This post may contain affiliate links. Please read our disclosure policy.

Better Than a Boyfriend Brownies by Modern Honey - www.modernhoney.com

The BEST BROWNIE RECIPE

Here it is… your foolproof, satisfy your chocolate cravings, ultimate chocolate chunk brownie recipe.

These “Better than a Boyfriend Brownies” are whipped up in one bowl and are so easy even kids can make them. I am pretty sure I could make these brownies in my sleep. I’ve tried more brownie recipes than I would like to admit but all of that practice has made me a brownie connoisseur of sorts, right? This is hands down the BEST homemade brownie recipe.

I have been baking since I could stand up on a stool! I have been able to compete in the Pillsbury Bake-Off for a million dollars twice, win the Cooking Channel Contest for the most perfect cookie in America and film in the Food Network Studios (the #1 recipe in 2012), and land on the cover of Food Network Magazine for winning their Bake Sale contest. This was all before I started Modern Honey and have been baking up a storm ever since!

All of these years of baking and working to create the perfect brownie recipe and here it is! Once I tried this homemade brownie recipe, I have never looked back. This is the ONLY brownie recipe I use because it is the best!

This brownie recipe is rich, decadent, and fudgy. No dry cakey ones here! You may want to eat the entire pan – they are that good and it might just become your absolute family favorite.

Better than a Boyfriend Brownies by Modern Honey - www.modernhoney

The name – Better than a Boyfriend Brownies stems from where all good inspiration comes from – a breakup. I have a ridiculous memory. It can be a really good thing and a really bad thing, simultaneously. Here’s where the really good memory isn’t so great.

For some stupid reason (because teenagers generally don’t always make the most sound judgments), my friends and I thought it would be funny to toilet paper my first little boyfriend’s house.

Since we couldn’t drive, we convinced my Mom to drive us to this unsuspecting boy’s house. We realized pretty fast that his yard was huge and we needed some help. So we ran to the car and grabbed the master toilet paperer – my Mother. We somehow convinced her that toilet papering at the age of 50 was completely normal.

All was going well and we were quite impressed with our TP skills…until we saw car lights rounding the corner into the cul-de-sac. There was nowhere to run so we squealed like little girls and hurdled into the bushes. Unfortunately for us, our hurdling skills weren’t the best and our covers were blown….by his parents!

They got out of the car, walked over to the bushes and we slowly peaked our heads out in utter shame and embarrassment.  The real entertainment came when they discovered that my Mom was hiding WITH us!

I don’t think they were impressed. That little boyfriend – the giver of my first kiss completely broke my heart into smithereens when he broke up with me. Note to self: don’t toilet paper your boyfriend’s house. They usually have to clean it up and won’t like it.

I went home and did what any normal teenager would do…put on some really sad music, baked up a pan of brownies, ate every one of them and drowned my sorrows. Hence the name – Better than a Boyfriend Brownies.

If only, I would have applied my good memory to the periodic table in Chemistry.

Better than a Boyfriend Brownies by Modern Honey - www.modernhoney.com

I’ve had a lot of years to work on my brownie making skills. I am going to give you 5 tips to make sure those calories are worth it and to NOT screw up your brownies. These are truly the best brownies in the world!

Better than a Boyfriend Brownies by Modern Honey - www.modernhoney.com

5 Ways to NOT screw up brownies:

  • Don’t overbake. Holy cow this is a big one. Ask my kids how crazy it makes me when I see the cooking times listed on a brownie mix or cake mix box and it’s so long that you’ll end up with hockey pucks! No wonder people think they are bad cooks when really we can just chalk it up to bad directions. Can we do that? Yes, we can. Anytime you are baking up a cookie, cake or brownie….watch those precious gems like a hawk. You want laser beam focus because a few minutes can be a difference maker.
  • Cream butter + sugar for at least 3 minutes to ensure you don’t end up with grainy brownies. Creaming works wonders in baked goods as it helps to dissolve sugar crystals and it creates little pockets of air. The butter wraps around the sugar as it coats it and helps to say goodbye to the grainy texture.
  • Don’t overmix your flour. You know how kneading bread makes it better….well it’s the opposite with baked goods. If you overmix your batter, it creates more gluten which can leave you with a tougher brownie. We want a tender one! Mix until just combined or even turn off your mixer and fold in your flour.
  • Use high-quality cocoa. It’s the star ingredient and it’s integral to the overall success of the brownies. I buy Callebaut cocoa powder in bulk at Winco and even though it’s high-quality stuff, it is actually less expensive than buying one of the other popular brands in the store. It makes a huge difference in the depth of flavor.
  • Add chocolate chunks. Because if you are going to eat chocolate, you want to really eat chocolate. Adding semi-sweet chocolate adds a richness to it and another depth of flavor. Guittard and Ghiradelli are some of my favorite brands of chocolate. Trader Joe’s makes a killer chocolate bar and it melts beautifully. If you are really crazy, add some white chocolate just to really mix it up (think Paradise Bakery black + white chippers).

Better than a Boyfriend Brownies with Caramel Dulce de Leche by Modern Honey - www.modernhoney.com

Use a toothpick or even a cake tester (OXO makes a good inexpensive one HERE) to test the middle to make sure it’s not a goopy mess.

You want it to come out with a soft crumb and not be dry as cardboard. No one likes to eat cardboard. Use light colored pans. The dark colored pans cook the bottoms of baked goods too quickly. Here are a few of my favorite pans — USA 9 x 13 inch pan and USA Square Cake Pan 9 inch.

Better than a Boyfriend Brownies with Dulce de Leche Caramel by Modern Honey - www.modernhoney.com

Feel free to up your game and add some caramel or dulce de leche. People will be impressed at your mad skills. Carefully heat up a jar of that caramel goodness and swirl half of the jar into the brownie batter. Bake in the oven. Once they come out of the oven, top and swirl with remaining caramel.

Make sure you lick the spoon after you are all done…..in the name of research, of course. *They are adapted from I am Baker’s brownie recipe (who you must follow because she’s so hilarious and incredibly talented).

Better than a Boyfriend Brownies with Dulce de Leche Caramel by Modern Honey - www.modernhoney.com

Click the video below to see how quick and easy it is to make homemade brownies:

Pin this now to find it later

Pin It
4.91 from 111 votes

Better than a Boyfriend Brownies

By: Melissa Stadler, Modern Honey
This rich and fudgy brownie will satisfy all your chocolate cravings.
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 32 minutes
Total Time: 42 minutes
Servings: 20

Ingredients  

  • 1 cup Butter softened
  • 2 cups Sugar
  • 1 cup Brown Sugar
  • 4 Eggs
  • 1 Tablespoon Vanilla
  • 1 cup Flour
  • 1/2 cup Cake Flour
  • 1 cup Cocoa Powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon Salt
  • 1 1/2 cups Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chunks or Chips
  • *Optional: add 8-ounce jar Dulce de Leche. Carefully heat in the microwave. Swirl in 4 ounces into the batter. Bake. Top brownies with remaining Dulce de Leche.

Instructions 

  • Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
  • In a large mixing bowl, cream together butter, sugar, and brown sugar for 3-4 minutes or until light and fluffy. Add eggs one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Add vanilla.
  • Stir in flour, cake flour, cocoa, and salt until mixed together.
  • Fold in chocolate chips.
  • Pour into 9 x 13 pan and spread evenly.
  • Bake for 28-36 minutes.
  • *Adapted from I am Baker's decadent brownies

Video

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

Additional Info

Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Servings: 20
Keyword: best brownie recipe
Like this? Leave a comment below!Jump to Comments

Pin on Pinterest:

BEST BROWNIES EVER. The Best Homemade Chocolate Brownies Recipe. 5-Star Rated Brownie Recipe. Most Popular Brownies! www.modernhoney.com #brownies #chocolate #brownierecipe #bestbrownies #chocolatelover #chocoholic #chocolatedessert #dessert #dessertbars

Happy Baking!


Hi, I'm Melissa Stadler!

I am an Award-Winning Recipe Creator. Cover of Food Network Magazine. Two-Time Pillsbury Bake-Off Finalist. I am passionate about sharing the best recipes so you have success in the kitchen!

You Might Also Like

Leave a comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe Rating




175 Comments

  1. Ok, I’m a brownie snob and I’ll just go ahead and say this is the perfect brownie recipe! I can’t tell you how many recipes I’ve tried or altered, but yours produces rich, fudgey brownies without any modifications to the recipe! I was skeptical about using a whole tablespoon of vanilla, but that really added a nice warm flavor. I also think your advice to not overmix or overbake the brownies makes the best texture! Yum!

    1. 5 stars
      Yay Kelly! So happy to hear that! I researched and ate a lot of brownies in search of the perfect brownie recipe. I haven’t even tried another recipe since I made this one. It’s my favorite too. Thank you for making my day by writing such a kind comment. – Melissa 🙂

  2. Hello I found your recipe and i read all the comments. I want to make brownies but i don’t have the extra chocolate can i add some walnuts. I know they won’t be extra gooey. Thanks

    1. 5 stars
      Hi Alisha! I think that is a great idea! You can absolutely substitute walnuts for the chocolate chips. Thanks! – Melissa 🙂

    1. 5 stars
      Hi Angela. I am a little late to the ball game with this comment but it is normal for it to be thick. It usually sticks to the spatula but is spreadable. I hope they turned out well! 🙂

    2. I would like to give it a try. I have a question. Can I use coconut flour instead of all purpose flour? Could The mesures change?

      Thanks in advance

  3. hello im from Philippines????im just really confused about that first flour and cake flour that was stated? can I use all purpose flour and cake flour?

    1. 5 stars
      Hello from Arizona! Thanks for stopping by from the Philippines! Yes, you are right — the first flour is all purpose flour. Hope that helps! – Melissa 🙂

  4. Is the cocoa powder unsweetened or sweetened?
    PS. I’ve made some of your cookie recipes for my family and they are AMAZING!

    1. 5 stars
      Hi Kristin! Yay! Thank you so much for such a kind comment. So happy that you love them! The cocoa powder is unsweetened. Let me know how you like them! – Melissa 🙂

  5. 5 stars
    Holy Chocolate!!! Made these brownies tonight and they are amazing! Didn’t have my usual Penzeys full-fat cocoa, so I used 3/4 cup of Hershey’s cocoa and 1/4 cup of King Arthur Black cocoa – I did use Ghiradelli chocolate chips – my favorite…

    They came out deliciously dense and fudgy with a delicate crunchy top. The edges were perfectly chewy!!

    Until now my favorite brownies were Ghiradelli boxed brownies (double chocolate and dark chocolate).

    These were even better!!

    Thanks for a great brownie recipe! The hunt is over… 🙂

    1. 5 stars
      Thanks so much, Dave! I appreciate your kind words and I am so happy that you loved the brownies! They are super decadent. I am a huge fan of Ghirardelli chocolate chips as well and they just make everything better. Thanks for taking the time to comment and have a great day! – Melissa 🙂

    2. 5 stars
      Good to know these are better than the Ghirardelli dark chocolate boxed brownies because those are my favorite too! Going to make these this weekend!

  6. 2 stars
    Hi. I don’t know if you’ll even see this but I’ve tried your recipe once and it tuned out delicious. I tweaked it a bit (I added extra chocolate) but still great results. Today I decided to make these for my class and spent five hours cooking to have the two batches done in time. I don’t know what went wrong but both came out undercooked (I added up to an hour of extra cooking time but they wouldn’t cook!) and would crumble into pieces when I tried to cut them. A total disaster. They weren’t so much undercooked as unbelievably moist. I would have added extra flour but the batter was already so thick I never imagined this would happen. Any idea as to what I did wrong?

    1. 5 stars
      Oh Rachel…that is a bummer! It’s always hard when you spend so much time and they don’t turn out. Here’s my theory….it sounds like you made two batches. I am wondering if the ingredients got off somehow. Since there is 1 cup of all purpose flour and 1/2 cup cake flour, I am thinking that maybe one of them got left out? If they wouldn’t set up, no matter the cooking time, then there wasn’t enough dry ingredients to set it up. I hope that helps for next time and I am sorry to hear that you had trouble. Have a great day!

  7. 5 stars
    If I double the recipe do you think it would fit a cookie sheet? And would the bake time stay the same?

    1. 5 stars
      Hi Chelsea! I haven’t tried it yet but I think you will have enough batter to spread into a cookie sheet. Because they will be much thinner, you will need to put the timer for about 14-16 minutes and watch closely. Let me know how they turn out! 🙂

  8. 5 stars
    These are the best brownies I ever had in my life!Very fudge and am in heaven.I love your blog and stories.You are awesome!Keep it going as It really makes my day!Love the recipes.

    1. Hi Eileen! Thank you for taking the time to write such a sweet comment. You just made my night! 🙂