Fudge Brownies from Scratch (2024)

These ultra rich and chocolatey Fudge Brownies are a dessert lovers dream! Our special method ensures these brownies are tender, moist, fudgy, and insanely delicious every time! A layer of dense fudge brownie is topped with sweet chocolate frosting for the ultimate chocolate dessert. This recipe makes absolutely the best brownies from scratch!

This post is sponsored by my preferred butter brand, Challenge Butter. All recipes are created right here at Easy Family Recipes.

Fudge Brownies – The EASY Way!

I have a secret to admit… I have been making boxed brownies most of my life. The reason why? You can make some pretty good brownies right out of a box, with so little effort! I always felt like homemade brownies, just weren’t that much better.

But these brownies changed EVERYTHING!

I worked on this recipe for a couple of months, making it time and time again. Tweaking and experimenting. And I can now say that these are 100x better than anything you can make from a box, and quite possibly the best brownies of all time.

These are for you if you love brownies that are:

• Rich
• Dark chocolate
• Dense
• Tender and moist

The easy special method we use (more on that below) ensures that these brownies are super fudgy, and never dry, and anything but basic.

Recipe Notes

This Chocolate Fudge Brownie recipe is as simple as promised! Just a few staple ingredients and you are on your way to the best brownies from scratch out there!

In this section I am going to go through a few tips and tricks I use when making this recipe to get the absolute best and most delicious results.

Make sure to scroll to the bottom for the FULL recipe card.

Ingredients + Substitutions

For the brownies

• Challenge Unsalted Butter- I use unsalted for this recipe, however, if you only have salted on hand, you can substitute that and reduce the salt by 1/4 tsp. You can melt the butter in the microwave or on the stove top.

  I love Challenge Butter because it is truly the taste of fresh butter, and the flavor and quality is always consistent. Challenge Butter has been a quality staple in kitchens since 1911. It’s churned fresh daily from two natural ingredients: the freshest 100% real pasteurized sweet cream and salt. That’s it. Nothing artificial or synthetic!

• Granulated sugar
  
• Eggs
  
• Vanilla– Use real pure vanilla extract for the best flavor!
  
• Cocoa powder– This is a really key ingredient in the brownies. There is a high ratio of cocoa powder in the recipe which gives the brownies their rich, dark, chocolatey flavor. I like to take it a step farther and use dark cocoa powder, but you can get great brownies with any cocoa powder.
  
• Flour– Make sure to measure by scooping the flour into the measuring cup and leveling it off, rather than dipping the cup into the flour, which can compact the flour and make you end up adding more flour than needed.
  
• Salt
  
• Baking powder

For the Frosting

• Challenge Unsalted butter– For the frosting we start with a base of softened butter. Challenge truly makes the creamiest frostings! Try to remove the butter from the fridge an hour or two in advance to let it come to room temperature for the best results. If you forget, I like to blend the butter with an electric mixer until smooth to soften it more quickly.
  
• Cocoa powder– same as above!
  
• Honey– Gives the frosting a light and delicious texture
  
• Vanilla
  
• Powdered sugar
  
• Milk– Use the milk to get the frosting to just the right texture. You don’t want the frosting to be stiff, but easily spreadable with a spatula. If you thin the frosting too much, you can add a little extra powdered sugar to get it back to the right consistency.

Recipe Tips

1. Don’t over mix– The first tip in making great brownies is to mix the brownie batter until everything is combined, but avoid over mixing it because it can make them less tender.
   
2. Cooked perfectly– The number one enemy to a moist baked good is over cooking. Because these are so dense, they may be a little more forgiving than some baked goods, but to get the absolute best out of them, try to cook them just until a toothpick comes out clean and no longer. This will give you the absolute best texture for the brownie. I have found that my brownies are almost always perfect at 25 minutes. Ovens can vary based on many factors, so just keep an eye on them when the time gets close and use a toothpick to test when they are ready.
   
3. Frost while warm– This is part one of my special method. Once the brownies come out of the oven, let them cool for 10-15 minutes. Then while they are still warm, spread the frosting over the brownies. This melts the frosting and fuses it into the top layer of the brownie which multiplies the richness, fudginess, and the secret sauce in what really makes these so special and amazing!
   
4. Refrigerate overnight– Part 2 of my special method is optional, but my family insists that this makes them even better! After the brownies are frosted, let them return to room temperature. Then pop them in the fridge overnight, or at least for a few hours. This solidifies the frosting again and brings all of that rich flavor together for the ultimate treat. It also firms up the texture a little and.. well.. it is hard to describe, but it just makes them really, really, amazing!

Recipe Variations

If you love this recipe as much as we do and want some quick ways to change it up for variety, these little tips will do the trick!

• Triple Chocolate Fudge Brownies– Make brownie batter as directed. Before spreading in the pan, mix in 1.5 cups of semisweet chocolate chips. Then spread in pan and bake. Continue recipe as directed.
  
• Two Bite Fudge Brownies– Make recipe as directed. Once cool, cut into 60 pieces (6×10) and each square will be about 2 bites.
  
• M& M Brownies– Make brownies as directed. Once the brownies are frosted warm, sprinkle M&Ms over the top. Let cool.

Fudge Brownies Leftovers

If you have extras after making Fudge Brownies, then it is your lucky day! They save well, and can make the start of another delicious dish.

To save leftovers, separate into meal sized portions and then place in an airtight container and store:

• in the refrigerator for 10 days
• at room temperature 5-7 days

Bonus Recipes

Here are a few ways to repurpose those leftovers and give them a delicious makeover!

• Brownie Sundae– Top a brownie with vanilla ice cream, hot fudge, whip cream and a cherry.
• Brownie S’more– Roast a marshmallow and place it on top of the brownie and between two graham crackers.
• Brownie Parfait– Spread chocolate pudding or mouse in the bottom of a dish. Crumble brownies and layer on top of pudding. Top pudding with whip cream. Repeat in layers until dish is full. Garnish with chocolate chips on top.

More Easy Dessert Recipes

If you enjoyed this recipe, I really hope you will take a moment to grab a few more easy recipes for another busy night!

You can check out all of my Easy Dessert recipes here, or see a few of our readers favorite recipes below.

• Chocolate No Bake Cookies
• Caramel Snickerdoodles
• Chocolate Peanut Butter Bars
• Key Lime Cookies

Leave a Reply

1. Stacie K

   November 20, 2023

   
   Best brownies I’ve ever had, let alone made! This will be my go-to brownie recipe from here on out, no question!

   Reply

2. M. McKnight

   September 9, 2023

   
   I’m in process of baking these for my daughters 43rd birthday. We only had 2 eggs so I subbed 2 T light mayo, for the other 2 eggs and used Parkay Spread for the butter. Batter was GREAT! Always LOVE licking the spoon. I’ll let you know what she thinks. FYI…
   Not frosting them. So we’ll see!

   Reply

3. M. McKnight

   September 9, 2023

   So far so good. Baking now. Only had 2 eggs so I subbed 2Tbls light mayo, and I used parkay spread instead of butter. The batter is great. We’ll see how the nd product is and I’ll let you know. Did not frost these. It’s for my daughters 43rd birthday. 🤞hope they’re GREAT!!

   Reply

4. Iris

   August 20, 2023

   
   Incredible!! Soooo fudgey! Never will I eat box brownies again!!

   Reply

5. Julie

   June 18, 2022

   
   Simple & Amazing!!!! I plan to make these again and again!

   Reply

6. Susan

   February 18, 2022

   
   Yummy! Easy to reduce to half size for smaller families. I will be making this again.

   Reply

7. Judy S

   September 30, 2021

   
   You are right these brownie are the BEST ever. Over the years I have a ream of paper with brownie recipes. I now have one to replace that whole stack. Many thanks. Yummy yum.

   Reply

   1. Kimber Matherne

      October 3, 2021

      Thank you Judy! What an amazing compliment. I am so glad that you enjoyed them as much as we did!

      Reply

8. Marian Kelly

   September 24, 2021

   Do u have a hard copy cookbook and where can I purchase it. I’m a bit old fashioned and really like actual cook books. Thank you Marian

   Reply

   1. Kimber Matherne

      October 3, 2021

      Hi Marian- I do not have a cook book, but you can print hard copies of any of my recipes by clicking pint on the recipe card at the bottom of the post. Hope that helps!

      Reply