Old fashioned brownies are rich, dark chocolate brownies with a soft chewy center, firm edges and a crackly top. Easy and simple to make using just one bowl. A family favorite!
These old fashioned brownies have a soft chewy center, firm crisp edges and a sugary, crackly top. They are rich, chewy, fudgy, dark chocolate brownies.
They are super simple to make – using just one bowl. So make yourself or someone you love some of these old fashioned brownies.
If you’re looking for more easy to make desserts then try this strawberry crisp or this graham cracker toffee.
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Why I’m sharing this recipe
Easy to make: These brownies are easy to make. It uses just one bowl and wooden spoon (no electric mixer needed).
Fun baking project: this is an easy recipe to make with your kids or grandkids.
Brownies are awesome: Everyone loves brownies – this is one of my favorite treats to make for friends and family.
How to make these brownies
The recipe steps below are a visual guide on how to make this recipe – a printable recipe card and instructions can be found at the bottom of the post.
- Prep and measure out all your ingredients so they are ready to go.
- Step 1: Add cocoa and baking soda to a large bowl and stir to combine.
- Step 2: Add half the melted butter to the cocoa mixture and stir – it will form a thick paste.
- Step 3: Add boiling water to the cocoa mixture.
- Step 4: Stir to combine water and cocoa mixture – it will be very liquidy and it won’t be completely smooth – which is okay.
- Step 5: Add sugar, eggs and the rest of the melted butter to the mixture.
- Step 6: Stir completely to combine all ingredients.
- Step 7: Sift flour over chocolate mixture and add vanilla and salt.
- Step 8: Stir to incorporate flour completely – scrape down sides occasionally as you stir.
- Step 9: Add chocolate chips to the brownie mixture.
- Step 10: Stir in the chocolate chips to combine with the brownie mixture.
- Step 11: Pour brownie mixture in to a greased baking pan and smooth the top with a wooden spoon.
- Step 12: Once the brownie is baked, let cool completely before cutting into squares.
I make these brownies all the time and they come out consistently every time – chewy, rich and with an intense dark chocolate flavor.
I like these old fashioned kind of brownies. They are the chewy, fudgy kind with firm edges and a softer center. My friend told me we could be brownie buddies since I like the softer center brownies and she likes the firmer outer edge brownies – especially the corner pieces.
A lot of readers have made these with their kids or grandchildren – so if you’re looking for a fun recipe to make with your family then this recipe is for you.
Top tips for making this recipe
- It’s important to let the cooked brownie cool before remove it from the pan. If you try and remove it too soon the whole brownie could break up into a bunch of pieces – so wait about 30 minutes before flipping the whole brownie out of the pan. Once the brownie has cooled in the pan, gently loosen around the edge of the pan and the brownie with a thin metal spatula, you should then be able to easily flip the brownie out of the pan. Also, you’ll get a cleaner cut on the individual brownies if you wait for the whole (uncut) brownie to cool and slice it up once it’s out of the pan.
- I used dark chocolate chips which gives these brownies a rich, dark chocolate, slightly bittersweet flavor but if you wanted to lighten the brownies up a bit you could use regular chocolate chips.
- Did you know that brownies will cook more quickly in a metal pan versus a Pyrex pan? I cooked mine in a metal 9 x 13 non-stick pan. If you are using Pryex you may need to cook your brownies a little bit longer than stated in the recipe below.
- This recipe is from Hershey’s kitchens. They have a lot of great recipes – so go check out their site if you’re looking for a great chocolate baking recipe.
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If you make this recipe and enjoy it, please come back and leave a comment and rating. I’d love to hear from you!
Nutritional information is generated from an online nutritional calculator. This information is provided as a courtesy only and should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice. Ingredients can vary and Green Valley Kitchen makes no guarantees to the accuracy of this information.
PrintOld Fashioned Brownies
A rich, dark chocolate brownie with a soft chewy center, firm edges and a crackly top. These old fashioned brownies are easy and simple to make using just one bowl.
- Prep Time: 20 mins
- Cook Time: 35 mins
- Total Time: 55 minutes
- Yield: 24 brownies 1x
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Baked
- Cuisine: American
Ingredients
- 3/4 cup Hershey’s cocoa – unsweetened
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 2/3 cup butter – melted
- 1/2 cup boiling water
- 2 cups sugar
- 2 eggs
- 1 1/3 cup all purpose flour
- 1 tsp vanilla
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1 cup dark chocolate chips
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- Grease a 9 by 13 baking pan.
- Add cocoa and baking soda to a large bowl and stir to combine.
- Melt 2/3 of a cup of butter over low heat on the stove (or melt butter in the microwave). With a wooden spoon, stir 1/2 of the melted butter into the cocoa and baking soda. Stir until combined.
- Add 1/2 cup of boiling water to bowl with cocoa and butter. Stir until combined.
- Add sugar, eggs and the rest of the melted butter to the cocoa mixture. Stir until combined.
- Sift in 1 1/3 cup of flour. Add vanilla and salt. Stir until combined and batter is smooth.
- Add dark chocolate chips to batter and stir until combined.
- Pour into prepared baking pan and smooth the top out with a wooden spoon. Bake for between 35 and 40 minutes. Mine took 35 minutes. Test with a toothpick for doneness.
- Cool for 30 minutes in pan. When cool, remove from pan and cut into 24 brownies.
Notes
It’s important to let the cooked brownie cool before remove it from the pan. If you try and remove it too soon the whole brownie could break up into a bunch of pieces – so wait about 30 minutes before flipping the whole brownie out of the pan. Once the brownie has cooled in the pan, gently loosen around the edge of the pan and the brownie with a thin metal spatula, you should then be able to easily flip the brownie out of the pan. You will also get a cleaner cut on the individual brownies if you wait for the whole (uncut) brownie to cool before cutting it up into squares.
If you make this recipe and enjoy it, come back and let me know by leaving a comment and a rating. I’d love to hear from you.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 of 24
- Calories: 172
- Sugar: 19.4g
- Fat: 7.1g
- Saturated Fat: 4.2g
- Carbohydrates: 26.9g
- Protein: 2.1g
Judith Callaghan
sooo good!