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At this point, I feel like I’ve baked every brownie recipe out there and thought I had truly mastered the art of the brownie — that is until I made these perfectly fudgy brownies, studded with chocolate chunks and baked just until set. The last time I made them, I was so enraptured that I had to yell into the living room, mouth still full of brownies, “I think these are the best brownies I’ve ever made!” (M was skeptical, but I think they won him over too.) These are the essential fudgy brownies I’ll be making in my kitchen from this point on. 

There’s a good chance that you’ve got a brownie recipe of your own in your arsenal of comforting home-baked goods. Or maybe you keep a box of brownie mix in the cabinet for when a chocolate craving strikes (no judgment). But even so, I’d encourage you to try out this recipe; you may be surprised! The great thing about homemade brownies (one of the many great things, really) is that they’re a relatively low-risk baking project. You’ve probably got most or all of the ingredients on hand, and they’re typically easy and quick to mix together. Even if they aren’t perfect, they’re still brownies — which is why I’ve continued to try out new recipes after all these years. Because why not?

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This recipe was adapted from Broma Bakery’s Fudgy Oreo Brownies recipe, which was the first recipe of Sarah’s that I tried out after joining her Foodtography school. (Not an ad, I just wanted to learn how to take some nice food pictures for you to drool over, and I happened to be really impressed with her passion for brownies as well!) I was surprised by how much I liked them because I don’t typically reach for brownies with mix-ins other than chocolate. So I decided to make them again, with a handful of changes to suit my tastes. Then I made them again (and again). 

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One batch makes 16 perfectly rich brownies, baked in a 9 x 9-inch brownie pan. They come together by hand in a single mixing bowl. There’s no whipping eggs or melting chocolate. The recipe is straightforward, but I’d like to share a few notes on ingredients:

For the cocoa powder, I use Valrhona dutch processed cocoa powder. It’s what I’ve used in professional kitchens, and I’ve had a hard time finding another brand that matches its balance and richness. It’s a little more expensive than what you’ll typically find at the grocery store, but your chocolate baked goods will be instantly more amazing, and you’ll actually use less of it because it packs so much more flavor. My runner-up cocoa powder (that may be easier to find in stores) is the Ghirardelli 100% Unsweetened cocoa powder. It’s not dutch processed, but it’s a quality tasting cocoa powder — just make sure you get the unsweetened version. Since chocolate’s the star of the show here, it might as well be the good stuff!

I’m a big fan of chocolate chunks in my brownies, and since the chocolate chunks are a supporting ingredient in these brownies, feel free to use whatever you like! You’ll notice in the photos that I didn’t use chocolate chips but instead chopped up chunks of Valrhona Caraïbe 66% chocolate — primarily because that’s what I’ve got on hand. But chocolate chips are totally fine, in any percentage of chocolate you like. You could even use caramel or butterscotch chips in place of chocolate or substitute the chocolate entirely with chopped nuts.

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Finally, these brownies can be frozen and enjoyed later! We’re just an apartment of two, and 16 brownies are fantastic but a little bit of a challenge. It’s easy to cut the brownie in half and freeze them for your next craving. I’d recommend wrapping the brownie in parchment (reuse the paper you baked it in), then wrapped again in plastic wrap. I also put the whole package in a zip-top freezer bag for good measure because no one likes freezer-burnt brownies. Thaw them out and eat them at room temperature, or wrap them in a slightly damp paper towel and give them a quick refresh in the microwave.