5 Ingredient Brownies
When a chocolate craving strikes, it strikes hard and my 5 Ingredient Brownies are so simple to make that you can memorize this recipe and make brownies in under 30 minutes from start to finish! All you need is chocolate, butter, sugar, eggs and flour to whip up a batch of fudgy chocolate brownies. The texture of these brownies is similar to my Perfect Shiny Crust Brownies, and the difference is in the technique since this recipe is meant to be so easy you can make it in your sleep!
WHY YOU WILL LOVE THIS RECIPE
- Fudgy chocolate brownies - these brownies are dense and fudgy with a texture that you can really sink your teeth into.
- Simple ingredients - you only need 5 basic pantry ingredients to make this recipe.
- Rich dark chocolate flavor - this recipe is made with pure dark chocolate for rich chocolate flavor.
- Easy recipe - this recipe comes together so quick with just a bowl and a spoon! You don't need much to make delicious brownies. This recipe is a no brainer.
INGREDIENTS
- Salted butter - the best brownies that have a chewy and fudgy texture are made with butter. Salted butter adds extra richness here and also eliminates the need for salt so you don't need as many ingredients. If you don't have salted butter, you can use unsalted butter, but then add ½ teaspoon salt to the recipe.
- Dark chocolate - anything between 60 and 70% cocoa solids will work, or even extra dark chocolate with 85% cocoa works well in this recipe. I prefer Bittersweet Chocolate and these bittersweet chocolate callets are very convenient.
- Egg - 2 whole eggs will provide majority of the structure in these brownies.
- Granulated sugar - simple fine white granulated sugar is best for these brownies because it dissolves faster than brown sugar to give us the shiny top when there are very few steps and less mixing time. If you have access to caster sugar (superfine sugar), then that is even better.
- All purpose flour - regular all purpose flour is perfect to make fudgy brownies. Use unbleached flour which will give you that nice dense texture.
STEP BY STEP INSTRUCTIONS
- STEP 1.) Melt chocolate. Combine chocolate and butter in a small saucepan over low heat and stir constantly until completely melted and smooth. If you are worried about burning the chocolate, then place it in a heatproof bowl over a saucepan of simmering water and stir frequently until melted. You can also melt it in the microwave in short bursts with frequent stirring so it doesn't burn. Do not let the chocolate cool - it should be warm for the next step.
- STEP 2.) Beat eggs with sugar. Crack in the eggs into a large bowl, gradually stream in the sugar and whisk for 1-2 minute until pale and thick. It doesn't need to triple in volume so you don't need a mixer, but you just want the sugar to begin dissolve in the eggs. Add the warm melted chocolate mixture and whisk until the batter smooth and glossy. The mixture will tighten up and look very shiny once it is well combined.
- STEP 3.) Add flour. Sprinkle flour over the batter and fold it in until evenly incorporated.
- STEP 4.) Bake! Spread the batter into your lined baking pan and bake until a skewer inserted into the center comes out with a few moist sticky crumbs attached, but not wet batter. Then, let the brownies cool completely in the pan.
EXPERT BAKING TIPS
- Keep the chocolate and butter hot. There is no need to cool the chocolate mixture before adding the eggs. In fact, a warm batter will help the sugar dissolve for a nice shiny top.
- Always use room temperature eggs so that they incorporate more evenly and the warmer temperature helps sugar dissolve, especially in this recipe where there is minimal mixing time. TIP: to bring eggs to room temperature quickly, submerge them in warm water for 10 minutes.
- Whisk eggs and sugar thoroughly. This will help encourage the sugar to dissolve for that fudgy texture and shiny top.
- Measure flour accurately. Too much flour leads to a dry brownie.
- Watch the baking time. In all my experience, most standard 8-inch pan brownie recipes with 2 eggs take between 20 and 25 minutes when baked in a metal pan. Start checking after 20 minutes. A skewer should not come out clean -- it should come out with a few moist sticky bits attached. If it comes out clean it may be over baked, and if it comes out with wet batter then it is still a bit raw.
- Cool completely. For the best texture, it is important that the brownies cool completely.
RECIPE FAQ
You can use anything from 50% to 70% bittersweet chocolate. Just do not use unsweetened chocolate. If you choose to use semisweet chocolate, just note that they will certainly taste sweeter.
Again, it's about dissolved sugar. You need to whisk eggs with sugar first to encourage dissolving. If you mix the sugar into the chocolate first, then the sugar gets coated with fat and it will be harder to dissolve.
To bring eggs to room temperature quickly, submerge them in warm water for10 minutes.
This recipe requires melted chocolate. Melted chocolate gives a fudgier texture because of the cocoa butter content that has a higher melting point. If you prefer to make brownies with cocoa powder only, then check out my Better Than Box Brownie Mix recipe which have a chewier texture.
Yes you can! If you'd like to add chocolate chips, I would recommend ½ cup of dark chocolate chips. Just fold it into the finished batter before baking.
If your brownies turn out dry, then it is most likely because they are over-baked. These low sugar brownies are ready when a skewer inserted into the center comes out with a few moist sticky crumbs attached - not wet batter, and NOT clean. If the skewer is clean then the brownies are over-baked and if the skewer has wet batter then they are still raw.
The number one reason why these would turn out dry is if they are over-baked. Check on the brownies at 25 minutes. Also, take care to measure the flour accurately.
Brownies keep really well at room temperature as long as they are stored in an airtight container to prevent drying out. If you plan to keep them for more than a couple of days, then store them in the fridge.
Brownies will sink in the middle if you over-beat the eggs and sugar. When you beat the eggs, you are incorporating a lot of air which will cause the batter to soufflé or puff up in the oven. As the brownies cool, the air bubbles will collapse and they will fall. To prevent this, be sure to only beat the eggs for about 2 minutes and then bake the brownies evenly. If you think your oven runs hot, then bake at a slightly lower temperature for a longer time. If the oven is too hot, the brownies will puff up and over-cook on the edges while the center is still raw.
If you love brownies, check out these recipes!
Triple Chocolate Brownies Fudgy Grain Free Brownies Olive Oil Brownies with Date Fudge Frosting Fudgy Buckeye Brownies Outrageous Fudgy Chocolate Chip Cheesecake Brownies The BEST Small Batch Fudge Brownies Homemade Cosmic Brownies Recipe!More chocolate
Looking for more delicious chocolate recipes? Try these:
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Video
5 Ingredient Brownies
Ingredients
- 6 oz 170g bittersweet chocolate (70% cocoa)
- 7 tablespoon 100g salted butter
- 2 large eggs at room temperature
- 1 cup 200g granulated sugar
- ½ cup 71g all-purpose flour
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350°F. Line an 8x8-inch square baking pan with parchment paper leaving a 2-inch overhang along each side.
- Melt chocolate. Combine chocolate and butter in a small saucepan over low heat and stir constantly until completely melted and smooth. If you are worried about burning the chocolate, then place it in a heatproof bowl over a saucepan of simmering water and stir frequently until melted. You can also melt it in the microwave in short bursts with frequent stirring so it doesn't burn. Do not let the chocolate cool - it should be warm for the next step.
- Beat eggs with sugar. Crack in the eggs into a large bowl, gradually stream in the sugar and whisk for 1-2 minute until pale and thick. It doesn't need to triple in volume so you don't need a mixer, but you just want the sugar to begin dissolve in the eggs. Add the warm melted chocolate mixture and whisk until the batter smooth and glossy. The mixture will tighten up and look very shiny once it is well combined.
- Sprinkle flour over the batter and fold it in until evenly incorporated.
- Spread the batter into your lined baking pan and bake for 20-25 minutes until a skewer inserted into the center comes out with a few moist sticky crumbs attached, but not wet batter. Then, let the brownies cool completely in the pan before slicing.
Turned our to be the yummiest brownies I’ve attempted so far! Came here from the other brownie recipe but didn’t have all the ingredients but as simple as this, they are so fudgy and yummy. I don’t bake so all I have baking related in the kitchen is a hand whisk but you don’t need fancy equipment for this: just a little bit of arm strength and ambidextrous abilities.
Thanks for the feedback Ana! I'm so glad you found the recipe easy and delicious 🙂
does this double well in a 9x13? thank you for your amazing recipes!!!! 💞💞
Hi Gabby, yes it will!
So easy, so yummy, so few ingredients! These are a chocolate lovers dream brownie! My husband who doesn’t have a big sweet tooth loved these too so a win win all around!
Yay! Thanks so much Ellen!
Rate it a 5 stars for how easy it looks to make. Makes me want to make this recipe. Can you add chopped walnuts? Also can you freeze them?
Hi.
I watched the video and looked at the recipes and found no quantities
Please help🤧😀
Omg silly me. I just found them
Nvm
No problem 😉
Hi Hannah, the recipe is right at the bottom of the post.
The quickest, easiest, most delicious brownies I’ve made! This will be my go to recipe from now on. Love that the recipe only uses 5 ingredients - and all store cupboard staples. My husband adored these and he’s not a brownie fan! Thank you so much for this recipe!
Thank you so much Nicky!
I make these once a week! They are so easy and perfect.
Thank you Linda!
Plz recommend a pan size
Hi Aparna, the recipe is at the bottom of the page. It's an 8-inch square pan.
This is the most delicious, easy and crowd pleasing recipe. Throw away all other brownie recipes - this is the only one you need! I will be making this again and again.
Soooo yummy 😊
Thank you so so much Jessica! I'm so happy to know this recipe is successful for you!
Fudgy, not too sweet and beautiful crust.
Thanks Gabby!
I made the brownies today and they are simply delicious!
Will be my favourite recipe!
Thanks so much Tanja!
I didn't enjoy them very much, sorry!
Made them just now and they are fab. Easy and super satisfying.
This is a great recipe. It's probably too easy for how good they are.
These are the easiest brownies I’ve ever made that actually turn out fishy with the shiny crust. Thanks for another well developed recipe Christina!
Fishy?