I’ll admit, when I first tried a brownie, I wasn’t the biggest fan. It was too dry and sweet, so I wasn’t eager for another one.
But as I tried more, I realized I just didn’t have a great (or good) first brownie. So you can avoid my experience, I’ve compiled some of the best and most delicious brownie recipes.
These rich, chocolatey desserts are easy to make in the comforts of your kitchen. Some are simple and homemade, while others are more extravagant and more complex in flavor. Nonetheless, they’re all creatively delicious.
1. Homemade Brownies
Our first brownie recipe isn’t just delicious – it also reminds us of the comfort and love we have in our homes. You can extend those warm feelings to your family by following this recipe with love and care.
These decadent brownies need butter, vegetable oil, sugar, unsweetened cocoa powder, eggs, vanilla extract, espresso powder, salt, flour, and semi-sweet chocolate chips. You can also use instant coffee instead of espresso.
Followed carefully, you’re sure to end up with a hot pan of delicious brownies that are better than any boxed brownie mix recipe. So what are you waiting for? Start baking!
2. Air-Fryer Brownies
Still wondering what you can do with that air fryer you bought amidst the hype? I’ll tell you what – make the best chocolate brownies.
Yes, you can have brownies fresh from an air fryer instead of an oven. You just need flour, cocoa powder, sugar, unsalted butter, eggs, oil, vanilla, salt, and baking powder.
This recipe is the best if you just want a small batch of brownies as a great afternoon family snack. It also saddles the intersection between cakey and fudgy brownies because the baked brownies feel and taste like both.
3. Fudgy Brownies
Ask people to describe the best brownie for them, and often they’d use the words fudgy, gooey, rich, and chocolatey. So, let’s give what you all want, right?
Here are the best fudgy brownies you can make in your own kitchen. Ingredients are pretty standard but choose good quality chocolate bars for the most awesome-tasting treats.
After you’ve poured the batter onto a prepared pan lined with parchment paper, it takes only thirty minutes to bake the gooiest and most tasty fudge brownies that pair really well with a tall glass of cold milk.
4. Cakey Brownies
Okay, I respect that not everyone is a lover of fudgy and gooey brownies, and that’s all right. If you’re one of them, here’s something for you: the best cakey brownies from scratch.
This is the perfect brownie recipe for those who want a chocolatey dessert that is light, crumbly, and not too rich. You can toss in some chopped walnuts for some crunch.
Also, the author typically slices them small, so if you follow them, you’d have mini-brownies. These are perfect finger desserts for kids and adults who just can’t have too many of these goodies.
5. Milk Chocolate Brownies
Most brownie recipes promise a pan of dark chocolate or not too dark chocolate treats. While they’re absolutely delicious, let’s break the mold with something a bit sweeter, shall we?
This recipe needs the usual ingredients, plus milk chocolate bars and milk chocolate chips. Because these chocolates have less cocoa, they’re not too rich or bitter; thus, you end up with a sweet brownie but still fudgy, the way we all like it.
After an agonizing period of cooling the brownies, you can slice and dig into them. Serve with ice cream, chocolate sauce, or a glass of fresh milk.
6. Peanut Butter Brownies
Reese’s peanut butter cups have taught us one of life’s most important lessons: peanut butter and chocolate are fantastic together. But what’s more incredible is uber delicious peanut butter and chocolate brownie!
Besides the familiar ingredients, you’ll need light brown sugar, creamy peanut butter, and natural cocoa powder (not the dutch processed cocoa powder, please). This selection of ingredients makes sure you have the creamiest chewy brownies.
What you’ll also like about this recipe is it isn’t a plain, dark shade of brown. It’s got swirls of peanut butter color in them, reflecting the brownie’s essence and flavors.
7. Salted Caramel Brownies
These salted caramel brownies look absolutely stunning, gooey, and taste as incredible as it seems. I mean salted caramel plus chocolate? A most classic combo for a reason.
This perfect recipe takes some effort because there are two elements involved – the salted caramel sauce and the brownies. Yes, you’ll make both from scratch but don’t worry, it’s absolutely worth it.
The brownie recipe and ingredient list are pretty standard, so I won’t bore you with that. For the caramel sauce, you’ll need granulated sugar, unsalted butter (room temp, not melted butter), heavy cream, and sea salt.
8. Coconut Brownies
Okay, you may not be familiar with this flavor profile (coconut plus chocolate), but trust me, it’s absolutely perfect and delicious. You might even become addicted to this dessert made from shredded coconut and chocolate chips!
Personally, I find that coconut provides a beautiful contrast to the rich chocolate flavors with its pop of freshness and tropical vibes. The flavors are complex, so they’re exciting and unique to the mouth.
You can also use this delicious recipe to make mini coconut brownie bites. Make the batter, pour it into mini muffin tins, bake and enjoy!
9. Blondies/Blonde Brownies
Yes, I’m still talking about great-tasting brownies and not hair. Blondies is a fond term for sweet, chewy, buttery brownies with a light brown or blonde color instead of the usual dark brown.
Blondies have their color and taste because they skip the cocoa powder component, which is usually dark brown and intensely-flavored. Without the powder, they have a lighter shade, and the vanilla and brown sugar flavors are more pronounced.
If you’re worried there aren’t hints of chocolate here, don’t be. White chocolate chips adorn blondies, matching the palette and flavor profile, while providing chocolatey goodness.
10. Gluten-free Brownies
It may seem like making gluten-free brownies is very challenging, if not impossible, because it’s a baked dessert usually made with all-purpose flour. But, there’s a simple trick to that.
You might think the answer is gluten-free flour, but the secret ingredient is finely ground blanched almond flour. You must use almond flour, not coconut or other types of gluten-free flour.
This recipe also stands out because it uses coconut sugar and is dairy-free! Thus, it uses coconut oil instead of butter, but you can switch it to avocado oil or vegan butter.
11. Vegan Brownies
I’ve included gluten-free brownies, but I think I can take the notch up higher and include vegan-friendly brownies! Although brownies typically involve non-vegan components, others develop recipes to allow you to enjoy them while sticking to your lifestyle!
They’re as fudgy and gooey as the usual brownies; you can’t tell them apart! Thus, if you’re a vegan, I recommend this as the best brownie recipe for you.
Because most standard brownie ingredients aren’t vegan-friendly, you’ll need some unique ingredients. These include ground flax, vegan butter (you can substitute applesauce for this), and non-dairy chocolate chips.
12. Buckeye Brownies
For the HUGE fans of peanut butter and chocolate, I think this will be your absolute favorite brownie recipe. Buckeye brownies layer a simple brownie base, creamy peanut butter filling, and a rich chocolate ganache topping.
The brownie base can be homemade or made from box mixes. The peanut butter filling calls for powdered sugar, peanut butter, salted butter, vanilla, and a pinch of salt.
Meanwhile, the chocolate ganache is a melted chocolate mixture made of chocolate chips, heavy cream, and salted butter. Use chopped chocolate if that’s what you have at home.
13. Turtle Brownies
Seeking a brownie with a rather complex flavor profile? This recipe fits the bill. You get sweet, salty, gooey, fudgy, caramel flavors plus a distinct taste and crunch from pecans.
Turtle desserts are a trinity of flavors: bittersweet chocolate, rich caramel, and toasty pecans. While initially made as candies, these flavors translate well into brownies, especially when made from scratch, like this recipe.
However, don’t worry because not all of it is from scratch. You can buy ready-made caramel sauce for convenience, but if you can make it homemade, why not? Use your own recipe if you want!
14. Red Velvet Brownies
Do you want to eat brownies AND red velvet cake simultaneously? Why not combine them and turn them into one extraordinary recipe? This recipe will prove both are totally possible.
These incredibly good red velvet brownies stand out with bright red hues, red velvet flavors, and cream cheese icing. They’re wickedly amazing and are as fudgy as your usual brownies.
The brownie base and icing are simple to make with easy-to-find ingredients, like flour, red food coloring, cream cheese, etc. Add a few red sprinkles, and you’ll have these show-stopping treats in no time.
15. Dulce de Leche Brownies
Dulce de leche is basically caramelized milk, and it’s a significant component in many amazing Latin American desserts. Added to brownies, they transform this simple, chocolatey treat into something heavenly and homey.
This recipe unites dark chocolate and dulce de leche flavors. Thus, you’ll need dark chocolate, cocoa powder, brown sugar, and dulce de leche (either ready-made or homemade).
The procedure for making these brownies involve some simple marbling technique, so after they’ve baked, your brownies will have beautiful, caramel brown streaks across the dark base. These breaks of creaminess complement the rich bittersweet flavors of dark chocolate.
16. Cookie Dough Brownie
I like including two-in-one recipes because they are convenient – you get the best of two worlds in one. For this dessert, these two worlds are cookies and brownies.
This recipe makes the best brownies for cookie lovers using simple ingredients like butter, flour, sugar, chocolate chips, and more. It’s similar to the buckeye brownies because it has three layers: brownie base, cookie dough center, and chocolate ganache topping.
However, unlike the buckeye brownies recipe, this one has all elements made from scratch. Thus, some effort and investment are crucial, but with how good it is? Worth it!
17. Guinness Brownies
We’ll install this brownie recipe with Guinness, a known beer brand. Successfully adding beer to a brownie without making it too boozy or liquidy is challenging but not impossible.
To address the liquidity problem and maintain the structural integrity, Guinness is first reduced to less than half its volume. Afterward, add to both the chocolate brownie base and the espresso-flavored frosting.
But why add Guinness? The beer, especially with espresso, highlights the chocolate goodness, making the flavors intensify. This results in a bold and fudgy brownie with hints of Guinness and coffee.
18. Cheesecake Brownies
These cheesecake brownies from Preppy Kitchen will fall nothing short of your expectations. It’s the perfect blend of decadence and tang, and the marbled swirls on top are simply perfection.
These brownies involve two elements: the brownie base and the cheesecake topping. You’ll make both from scratch, so the overall ingredients list is quite extensive but doesn’t worry because most are familiar.
Unlike other recipes, this one emphasizes the use of dutch process cocoa powder. According to the author, it ensures a darker base, less acidity, and added fudginess to the brownie.
18 Delicious Brownie Recipes
Make the most creative and delicious brownies with these simple recipes!
Ingredients
Homemade Brownies
Air-Fryer Brownies
Fudgy Brownies
Cakey Brownies
Milk Chocolate Brownies
Peanut Butter Brownies
Salted Caramel Brownies
Coconut Brownies
Blondies/Blonde Brownies
Gluten-free Brownies
Vegan Brownies
Buckeye Brownies
Turtle Brownies
Red Velvet Brownies
Dulce de Leche Brownies
Cookie Dough Brownies
Guinness Brownies
Cheesecake Brownies
Directions
- Select your favorite recipe.
- Organize all the required ingredients.
- Prep a brownie in 30 minutes or less!