If you like your brownies chewy, gooey and extra chocolatey – then these one-bowl chewy brownies are for you! Made with oil and cocoa powder so you likely won’t even need an extra grocery trip, they’re waaayyy better than boxed brownies!
**This post was originally published July 3, 2017 and updated February 18, 2020 with updated ingredients, baking tips and photos**
When it comes to brownies, everyone has their favorite type. Chewy, cakey, fudgy – maybe you like yours slathered with frosting or topped with a scoop of ice cream & chocolate sauce. But if you like your brownies moist and chewy, then these one-bowl brownies are definitely for you.
They aren’t as dense or rich as brownies made with melted dark chocolate in the batter. Instead, they have a soft texture and a cocoa flavor that’s perfectly chocolatey without being too rich.
The Easiest Brownie Recipe
This brownie recipe is a one bowl, no mixer, all kinds of delicious type of thing. And the best part is that there’s no need for buying anything expensive.
You only need simple, pantry ingredients:
- ½ oil
- 1 ¼ cup white sugar
- 2 large eggs, plus 1 extra egg yolk
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ¾ cup all-purpose flour
- ⅔ cup cocoa powder
- Plus ¾ cup chocolate chips
The oil keeps the brownies moist and soft, and the extra egg yolk adds tenderness to the texture. You’ll notice that there isn’t any baking powder or baking soda in the ingredient list – this helps to ensure that the brownies don’t get too cake-like in texture.
You’ll whisk together the oil and sugar, followed by the eggs and vanilla extract. The flour and cocoa powder are mixed in, and then the chocolate chips are gently folded into the mixture. You’ll find the batter looks very shiny and has a sticky, almost tacky texture. You can use an electric mixer if you find it easier, but I don’t find it necessary if you use a little arm muscle 😉
They’ll bake for about 25-30 minutes, and when they’re done the top should look set and the sides should just be starting to come away from the edges of the pan. An inserted toothpick should come out clean, or with a few damp crumbs (although it’s a little hard to do the toothpick test because typically you end up hitting a melted chocolate chip). Note that if you use a glass pan instead of a metal pan, the bake time will be a few minutes longer.
Because these brownies are made with oil and cocoa powder – they’ll remind you of boxed brownies. But they’re extra chewy and have a little richer flavor. Because they’re very moist, they don’t get hard, crinkly tops like some brownie recipes. But the chewy, tender texture definitely makes up for it.
You’re going to love them.
So to Summerize, Here’s How to Make Chewy Brownies
- Use oil instead of butter
- Add an extra egg yolk
- Don’t use baking soda or baking powder
- Don’t use a mixer
- Be careful not to overbake
Note: This recipe can be easily doubled and baked in a 9×13 inch pan. The bake time will be about the same.
These one-bowl chewy brownies are seriously delicious, rich in the best possible way, and moist in texture with a soft crumb (my apologies to everyone cringing over that word). And since the ingredients are probably all in your pantry already – it’s time to get baking!
Make sure to try some of my other favorite brownie recipes!
- Triple Chocolate Fudge Brownies
- Fudge Brownies with Chocolate Frosting
- Nutella Brownies
- Cream Cheese Brownies
- Red Velvet Brownies
- Peanut Butter Brownies
One Bowl Chewy Brownies
Ingredients
- ½ cup vegetable oil or canola oil
- 1 ¼ cup white sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 1 large egg yolk discard the white
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ¾ cup all-purpose flour
- ⅔ cup cocoa powder
- ¾ cup chocolate chips semi-sweet or dark
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350F degrees.
- Line an 8x8 inch metal baking pan* with aluminium foil and grease lightly, or line with parchment paper
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the oil and sugar.
- Whisk in the eggs, extra egg yolk and vanilla.
- Gently stir in the flour and cocoa powder. If needed, give the mixture a whisk to remove any lumps.*
- Then fold in the chocolate chips.
- Pour the batter into your prepared pan and bake for 25-30 minutes, or until the top looks set and an inserted toothpick comes out clean or with a few damp crumbs.
- Cool and then cut into bars. I let mine cool for over 2 hours before slicing for the photographs (you'll notice that the insides were still warm and melty).
Notes
- If you use a glass or ceramic pan instead of a metal, the bake time will be a few minutes longer. I recommend a metal pan for this recipe. Do not use a 9x9 inch pan, otherwise the brownies will be too thin.
- If you're having a hard time whisking by hand, feel free to use an electric mixer to mix in the flour and cocoa powder. If your cocoa powder has a lot of lumps - you may want to whisk it first.
- Store brownies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 days, or in the fridge for up to 4 days. Because these brownies are very moist, I don't find they stay fresh as long as some other recipes.
- This recipe can be doubled and made in a 9x13 inch pan. The bake time will be about the same. You'll need:
- 1 cup vegetable oil
- 2 ½ cups white sugar
- 4 large eggs
- 2 large egg yolks (in addition to the other eggs)
- 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
- 1 ⅓ cups cocoa powder
- 1 ½ cups chocolate chips
These are pure perfection. Simple, low mess- but there’s still a bowl and spoon to lick. 🙂 Need to try them soon!
Th spoon to lick is key!
Made these today for the second time and they are delicious. Only thing is they have to be eaten with a spoon as they never really set up firm enough to eat like a cut brownie. We loved them but don’t know if they need more flour or what the issue is why they never set up.
I only used 2 eggs and used dark cocoa. This recipe easy and they taste great!
This recipe was a lifesaver today. I made a batch of my stand-by chocolate chip cookies and they spread a little more than usual and just weren’t “pretty”. Has that ever happened to anyone except me? Anyways, I needed a fill-in chocolate-type dessert ASAP, as this was a gift for someone that was being delivered this afternoon!! I searched a bunch of my favorite food bloggers for a quick and easy brownie recipe because I always have those ingredients on hand and I settled on this recipe. It was by far one of the simplest of all my searches and what a winner I hit on! This is exactly what I was looking for and the recipe couldn’t have been simpler and (I admit) I sampled one just to be sure. These are whipped up in 10 minutes and they are simply delicious. Thank you Fiona for always having wonderful, no-fail recipes.
I’m so glad the recipe saved the day and that you loved the brownies! That’s definitely happened to me before with things just not turning out pretty – so frustrating.
Tried these tonight. I needed a quick snack for my husband and his friends. I used olive oil instead of vegetable oil because that’s what I had. I have never commented on a recipe before but had to comment on these. They are fantastic!!! We ate the whole pan!! They fell apart a little but that didn’t matter because they were so chocolatety and gooey no one cared!! Thanks so much for the recipe! It’s a keeper!!!
I’m so glad everyone loved them! And thank you so much for your sweet comment – it definitely made my day 🙂
Brownies are in the oven now, smell great! But, I added the extra egg white instead of the egg yolk-oops!
Does it matter what color brown sugar you use? By the way, I’ve made these twice and they are amazing.
Light or dark brown sugar is totally fine. I’m so glad you love the recipe 🙂
Mine are not good!
Do you think I could use melted coconut oil instead of vegetable oil? Thanks, Paula
I haven’t tried so I’m not sure. If you do please let me know if they turn out
Excellent recipe! I love that you use brown sugar. I use coconut oil and they are perfect each time. I’m curious if you add cornstarch? It mentions it in your notes, but not the actual recipe, so just curious. Thanks again!
Absolutely amazing brownies Fiona, thanks for sharing!
Just put these in the oven! I’m seeing a lot of comments about brown sugar but the recipe says white sugar. Hope I didn’t mess something up!
Hi Nicole,
Sorry for the confusion. When I originally posted the recipe years ago, I used brown sugar. But I updated it more recently, I switched to using white sugar 🙂