Homemade Chocolate Chip Brownies Are Chewy and Darkly Delicious

Photo byKing Cooks

Sometimes you find a recipe so good that it's worth making it from scratch, even if a box mix might save you a little time. This simple chocolate chip brownie recipe only takes 15 minutes to prepare and uses ingredients you probably already have in your kitchen. If you can wait for the brownies to cool before you eat them, the result is so worth it.

Unlike box mixes, which can be dry and cakey, these homemade brownies are moist, flavorful and chewy. The dark chocolate chips and cocoa powder give them a rich chocolatey taste while the cornstarch in the powdered sugar acts as a natural thickener.

If you're looking for more homemade recipes, check out Michelle Lopez's Weeknight Baking: Recipes to Fit Your Schedule. Lopez, the baker behind the wildly successful blog Hummingbird High, came up with the recipe below, along other delicious offerings, including “Almost No Mess Shortbread,” “Modern Red Velvet Cake” and “Peanut Butter Pretzel Pie.”

Chocolate Chip Brownies

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups granulated sugar

3/4 cup all-purpose flour

2/3 cup cocoa powder

1/2 cup powdered sugar

1/2 cup dark chocolate chips

3/4 teaspoon salt

2 large eggs

1/2 cup canola or vegetable oil

2 tablespoons water

1/2 teaspoon vanilla

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Grease an 8 x 8" pan.
2. In a medium bowl, combine the dry ingredients: sugar, flour, cocoa powder, powdered sugar, chocolate chips and salt.
3. Whisk together the eggs, oil, water and vanilla in a large bowl.
4. Add the dry ingredients to the large bowl and stir until just combined.
5. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and spread evenly. Bake for 40 to 45 minutes, until a toothpick comes out mostly clean, with just a few crumbs attached.
6. Cool completely before cutting. Serve plain, with ice cream or whipped topping.

Notes

Be careful not to overbake these brownies. When they come out of the oven they will still be somewhat gooey in the middle. Err on the side of underbaking and let them set as they cool.

These brownies take a couple of hours to cool. I've cut them after an hour and they're fine. The longer you wait, the less crumbly the brownies will be.

I like to sprinkle extra chocolate chips across the top of the batter so the brownies look prettier when they're done.

While butter has a better flavor, vegetable or canola oil will give you a moister brownie.