The best chewy brownies that are actually better than the boxed mix. So decadent and rich…bet you won’t be able to stop eating them!

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I feel like everyone has very strong opinions when it comes to what makes the perfect brownies. To me, brownies fall into one of three categories: cakey, chewy, or fudgy.  I’m all about the chewy brownies, so this is the recipe for my perfect brownies!

It’s taken me ages to create a recipe that I was genuinely happy with because I’ve made a lot of brownies from scratch and they were never better than the boxed mix kind, especially the Ghirardelli dark chocolate mix. They were either too cakey or too fudgy or honestly…just didn’t have a rich enough chocolate flavor. This recipe is pretty forgiving because if you do over bake them, they will be a bit chewier than ideal — but still amazing.

Ingredients

• Nutella: This is necessary for the recipe as it’s the main source of chocolate for the brownies. This is the only way I’ve found to create a true rich chocolate flavor. It seems like a lot of Nutella, but after it bakes, you don’t really taste the hazelnut flavor anymore. Also, since the Nutella is sweetened and spreadable, we use much less sugar and butter/oil compared to traditional brownie recipes.
• Butter/oil: To create a moist and chewy brownie, I really think a mix of butter and oil has to be used. Butter contributes more to the flavor, so it’s definitely dominant in the recipe, but the 2 tsp of oil really does make a big difference! I highly recommend starting with room temperature butter so that when we whip the sugar and butter together, we can get a lot of air in there. Since we aren’t using a rising agent, the air we whip in during every step is critical.
  • If you have cold butter, a quick way to get it to room temperature is to cube it into small pieces, and use your standing mixer to just beat the butter alone until it’s softened, then add in the sugar and cream it together.
• Brown sugar: I used golden brown sugar here, but whichever brown sugar you have will work. The darker brown the sugar is, the more molasses content is present, so the chewier the brownie will be.
• Chocolate chips: The added semi-sweet chocolate chips are definitely not necessary, but are always a plus! I strongly suggest using semi-sweet or bittersweet to prevent too much added sweetness. The chips add a different chocolate texture, but if you don’t have any on hand, the recipe will still turn out great without.
• Flaky sea salt: I love the mix of salty and sweet on baked goods, so I always like to sprinkle a little Maldon’s sea salt flakes on top when it’s done baking. Feel free to leave out to your preference.

Tips & Tricks

I find it difficult to keep the parchment paper in place when I’m lining a baking pan, so I use binder clips to keep it in place. Remember to take the clips off before putting the pan in the oven though!

Make sure to wait until it’s cooled down to almost room temperature before cutting! The brownies are still cooking when you take them out of the oven. I like to cool the entire pan on a wire rack so air can circulate underneath the pan as well.

To cut the brownies, use a large sharp knife, ideally the length of your pan or longer to decrease dragging. When cutting, run your knife underneath hot water, wipe clean, then cut. Repeat for each cut to get clean brownies.

Alternatively, let the brownies cool to room temperature, then throw them in the freezer for 15-20 minutes before cutting.