Nobody in my house has ever let a plate of brownies make it through the night, and with three kids that was less a compliment than a race. So these brownie recipes got collected the honest way, one pan at a time, and they cover every argument people have about them. Crispy edges or gooey middles, nuts or no nuts, iced or bare, gluten free, flourless, blondies, and the crackly top that everybody wants and hardly anyone explains. You will find one bowl cocoa brownies you can start at nine at night, cheesecake swirls, salted caramel, a slow cooker brownie pudding you eat with a spoon, and a mint mousse one that looks like it came from a pastry case. Some are box mix and proud of it. Some take three layers and a chill in the fridge. Every single one has a real reason to be here, and I have noted the bit each recipe gets right so you can pick by what you actually want tonight.
1. Marshmallow Brownies
Gluten free and still sky high, which is not a sentence you get to write often. Seven ounces of seventy percent dark chocolate and half a tablespoon of instant coffee dissolved in boiling water go into the fudgy base, baked at 350 for about twenty minutes in an eight by eight lined with baking paper. The topping is not marshmallow out of a bag, it is a marshmallow meringue frosting whipped from four egg whites with caster sugar and cream of tartar, and the recipe wants a baking thermometer for it. It gets toasted under the grill for a few seconds, and the melted chocolate drizzle is optional. Cut with a hot wet knife.
Get the full tutorial at The Loopy Whisk.
2. Best Fudgy Cocoa Brownies
One bowl, about five minutes of mixing, and no melting chocolate with butter over a double boiler. That is the whole pitch, and it is a good one. Cocoa powder does the work instead of bar chocolate, which is why these come together so fast and why the flavor stays deep rather than sweet. They bake at 350 and the crackly top is not luck, it comes from beating the eggs and sugar properly before the flour goes anywhere near the bowl. If you only ever learn one brownie recipe by heart, make it this one.
Get the full tutorial at Cafe Delites.
3. Cherry Cheesecake Brownies
Three layers and only one of them is fussy. A cocoa brownie batter goes down first, then a full fat cream cheese layer, then cherry pie filling spooned over the top before the whole thing bakes at 350 in a nine by thirteen. Use full fat block cream cheese and let it sit out an hour first, because light cream cheese never sets properly and these will not slice cleanly if you cut that corner. The cherry keeps them from being too rich, which is why they disappear at a potluck.
Get the full tutorial at Creations by Kara.
4. Homemade Chewy Brownies
Here is the part most people get wrong: the sugar is not just for sweetness, it is what builds that shiny paper thin crust on top. Cut it down and the crust vanishes. This one stacks unsweetened baking chocolate, cocoa powder and chocolate chips together rather than picking one, which pushes the chocolate flavor way up, and it bakes at 350. It is the recipe that finally makes a box mix pointless. If you need it gluten free, a one to one gluten free baking flour is the swap the recipe itself suggests, though it has not been tested that way.
Get the full tutorial at Countryside Cravings.
5. White Chocolate Raspberry Cheesecake Brownies
White chocolate, raspberry and cheesecake stacked on a brownie is a lot of good ideas in one pan, and it works because the raspberry is sharp enough to cut through all that sweetness. Two things matter here. Use block cream cheese, not the scoopable tub kind, and get it genuinely soft before it goes in the mixer or you will be chasing lumps forever. They bake at 350 and need a proper chill before cutting. Slow down at the end and you get those clean pink swirls instead of a smear.
Get the full tutorial at Baker by Nature.
6. Cheesecake Swirl Brownies
A classic swirl, and the swirl is the only technique in the whole thing. Dollop the cheesecake batter over the brownie batter and drag a knife through it, and then stop worrying, because the baker’s own line is that there is no such thing as being too sloppy and it is called rustic. Worth knowing before you start: the comments on this one are split, with more than one baker reporting a dry result, so pull the pan while the center still has a wobble and check early rather than late. Underbaked beats overbaked every single time with brownies.
Get the full tutorial at Yammie's Noshery.
7. Pretzel Toffee Chip Brownies
Sweet and salty, and the ingredient list is shorter than you would guess: butter, two squares of unsweetened chocolate, sugar, flour, two eggs, then bittersweet chips, toffee chips and a cup of broken stick pretzels stirred through. The batter goes thick and chunky, which is correct, do not thin it. They bake at 350 in a nine inch square pan lined with foil. Break the pretzels by hand rather than crushing them in a bag, so they stay in pieces big enough to actually crunch instead of turning to dust in the batter.
Get the full tutorial at Recipe Girl.
8. Red Velvet Swirl Brownies
Red velvet in brownie form, all the drama of the cake with a tenth of the work. Four ounces of chopped bittersweet chocolate, two cups of sugar and a full ounce of red liquid food coloring go into the base, then a cream cheese topping made from one eight ounce package with sugar, two egg whites and two tablespoons of flour is dropped over in heaping tablespoons and swirled with a knife. Bake at 350 in a nine by thirteen lined with foil for thirty to thirty five minutes, cool completely, then lift the whole slab out by the foil sling. Do not get timid with the coloring, a weak red reads as muddy brown.
Get the full tutorial at Positively Splendid.
9. Salted Caramel Brownies
Do not skim past this one, because it is not what the title suggests. These are Earl Grey brownies, baked in a mini cheesecake pan so each one comes out as its own little round cake, then topped with Earl Grey buttercream, salted caramel sauce and chocolate pearls. The tea is steeped straight into the frosting, and it gives the caramel a bergamot edge that stops the whole thing being just sweet. This is the fancy one on the list, the tray you bring when you want people to ask questions.
Get the full tutorial at The Polka Dotter.
10. Raspberry Chocolate Brownies
Whole raspberries pressed into the batter, which do two things: they bleed a little color and they keep the crumb around them properly damp. The base is a good block of dark chocolate somewhere between fifty and seventy percent, plus both caster and brown sugar, because the brown sugar is what gives you the chew. Bake at 350, or 320 if your oven is fan forced. Frozen raspberries work and you do not thaw them first, just push them in cold and add a couple of minutes.
Get the full tutorial at Sweetest Menu.
11. White Chocolate Fudge Red Velvet Brownies
A red velvet brownie with a white chocolate fudge layer that takes exactly two ingredients, white chocolate chips and sweetened condensed milk melted together and spread over the top. Then a cream cheese drizzle, because red velvet without cream cheese somewhere in it feels wrong. The chocolate hearts on top are a Valentine’s touch and you can leave them off the rest of the year without changing anything else. Chill it before you cut or the fudge layer drags and takes the drizzle with it.
Get the full tutorial at Queenslee Appetit.
12. Chewy Butterscotch Brownies
Blondies by another name, and the butterscotch chips go in twice, some stirred through the batter with pecans and the rest scattered over the top before baking. Two notes from the baker that are worth keeping. Use unbleached all purpose flour, because bleached flour toughens baked goods, and bake at 350 for thirty to forty minutes in a greased nine by thirteen glass dish until a toothpick comes out clean. Butterscotch chips are one of those ingredients that vanish from stores, so grab them when you see them.
Get the full tutorial at Can't Stay Out of the Kitchen.
13. Fudgy Brownies With Crackly Tops
The crackly top gets explained properly here, which is rare. Half a tablespoon of espresso powder dissolved in warm water goes into the batter, seven ounces of melted dark chocolate carries the fudginess, and the butter has to be at room temperature. The baker tested it with cold butter and says the result was noticeably worse. Two more rules: do not overmix once the flour is in, and do not overbake or the middle turns cakey. Bake at 350. This is a technique recipe more than a flavor one.
Get the full tutorial at CakeWhiz.
14. Gingerbread Chocolate Brownies
Christmas in a brownie pan, and the clever part is the base. A gingerbread cookie crust made with cinnamon and ground ginger goes down first, then the chocolate brownie batter with more cinnamon and ginger in it, then a dark chocolate drizzle thinned with a teaspoon of olive oil so it sets soft rather than shattering. Bake at 350, or 320 fan forced, in an eight inch square pan. These slice best cold and they are a far easier bake than a batch of gingerbread cookies.
Get the full tutorial at Sweetest Menu.
15. French Silk Brownies
French silk pie filling on a brownie base, and the filling is the reason to make it: melted semi sweet chocolate beaten into softened cream cheese, then folded through two tubs of whipped topping. No raw eggs, which is the usual worry with French silk, and no tempering or custard to stand over. The brownie layer can be scratch or a box mix and the recipe genuinely says so. Bake at 350, cool completely, then chill. Serve it cold and cut with a hot knife.
Get the full tutorial at Crazy for Crust.
16. White Chocolate Brownies
Blondies that are actually built on white chocolate rather than just brown sugar, which is a different animal entirely. Six ounces of real baking white chocolate melts with the butter, and the recipe is firm about this: baking white chocolate, not candy melts, because candy melts will not behave. Both white and semi sweet chips go over the top. Bake at 350 in an eight by eight for twenty two to twenty four minutes, until the top is set and the sides have started to pull away from the pan.
Get the full tutorial at Just So Tasty.
17. Cookies & Cream Brownies
Twenty four Oreos laid over a nine by thirteen pan of brownies, then cookies and cream buttercream, then a poured chocolate topping over all of it. Yes, it is as much as it sounds. The buttercream takes three cups of confectioners sugar and six chopped Oreos, and the chocolate layer is just butter and a heaping cup of semi sweet chips melted together. Bake at 350. Let each layer set before the next goes on, or you will get a landslide instead of neat stripes.
Get the full tutorial at Sally's Baking Addiction.
18. Best Homemade Brownies
The plain one, and every list needs it. Butter melted in a saucepan, then eggs, sugar and vanilla stirred in off the heat, then baking powder, cocoa and salt beaten in and chocolate chips folded through at the end. Into a greased eight by eight at 350. Nothing in the ingredient list is strange or perishable, which means this is the recipe you can make at nine at night without going anywhere. Melting the butter in the pan you are already using saves washing a bowl, too.
Get the full tutorial at Somewhat Simple.
19. Triple Chocolate Peppermint Brownies
A box mix with peppermint extract stirred in, then melted white chocolate drizzled over and Andes peppermint crunch chips scattered on top once they cool. That is genuinely the entire method, and it bakes at 325 rather than 350, which is worth noticing because the lower temperature is what keeps the middle soft over the longer bake. This is the December tray you make when you have eleven other things going. Peppermint extract is strong, so measure it, do not eyeball it.
Get the full tutorial at A Pumpkin and a Princess.
20. Snickers Brownies
Four layers, built the way the candy bar is: brownie, then caramel, then nougat, then chocolate ganache over the top. Equal amounts of semisweet and unsweetened chocolate and one and three quarter cups of light brown sugar make the base, baked at 350 in a nine inch square pan for twenty five to thirty minutes. The caramel is a cup and a half of caramel bits loosened with a tablespoon of evaporated milk, and the nougat above it is marshmallow fluff, crunchy peanut butter, sugar, evaporated milk and butter. Six ounces of semisweet with a spoonful of oil finishes it. Chill between layers and cut with a hot knife.
Get the full tutorial at Baked by an Introvert.
21. Mint Brownies with Chocolate Ganache
The mint brownie done properly, with three separate elements and a quarter teaspoon of mint extract in the brownie batter itself so the base is not just a vehicle. Mint buttercream goes on next, then a ganache made with a cup of heavy cream and eight ounces of bittersweet chocolate poured over the chilled buttercream. Bake at 350 in a nine by thirteen. Add the peppermint extract to the buttercream a quarter teaspoon at a time and taste as you go, because mint gets away from you fast.
Get the full tutorial at Chocolate With Grace.
22. Almond Joy Coconut Brownie Bars
A dark chocolate brownie under two cups of shredded coconut bound with sweetened condensed milk, roasted almonds pressed in, and a milk chocolate layer poured over the top. It is the candy bar, only better, because the brownie underneath gives it something to stand on. Bake at 350, or 320 fan forced, in an eight inch square pan. The coconut layer will feel far too sticky to spread, which is normal, so press it down with damp fingers rather than fighting it with a spatula.
Get the full tutorial at Sweetest Menu.
23. Mississippi Mud Brownies
Three layers and a name that puts people off before they taste it. A fudgy brownie base with diced almonds goes down, then mini marshmallows melted over the top, then a cocoa icing poured on while everything is still warm so it sets into the marshmallow rather than sitting on it. It bakes at 320, which is lower than most brownies here and deliberately so. The name comes from the look of it, the banks of the Mississippi River, and there is no mud involved anywhere, I promise.
Get the full tutorial at DIY Joy.
24. Nutella Brownies
One and a quarter cups of Nutella, divided, and that is where nearly all the flavor comes from. Only three quarters of a cup of flour goes in, which is why these stay dense and fudgy rather than turning into cake. Room temperature butter and eggs matter here because the batter is thick. Bake at 350 in an eight or nine inch square pan lined with an overhang so you can lift the whole slab out. A sprinkle of sea salt over the top before baking is optional and is absolutely worth it.
Get the full tutorial at Sally's Baking Addiction.
25. Toll House Brownies
More of a thick chocolate chip cookie bar than a classic brownie, pressed into a greased nine by thirteen glass dish and finished with a chocolate glaze once it has cooled completely. Two details make the difference. Use miniature chocolate chips and finely diced pecan bits rather than full size chips and broken pieces, so every bite gets some, and use unbleached flour because bleached flour toughens the crumb. Bake at 350 for thirty to forty minutes until a toothpick comes out clean.
Get the full tutorial at Can't Stay Out of the Kitchen.
26. Caramel Brownies
German chocolate cake mix, chocolate chips, caramel, margarine and evaporated milk. Five things, and the most requested recipe in the family that shares it, which tells you plenty. The fat here is melted margarine, cooled, not butter, so read that line twice before you shop. The caramel goes in the middle rather than on top, so it stays molten and gooey instead of drying out. Bake at 350 in two stages, six minutes and then sixteen more. The only real skill is patience: let the pan cool properly before you cut it, because warm caramel will run straight out of the sides.
Get the full tutorial at Oh Sweet Basil.
27. Blonde Brownie
All brown sugar, no white, and that is what keeps a blondie soft and chewy instead of sandy. Salted butter, eggs, vanilla, baking powder and flour, plus whatever you feel like folding in, chocolate chips or peanut butter chips or M and Ms. If you only have unsalted butter, add a pinch more salt. Bake at 350. Almond extract in place of the vanilla is the swap the baker suggests and it turns them into something that tastes almost like a bakery cookie bar.
Get the full tutorial at Cooking With Karli.
28. Soft & Chewy Glazed Lemon Brownies
No cocoa anywhere, which upsets some people and delights others. Buttermilk, fresh lemon juice, zest and a little lemon extract go into the batter, then a powdered sugar glaze with more juice and zest goes over the top while the pan is still warm so it sinks in slightly. Bake at 325 in an eight by eight lined with parchment. Lemon extract is what makes the flavor carry after baking, since juice alone fades in the oven, so do not leave it out and hope.
Get the full tutorial at Divas Can Cook.
29. Irish Cream Chocolate Brownie
Half a cup of Irish cream whiskey in the batter and two more tablespoons in the frosting, so the flavor is there twice and the second hit is the one you actually taste. The ingredient list is short: cocoa, flour, baking powder, salt, sugar, melted butter, two eggs and the whiskey. Bake at 350 in a nine by nine lined with foil pressed firmly into the corners. Make these a day ahead if you can, the flavor rounds out overnight and the frosting firms up for cleaner cuts.
Get the full tutorial at WonkyWonderful.
30. Slow Cooker Brownie Pudding
Not a brownie you slice, a brownie you spoon. The slow cooker does something a pan never can: the top bakes into cake while the bottom stays a hot pudding sauce, so you end up with lava cake without any of the timing anxiety. Everything in it is pantry standard, and the recipe notes it works with sugar free brownie or cake mix if you need that. Serve it straight from the crock with ice cream, and do not try to make it look tidy, because it will not and that is the appeal.
Get the full tutorial at Crazy for Crust.
31. Ultimate S'mores Brownies
A graham cracker crust underneath is what makes this the ultimate version rather than just marshmallows thrown on a brownie. Six tablespoons of melted butter, two of sugar and a cup and a half of graham crumbs press into the pan first, then the brownie layer, then mini marshmallows, chopped milk chocolate and broken graham crackers over the top at the end. Half a teaspoon of espresso powder hides in the batter and you will not taste coffee, only more chocolate.
Get the full tutorial at A Latte Food.
32. Brownie Marshmallow Crunch Bars
Boxed brownie mix, marshmallow frosting spread over the cooled pan, then a crunchy chocolate layer poured on top. The whole thing is written as a recipe to make with kids, right down to counting the fifty strokes it takes to combine the batter and letting them crack the eggs. Bake the base in a thirteen by nine according to the package. Let the brownies cool completely before the frosting goes on, because warm brownies turn marshmallow frosting into soup in about ninety seconds.
Get the full tutorial at From Valerie's Kitchen.
33. Red White and Blue Brownie Pizza
A brownie baked flat as a round crust, spread with cream cheese icing, then sliced strawberries and blueberries arranged into a flag. It is a Fourth of July dessert that feeds a crowd and takes one pan. Box mix is fine and the recipe says so outright, gluten free mix included. Bake at 350. Arrange the fruit close to serving rather than the night before, and cut it into wedges at the table, because a brownie pizza that nobody has photographed yet is somehow the whole point of making one.
Get the full tutorial at Jo Cooks.
34. Funfetti White Chocolate Brownies
Two hundred grams of good white chocolate melted into the butter, then three tablespoons of funfetti sprinkles stirred through at the very end. Bake at 350, or 320 fan forced, in an eight inch square tin lined with overhanging paper so you can lift the whole slab straight out. These are sweeter than a cocoa brownie by a mile, so cut them into smaller squares than you think you want. This is the tray I would make for a birthday when a layer cake feels like too much ceremony and everybody was only there for the sprinkles anyway.
Get the full tutorial at Sweetest Menu.
35. Caramel Heart Brownies
The hearts go on last, not first, which is the bit worth reading twice. Bake the brownies at 325 with the rack in the lower third for twenty three to twenty six minutes, until the top is dry, then unwrap the caramel filled chocolate hearts and press them evenly into the baked top before you slice. The batter is made in the microwave in thirty second bursts, so there is no saucepan and no double boiler, and it uses only half a cup of flour for a properly dense crumb. Line the pan with parchment in both directions so you can lift it straight out.
Get the full tutorial at Dessert for Two.
36. Chewy Red Velvet Brownies
Buttermilk and half a teaspoon of white vinegar are doing quiet work in this batter. That pair is what red velvet actually is, and without them you have a red chocolate brownie and nothing more. Two tablespoons of red food coloring against only two of cocoa keeps the color bright. Bake at 325 in an eight by eight glass dish. Her own verdict is that they are fantastic plain and even better drizzled with cream cheese glaze or white chocolate, which is the kind of honesty I trust in a recipe writer.
Get the full tutorial at Divas Can Cook.
37. Easy Strawberry Brownies
Fresh strawberries, blended into a puree and cooked down before they ever touch the batter, which is what stops these going watery. No strawberry cake mix anywhere, and the difference in both texture and flavor is not subtle. White chocolate melts in with the butter to carry the strawberry, there is an egg plus two extra yolks for richness, and a white chocolate glaze with more puree goes over the top. Freeze dried strawberry powder on top is optional and it is what makes them look like a bakery bought them.
Get the full tutorial at DIY Joy.
38. Fudge Brownies with Chocolate Frosting
One tablespoon of corn syrup or honey is the secret ingredient here, and the baker is upfront that it is what stops these drying out. There is also an extra egg yolk for tenderness and both brown and granulated sugar for moisture and chew. Dutch process cocoa gives the darker, mellower flavor. Bake at 350 for roughly twenty seven to thirty two minutes. The frosting goes on completely cooled brownies, not warm ones, unless you want it to slide off the edge and pool on the counter.
Get the full tutorial at Just So Tasty.
39. Homemade Butterscotch Brownies
Dark brown sugar is the one to pay attention to on this list, because it carries both the color and most of the butterscotch flavor before a single chip goes in. Butter softened to room temperature, granulated sugar, eggs, pure vanilla, flour and butterscotch chips finish it. Bake at 350. The recipe says gluten free flour substitutes straight across, which is not true of every bar recipe, so this is a useful one to have in the back pocket for a mixed table.
Get the full tutorial at Eating on a Dime.
40. Easy One Bowl Cocoa Brownies
One bowl, a whisk, no mixer, and ready to eat in under an hour start to finish. Bake at 350, or 320 fan forced, for about thirty minutes. The baker’s own note is that she has tested it with melted butter as well, the way her gluten free brownies are made, so the method is not a fragile one. Everything in it is a pantry staple, so this is the one to memorize for the evenings when something sweet is needed and going to the store is not happening.
Get the full tutorial at Sweetest Menu.
41. Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Brownies
Cookie dough on top of a brownie, and the baker is cheerfully upfront that she does not heat treat her flour, calling it a little walk on the wild side. There are no eggs in the dough at all, so heavy cream stands in for the moisture instead. The brownie underneath starts with Dutch process cocoa bloomed in boiling water, which deepens the flavor. Bake at 350. Chill the whole slab hard before cutting or the dough layer smears across every slice and you lose the neat line between them.
Get the full tutorial at Brown Eyed Baker.
42. Triple Chocolate Brownie Cake
An almond brownie base made with almond meal instead of flour, so it is naturally gluten free, then a dark chocolate cream, then a white chocolate one, finished with dark chocolate sprinkles. The method runs the opposite way to what you would guess: the cream is whipped first and the melted chocolate folded into it, then the assembled layer goes into the freezer, about an hour after the first and two to three hours after the second, with a further two to three hours in the fridge before serving. It looks like a patisserie window and it is mostly assembly and waiting.
Get the full tutorial at Lil' Cookie.
43. Crunchie Bar and Salted Caramel Brownies
Dark chocolate at seventy two percent, golden syrup and a jar of salted caramel sauce, topped with four Crunchie bars broken into big shards. The caramel has to be properly cold before it goes in, at least two hours in the fridge, or it dissolves into the batter during baking and you lose the layer entirely. Make ahead notes are unusually good on this one: chill the caramel the day before, and the finished brownies keep four days in the fridge undressed, or a month frozen.
Get the full tutorial at Sainsbury's Magazine.
44. Flourless Brownies
Gluten free, dairy free, grain free and paleo, sweetened with raw honey instead of granulated sugar and made with coconut oil instead of butter. Five ingredients, and one of them is a whole cup of raw cacao powder, which is where all that darkness comes from. Bake at 350 for twenty to thirty minutes, and trust the toothpick over the clock, because honey makes a batter behave differently from a standard brownie. They will not taste like a box mix and they are not pretending to.
Get the full tutorial at Treasured Tips.
45. Mint Chocolate Chip Mousse Brownies
The showpiece of the list, and the mousse is why. Twelve ounces of white chocolate, heavy cream and a packet of powdered gelatin set a proper mint mousse that holds a clean edge when you slice it, with finely chopped semi sweet chocolate folded in for the chip. A chocolate glaze goes over the top. Bake the brownie layer at 350. Bloom the gelatin in cold water first and never let the mixture boil after it goes in, or the set fails and there is no rescuing it.
Get the full tutorial at SugarHero.
