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Our beautiful grandmother was known for these amazing, fudgy brownies. She must have passed on her love for chocolate to all of us.
My mom has continued to make them over the years, and they are my favorite dessert to come home to. The best was walking in from school after a long day, and smelling these bad boys baking.
Recipe Ingredient Notes
To make Fudgy Brownies, you will need the following ingredients:
Brownies
- Cocoa powder
- Unsalted butter, (or margarine – our grandma liked to do 1/2 cup of each)
- Granulated sugar
- Eggs
- Vanilla extract
- Flour
- Nuts, optional
- Salt
Frosting:
- Powdered sugar
- Butter, softened
- Cocoa powder
- Hot water
- Vanilla
Equipment Needed
For this recipe, you only need a few simple kitchen tools. We recommend using the following equipment:
How to make Fudgy Brownies
- Preheat oven to 325℉.
- Grease a 9 x 13 inch baking pan. In a mixing bowl, melt butter or margarine, and then stir in cocoa.
- Add in sugar and eggs to the mixing bowl and stir together.
- Add in vanilla, flour, nuts and salt and beat together well.
- Spoon batter into the prepared pan. Bake 25 to 30 minutes, or until cooked through.
- Mix the frosting ingredients together and spread over the hot brownies and serve.
- You can also let the brownies cool and then frost. This way the frosting is thicker.
Storage Suggestions
If you manage to have any leftover Bars + Brownies, these can store well if prepped appropriately. Once they have cooled completely, here is how you can store it:
- Refrigerator: Place in an airtight container and refrigerate for up to 1 week. Let them come to room temperature before serving for the best texture and flavor.
- Freezer: To freeze, make sure bars and brownies are completely cooled and unfrosted. Wrap tightly in plastic wrap (or Press & Seal) and then place in a freezer-safe bag or container. For easier portioning, wrap individual squares before freezing. Don’t forget to label with the date. They’ll stay fresh in the freezer for up to 3 months.
Enjoy More Delicious Brownies Recipes
There’s nothing better than an easy brownie or bar recipe. Check out our comprehensive list of brownies, bars, and blondies here.
Fudgy Brownies Recipe
Our beautiful grandmother was known for these amazing, fudgy brownies. She must have passed on her love for chocolate to all of us!
Serving Servings
Ingredients
- 8 Tablespoon cocoa powder
- 1 cup butter (unsalted), (or margarine – our grandma liked to do 1/2 cup of each)
- 2 cups granulated sugar
- 4 eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 ½ cups flour
- 1 cup nuts, optional
- pinch salt
Frosting:
- 1 pound powdered sugar
- ¼ cup butter, softened
- 3 Tablespoon cocoa powder
- ¼ cup hot water
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
Equipment
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 325℉.
- Grease a 9 x 13 inch baking pan. In a mixing bowl, melt butter or margarine, and then stir in cocoa.
- Add in sugar and eggs to the mixing bowl and stir together.
- Add in vanilla, flour, nuts and salt and beat together well.
- Spoon batter into the prepared pan. Bake 25 to 30 minutes, or until cooked through.
- Mix the frosting ingredients together and spread over the hot brownies and serve.
- You can also let the brownies cool and then frost. This way the frosting is thicker.
Notes
Brownies should be wrapped tightly with plastic wrap and aluminum foil before freezing to maintain their freshness and prevent freezer burn. You can also tuck them in an airtight container and slide them into the fridge. Consume within 3 to 4 days, if you choose not to freeze them.
Nutrition
Calories: 322 kcal · Carbohydrates: 48 g · Protein: 4 g · Fat: 14 g · Saturated Fat: 7 g · Polyunsaturated Fat: 1 g · Monounsaturated Fat: 5 g · Trans Fat: 1 g · Cholesterol: 53 mg · Sodium: 30 mg · Potassium: 99 mg · Fiber: 2 g · Sugar: 35 g · Vitamin A: 336 IU · Vitamin C: 1 mg · Calcium: 16 mg · Iron: 1 mg
Did You Make This Recipe?We’d love to hear your thoughts! Leave a review or a question in the comment section below the post.
Mmmm….Fudgy brownies are my favorite! My grandmother was well known for her fudgy brownies as well; unfortunately, she passed away with out giving her secret recipe up. Thanks for sharing your grandma’s recipe. 🙂
I see salt in the directions but not the amount in the recipe. But the picture makes me want to eat my computer
I am going to try these!
http://www.CANCERINTHECITY.COM
I love it! Hugs from Brazil!
This looks like and reads very similar to Texas Sheet Cake. YUM
These have great flavor but seem a little dry. Maybe less flour? Or add some water? Not sure. Is the recipe complete? I added 1/2 tsp to 1 tsp of salt, too.
There is margarine in the directions also, but not in the ingredients list???
Made the brownies yesterday. Soo disappointed. It’s missing something. They are way too dry. 🙁
Hi!
I am so sorry. We made a mistake on the recipe that has now been changed. The original recipe calls for margarine rather than butter, which makes a big difference in how moist they are. I am so sorry about that!
Hi Jen!
Sorry about that! We have fixed it. 🙂
Hi Cheryl!
Sorry about that. The original recipe calls for margarine rather than butter which makes them much more moist. We have updated the recipe. Thanks!
Hi Rochelle!
We have fixed the recipe. It calls for just a pinch of salt. Thanks!
Thanks. That could be the difference. The flavor was great!
I think there’s still an issue…made them today and I think it has about twice as much flour as it needs. The brownies were pale and incredibly dry.
I think there’s a missing ingredient. Baking soda or baking powder? They didn’t turn out right for me either.
No baking soda or baking powder. Don’t know what could have gone wrong. We have made these for years and years. So sorry!
Don’t be sorry! It means the mystique of the recipe is your gramma’s touch. I have a friend, an extraordinary baker, who freely shares her recipes……..only, my attempts never quite measure up, even though I am above average at producing yummy desserts myself. 🙂
Just made these… totally amazing!!! First time making brownies from scratch and from ingredients already on hand was awesome! Only had enough to make half the frosting but still tasted GREAT! A big hit with my sweets loving son 🙂
Just baked the brownies and was so disappointed because they were so dense, and dry…maybe that’s the reason for the frosting? Sorry sister’s won’t be making these again…will stick with my Hershey’s recipe.
P.S. Way too much sugar and flour…I think!
This is great I will make this recipe. Thanks
You might want to edit the ingredients list to say “margarine” instead of “butter or margarine.” I just made a batch and obviously started off wrong by using butter, but didn’t see that margarine was the better choice until reading the comments.
Just a follow up: After the brownies sat overnight covered in plastic wrap, they are absolutely perfect – butter and all! Thank you for this recipe 🙂
Regarding the icing ~ I’ve made this icing for YEARS ~ it was my mother’s and needs a little more instruction, I would say. It’s SO simple if you heat the butter (I’ve always used butter) and water almost to a boil, then add the cocoa and powdered sugar. If I’m making a large batch, I make it in my Kitchen Aid bowl over the stove, and set it on and off the heat as it “sets up” through cooling.
Add the vanilla after the icing is made, as the volatile ingredients can be lost through heating. SUCH a rich, delicious frosting! I can’t wait to try the different recipes it goes with (the Turtles sound incredible!!)
How do I mix the frosting. In the instructions it says to pour over the frosting. Does that mean I make the frosting in a saucepan and heat thru? Do I cool the frosting? Thank you,
Mix all of the frosting ingredients together and spread over warm brownies. Look further down in the post and you’ll see the recipe ingredients and directions. Or Steps 6 & 7 will explain. Hope this helps.
I’m really confused by how much frosting to use. There is sooooo much h if I follow the recipe. I end up with several cups left over. Am I doing something wrong? The picture shows it as very thing, but if I use it all, it’s an inch thick
I’m really confused by how much frosting to use. There is sooooo much if I follow the recipe. I end up with a lot left over. Am I doing something wrong? The picture shows it as very thing, but if I use it all, it’s an inch thick. Do you put it on the hot brownies or warm?
You put it on warm brownies. We also like to frost these with a delicious chocolate buttercream frosting. When frosting with buttercream frosting – be sure the brownies are cooled.
I made these to share with my family and neighbors. I’ve never made brownies from scratch. We aren’t big chocolate eaters but once in a while enjoy a rich chocolate dessert. Man was this the recipe for us! Everybody I have them to raved about them! I had a couple of questions though. Can you use a hand mixer on every step or do you need to hand mix any of the steps? Also I either did my frosting a little won’t or too soon. My brownies weren’t out of the oven yet and the frosting looked good. When I took the brownies out, I realized as I poured frosting on that it must have seized up or it should have been made when the brownies were just about out of the oven. I scooped some on the brownies, but it was thick and kind of grainy. I took as much off as I could and mixed a spoonful of really hot water in and stirred it until it thinned out. Then I frosted but the areas that had already had frosting stick to them didn’t look near as pretty. They all tasted great; some spots just weren’t the same. What do you think I
did wrong?
But the way, I love your recipes! I have at least 6-8 of your cookbooks and they’ve helped me become a confident cook in the kitchen for me and my husband and to share with others! Thank you for sharing your family recipes and for making them approachable! You’ve really helped me out! My extended family love the Mandarin orange jello and pudding fluff salad and really any of your recipes! I just made the sausage, egg and hash browns casserole for I didn’t even remember how many times. Everything is great!