than espresso powder?
If you don't have espresso powder, you could use 2½ teaspoons of instant coffee. I'm not sure using brewed espresso would work without adjusting other ingredients to account for the additional liquid.
Also, you can totally just leave the espresso powder out and still end up with delicious brownies! 😛
Hi Mike ,
I have a question why type of cocoa powder to use? I got hersheys unsweetened cocoa and cacao barry extra brute cocoa powder.
I would like to try making this one.
Thank you
Either will work for this particular recipe; it's a personal preference!