Boxed Brownies without the Box

The homemade brownie recipe to rule them all- even the beloved boxed brownies. Gooey, deeply chocolatey, fudgy. Perfect crackly tops and a chewy and gooey texture to die for. Move over, Ghirardelli, these brownies are coming for you.

Okay, wait, don’t be mad, Ghirardelli brownie mix. I still love you. It’s just that I really really want to be able to make amazing brownies even when you’re not around.

For many years, I have tried dang near every brownie recipe on the entire interwebs. And for many years, I have touted that homemade brownies simply can never even come close to the perfection of the boxed Ghirardelli brownie. Nevertheless, I persisted (is that saying about baked goods?). Because sometimes a gal just really needs some brownies and doesn’t have time to procure a mix. And sometimes I am just a big snob and relish in making things from scratch.

And so, I continued on my quest to make perfect brownies from scratch. Oh how I suffered; through uninspiring cakey and boring renditions of my favorite treat.

But I am not a quitter. And I continued in my pursuit of brownie perfection.

And lo, I found it.

As I mixed up this batter, my heart began to flutter. It looked right. It smelled right. The batter licked right as I ate it off of the spatula. With my heart racing with the promise of glory, I waited impatiently for these beauties to cool.

Then I sliced one. At ate one. And it was good.

Real good.

The texture is absolutely perfect. Crackly and oh so slightly crisp, the top is exactly how brownies are supposed to be. The melty chocolate chunks are heavenly and the gooey chewy factor is off the charts.

And it’s all mixed up in one bowl, with simple ingredients and simple steps that you really can’t mess up. I highly recommend using dutch process cocoa powder, for a deeper chocolate flavor, but regular cocoa powder will be just fine if you don’t have any.

Use some good quality chocolate chips or chunks- I like Guittard or Ghirardelli from the store. But my best pick? Chocoley chocolate. I used their V125 Indulgence Couverture Semi Sweet Chocolate . Their chocolate is completely gluten free, peanut free, contains no hydrogenated oils, and is my preferred chocolate for all baking. And just eating it straight out of the container.

If you too have been on an endless quest to make perfect brownies at home, give these babies a try and repeat back. That is, as soon as you wake up from fainting after the first bite.

Need more chocolatey goodness? I gotchu, fam. Try these Dark Chocolate Oreao Cookies, Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Truffles, or Chocolate Cupcakes with Oreo Buttercream.