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!
UPDATED: I originally posted this recipe in January, 2015 and it has been one of the most popular recipes on my site – especially around Valentine’s Day. So I have updated the recipe with step by step photos and added some tips to show how easy it is to make these old fashioned brownies. Hope you enjoy it!
Since Valentine’s Day is coming up I thought I’d share with you a recipe for old fashioned brownies.
These 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.
Steps for making Old Fashioned Brownies:
- Prep and measure out all your ingredients so they are ready to go.
- Add cocoa and baking soda to a large bowl and stir to combine.
- Add half the melted butter to the cocoa mixture and stir – it will form a thick paste.
- Add boiling water to the cocoa mixture.
- Stir to combine water and cocoa mixture – it will be very liquidy and it won’t be completely smooth – which is okay.
- Add sugar, eggs and the rest of the melted butter to the mixture.
- Stir completely to combine all ingredients.
- Sift flour over chocolate mixture and add vanilla and salt.
- Stir to incorporate flour completely – scrape down sides occasionally as you stir.
- Add chocolate chips to the brownie mixture.
- Stir in the chocolate chips to combine with the brownie mixture.
- Pour brownie mixture in to a greased baking pan and smooth the top with a wooden spoon.
- 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.
A couple of 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. 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. There are all kinds of interesting brownie tips in this article.
- 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!
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
Keywords: Old Fashioned Brownies, Dessert
Mae Blanco
My second attempt to bake brownies and it was perfect. The first was from another site, it didn’t turn out well. Here I am going back to this same page because I’ll do a third attempt. I don’t really cook and I just thought of trying to bake for a change. This now will forever be my brownie recipe until all my hair turn white.
★★★★★
Geraldine
Hi Mae – so glad you liked it and had a baking success! Love that this will be you forever brownie recipe – enjoy! Thanks so much for leaving a comment and a 5 star rating!
Diane
I just made these using only a mixture of 100% organic dark cocoa powder and carob powder. I DID add an extra tablespoon of grass fed butter, and I used coconut sugar and gluten free flour. Because of the gluten free flour I did have to bake it 10 minutes longer..
It all worked perfectly!!!
Due to having heds and macs and leaky gut syndrome, I have to get creative. Even being a chef doesn’t help alot when your allowed foods are severely limited.
But this was incredible!!!
Thank you so much.
Geraldine
Thanks so much, Diane! I haven’t tried this with gluten free flour – so really glad that it worked out for you! Hopefully your comment will help someone else out if they are thinking about trying the recipe with gluten free flour – the extra 10 minutes in the oven is a good tip!
Ann Marie
I was looking for an old fashioned brownie recipe, real chocolatey but more cake like than fudge, these hit the jackpot. I cooked them in a 13×9 metal pan, used parchment paper with enough paper over the edge so i could lift them out of the pan for easy cutting. I also eyeballed the pan and put mini Reese’s in one section, m&ms in middle and chopped pecans and caramel in the last section. They were a huge hit definitely my new go to brownie recipe.
Geraldine
Hi Ann Marie – thanks for letting me know. Love that you divided it up and added in a mix of Reese’s, m&ms, pecans and caramel – sound fantastic!
Kyra Jones
This is the BEST brownie I have ever eaten. My family absolutely loved them. I substituted 1/2 cup of coffee for the water. To me, coffee really brings out the flavor of the chocolate. Thank you and I really appreciate all of the comments.
★★★★★
Geraldine
Hey Kyra – I need to try making this with the addition of coffee! A couple of people have mentioned trying that in the comments below. Also, I really appreciate you taking the time to leave a detailed comment (and 5 star rating!)!
Mel
I can bake many things, but brownies never work for me. They are either over or under done. I’d love to try your recipe, but need to know what the toothpick should look like when I’m testing brownies for doneness…moist crumbs on the toothpick?
Geraldine
Hi Mel – yes, moist crumbs are best. If the toothpick looks like it has wet chocolate on it then it’s underdone and if the toothpick comes out with nothing on it then it may be overcooked. Here’s a link to see a visual of what the toothpick should look like: https://recipeforperfection.com/tell-brownies-done/. Hope it works out for you!
Stephanie
these are the best brownies I’ve ever made! They are perfect. They have a nice crust on top and are soft and a bit goey in the center.
★★★★★
Geraldine
That’s great, Stephanie! So glad you enjoyed them and took the time to leave a comment and rating! Thank you!
Amy
This brownies were really cakey and I didn’t like them very much even tho I followed the recipe exactly.
Geraldine
Sorry this recipe didn’t work out for you, Amy.
Natalie
My go to brownie recipe!! I love it! The dark chocolate chips cut the sweet and make it just perfect! My husband won’t let me use any other recipe to make brownies, it’s THAT good!! It’s AH-MAZING!!
★★★★★
Geraldine
Thanks so much, Natalie! I’m glad you and your husband love this recipe – I love the dark chocolate too. Thank you for leaving a comment and rating – I appreciate hearing from you!
Cindy
When you say Hershey’s cocoa, do you mean the unsweetened Hershey’s cocoa? Just wanted to make sure.
Geraldine
Yes! I’ll add a note on the recipe card so there’s no confusion. Thanks for asking, Cindy – hope you enjoy them!
Alex
Amazing. Delish!!!! Lots of rich, buttery goodness.
★★★★★
Geraldine
So glad you enjoyed it, Alex! Thanks for leaving a rating and a comment!
Mindy
Amazing….my family loves these!!! I switched out chocolate chips for mini M&Ms for a pop of color and the kids just loved it. will defidently be making these again!!
★★★★★
Geraldine
So glad this is family approved! Mini M&Ms sound like a great idea – love that pop of color. Thanks for leaving a comment and rating – I really appreciate hearing from you!
Darlena Martin
Flipping awesome brownies. Made them with milk chocolate chips and I did not sift the flour because I can be an over mixer. I can dry out some brownies! They are so fudgy and did not fall flat like many brownies do in a large pan. They are delicious. I also put frosting on them. Yes, my sons wanted frosting which I was glad about. Highly recommend these and will definitely make again. They’re easy to make and you get a large amount. Thanks for sharing.
Geraldine
So glad these were a big win for you and your family, Darlena! Frosting on top sounds decadent in a good way! Thanks for leaving a comment!
Lana
Can I add a teaspoon of coffee powder to enhance the chocolate flavor?
Geraldine
I haven’t tried that – but it should be fine. Let me know how it works!
Lana
Can i make this without chocolate chips?
Geraldine
Hi Lana – you really need to add the chocolate chips. Otherwise it won’t have enough chocolate.
Victoria
I forgot the salt! But still delectable, the recipe is spot on. I used Special dark Hershey cocoa and milk chocolate chips. Then tried it with some walnuts and added a touch of olive oil. Baked them in the 4 mini loaf pan and enjoyed as a sundae! Thank you for your recipe.
Geraldine
So glad it worked out for you, Victoria. Love the mini loaf pan idea!
Alicia
Its Sunday Feb. 9th 12 AM & I just made these…..they are delish 😋
★★★★★
Geraldine
So glad you enjoyed them, Alicia – thanks for leaving a rating and comment!
Kylie Delgado
THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU!! I love to bake and I bake a lot but for some reason I have never been able to get brownies to turn out the way I’m envisioning! But you made this so simple and the pictures you posted helped! I have tried 5 different recipes and was disappointed with all of them BUT yours was a game changer! This recipe got written down in my “Keepers” cook book! Best thing is my husband and son loved them as well!
★★★★★
Geraldine
What a great comment, Kylie! Thanks so much for letting me know that this worked for you. Glad the step by step photos were helpful too. It’s great your whole family enjoyed them! Thanks for leaving a star rating as well – I appreciate it.
L
Yum, these turned out great! I switched coffee for the water, and did half dark/half 100% cacao for the baking cocoa mostly because I ran out. Other than that, this was a super tasty, bigger-batch recipe. I’m sure my friends will love these too!
★★★★★
Geraldine
Thanks, L! I’m very intrigued by switching out the water for coffee – I’ll have to try that next time. Thanks so much for taking the time to let me know you enjoyed them and how you switched things up – I love that readers can read through the comments to see what worked for others! Thanks for leaving a rating also – much appreciated.
Julia
This is a wonderful recipe – I’ve made it many times. It also adapts well to making into a homemade mix. Just measure all of the dry ingredients into a bowl, and stir with a whisk to combine. Transfer to a mason jar for storage. When ready to make brownies, empty dry mixture into a bowl, add wet ingredients all at once. After mixing, add chocolate chips. Bake as directed.
Geraldine
Hi Julia – glad you enjoyed it!
Makaila
I love these brownies!!!
I used to have a recipe that was my go to, but it wasn’t chewy or fudgy enough so I went on the hunt for a brownie recipe that would satisfy my famil, friends, and I! Since I found this recipe a few months ago, I’ve made it for my family, gifted a friend, for my roommates on a trip this past January, for a club fair to entice the freshmen (and all of the above) at my college, and I’m about to make some for a kid my mother babysits (as a gift)! This recipe has never failed me. Even my mother is a very critical woman, especially when it comes to what I cook or bake because she knows this is my passion and she wants me to succeed, she said that these are the best brownies I’ve ever made!
I also never have butter at home, so I just use Country Crock. You never get the crinkly top, which is disappointing, but the top but really shiny and glossy and it tastes great!
Thank you so much for posting this recipe!
Geraldine
Wow – Thanks so much for letting me know, Makaila! So glad you are enjoying and sharing these brownies with friends and family! Thanks again for taking the time to leave a comment – I appreciate hearing from you!
Rare
Perfect brownies. I substituted some white sugar for brown. But either way they are amazing and you’ll never use a box mix again. Thank you!
★★★★★
Geraldine
Thanks so much, Rare – so glad you enjoyed them! Thanks for taking the time to let me know and leave a star rating – I really appreciate hearing from you.
Jennifer
These are delicious and easy. Better than a mix and I prefer to use butter. I wouldn’t alter this as each ingredient brings a neccessary element.
Geraldine
Thanks so much, Jennifer – glad you enjoyed them!
Cécile Féat
Made this twice already, they were gone in a day! (even our cats managed to open the cookie box I hid them in to steal some!!!! I swear!!!)
Off for a double batch right now for my daughters birthday tomorrow. It’s perfect since one of her closest friends is lactose intolerant 🙂
Thx!!!!
★★★★★
Geraldine
Hi Cecile – that’s so great! I’m so glad you are enjoying them! Thanks so much for letting me know, I really appreciate hearing how it turned out for you (and your cats 🙂 ) and thanks for leaving a star rating as well. Hope your daughter has a wonderful birthday!
Isu
Wow looks sooo good. what is the size of the cup?
★★★★★
Geraldine
Hi Isu: A cup is 8 ounces. Hope you try them.
Alanna
How many brownies does this yield? Thanks!
Geraldine
Hi Alanna – it makes 24 brownies – but you can make them bigger or smaller depending on how you cut them up.
Carol
I am 70 and this is the absolute best brownie recipie EVER!
★★★★★
Geraldine
Hi Carol – Thank you so much for letting me know! I appreciate you taking the time to leave a comment and rating. Everyone really likes these brownies!
Poonam
What can I substitute eggs with, if I want an eggless recipe?
Geraldine
I’m sorry – I only know how to make this recipe with eggs. Maybe try finding a vegan recipe on google?
Julia
You can use aquafaba, flax “eggs” or chia “eggs”. I substitute with these often in baking because some of my coworkers are vegan.
Geraldine
I haven’t tried aquafaba or other vegan versions so not sure it this will work. Thanks for the suggestions though.
Rhonda
Can you use already made fudge just cut it up instead of chocolate chips.
Geraldine
Hi Rhonda, sorry but fudge won’t work. If you don’t have chocolate chips, you can try chopping up a bar of chocolate into small pieces so that it equals one cup.
Deborah
Can. Make these without the chocolate chips without adjusting any other ingredients?
Thanks! They look just like them!
Geraldine
Sorry for the late reply, Deborah – but you need to put chocolate chips in brownies. Thanks for asking!
Jackie
I have these in the oven now. I have some homemade Bailey’s buttercream frosting that I am going to smear over the top when they cool.
Geraldine
Bailey’s buttercream frosting sounds great! Hope you enjoy them, Jackie.
Julie
I made these with my grandchildren for Valentine’s Day. We added maraschino cherries and a bit of the juice. They put them in small pieces tins and baked them. They came out great. The children gifted them to their parents.
Geraldine
That’s great idea, Julie! And what fun way to spend time with your grandchildren. Glad you enjoyed it.
Sheila
Made these delicious brownies for my birthday, so easy.
★★★★★
Geraldine
Love that you made these for your birthday! Thanks for the rating – much appreciated!
Carman Henderson
I was wondering if you could add peanut butter to this in mounds & swirl it through the batter? TYIA.
Geraldine
Hi Carman: I have not added peanut butter to this so I’m not sure if it will work. I looked up swirling peanut butter into brownies on google and it said that you need to prepare the peanut butter by adding melted butter and powdered sugar – I’m assuming this is to make the peanut butter more “swirlable” since peanut butter is so thick. I’d suggest looking it up on google for measurements. Let me know if it works out!
Fatima
Hello can I replace the Hershey cacao with any other brand
Geraldine
Yes, any quality brand will work well. You just want to make sure you buy 100% cacao. Hope you enjoy them.
Charlotte
These look delicious 😋. I usually like more cake like brownies tho. Do you think adding an extra egg would make them cake-like?
Geraldine
Hi Charlotte – this is definitely not a cake like brownie. I haven’t tried adding an extra egg so I’m not sure if that would work or not. Maybe try another brownie recipe that is more cake like? Here’s a King Arthur recipe for cake like brownies – https://www.kingarthurflour.com/recipes/cakey-brownies-recipe
Samantha Rae Dionne
Does the butter and eggs need to be at room temperature?
Geraldine
Hi Samantha – you are going to melt the butter so it’s fine cold. Also, I just used eggs right out of the fridge. Hope you enjoy them!
Kathy
One of my adult kids was visiting and raved about how good these brownies were. He winked and said he did not recall my baking being that good when he was a kid. Thanks for teaching an old dog new tricks 😉
Geraldine
Thanks so much for letting me know you and your family enjoyed them, Kathy!
Jade
Making these for Christmas. Turned out really well and they taste amazing! I used a milk chocolate slab instead of dark choc chips. Thanks for the great recipe, will definitely make these again! 🙂
Geraldine
Thanks so much for letting me know and so glad you enjoyed them, Jade! Happy new year to you!
Patti
I just made the brownies with my 4 year old. Very simple to make. I lined my pan with parchment for easy clean up. They look just like they do in the picture and delicious!
Geraldine
Thanks so much for letting me know, Patti. What a fun way to spend time with your 4 year old!
Joy
Hi! This recipe looks fantastic, definitely will be trying soon. Can the melted butter be replaced with oil?
Thanks.
Joy
Geraldine
Hi Joy – I haven’t tried switch out the butter for oil. Let me know if it works out!
Molly
Darn, I was hoping in the comments would be someone saying they made this successfully with a gluten free all-purpose flour substitute. My daughter has Celiac and is missing good old fashioned brownies. When you search for gf brownies on Pinterest you get a lot of super-wet looking black bean or eggless brownie recipes. If I get brave and try this I’ll let you know how it works.
Geraldine
Hi Molly – sorry, I haven’t tried a gluten free version. Hope it works out for you!
Anita T.
I am baking a batch right now. I split the recipe when it was time to put in the pan. On one side, I left them according to the recipe, and on the other side, I mixed chopped pecans to the batter.Sometimes I like my brownies without nuts, and then there are times I like a little bit of nuts in them. I can hardly wait for them to come out of the oven. ?
Geraldine
What a great idea, Anita! Thanks for taking the time to leave a comment – let me know how they worked out!
Nupur
If I wish to grate and use a dark chocolate slab instead of chocolate chips, can that be done? And if yes, how much in weight?
Geraldine
Hi Nupur – one cup of chocolate equals 6 oz of chocolate. I would roughly chop the chocolate versus grate it – so it’s more chocolate chip size.
Janelle
I’ve made these brownies twice so far exactly how the recipe is. I love them and so does everyone else!! Best brownie recipe so far!! Thanks for sharing!
Geraldine
Yay – Janelle – I love these brownies too. So glad you’re enjoying them and thanks for letting me know!
Kira
Yum! These look like my kind of brownies 😀 Quick question, will semi-sweet chocolate chips work? Thanks!
Geraldine
Hi Kira – yes, semi-sweet chocolate chips should work well. I always get confused by chocolate chip labeling – but according to google “semi-sweet is dark chocolate” so they should work fine. Please let me know how it goes!
Purpleswift
Hey,i was just wondering if these will work with applesauce instead of eggs..?
Anyways this looks like an AWESOME recipe
Thanks
Geraldine
Hi – sorry, I’ve haven’t tried this with applesauce instead of eggs. If you do try it, let me know how it works out. Thanks!
anna @ annamayeveryday
Those look perfect – there are so many variations of brownies but my favourite is a classic like this without any bits and bobs added.
Geraldine
Hi Anna – I’m with you on classic brownies – they don’t need a whole lot of fancy ingredients since there’s so good by themselves!
Alice @ Hip Foodie Mom
oh my goodness, these look so good! Totally going to try this recipe!
Geraldine
Thanks so much, Alice – you’ll love them if you try them!
Sheila
And they freeze really well too!
Geraldine
That’s a good point, Mom. This way you can make a big batch and not be tempted to eat them all – just stick a bunch in the freezer for later.
Denise | Sweet Peas & Saffron
These look like the absolute PERFECT brownies…I love those crinkly tops. And they look so fudgy, I am definitely a fudgy brownie person, not a cakey brownie person 🙂
Geraldine
Thanks, Denise – I’m definitely in the fudgey brownie camp as well. Have a good one.
Isadora @ she likes food
I’ve been craving brownies likes crazy for the past few weeks and I still haven’t gotten my hands on any but now I want them more than ever! These look like the perfect brownies, soft on the inside but still have that nice crust on the top 🙂
Geraldine
Go make yourself some of these brownies, Izzy – they’ll make your day. Have a good one.
Julia | Orchard Street Kitchen
Ooh, these look perfect! It’s really hard to beat a classic brownie. You and I have the same brownie tastes – I always go for the chewy ones in the center too! And beautiful photography, Geraldine 🙂
Geraldine
Thanks, Julia – definitely the center ones! But I’ll eat a corner one too if need be 🙂
Medha @ Whisk & Shout
Yum, I’m all about the crackly topping 🙂 Pinning!
Geraldine
Hi Medha – I love the crackly top too. Thanks for the pin!
Annie @ ciaochowbambina
These remind me of the brownies my mom used to make! Soft in the center and crispy on the edges. Also my favorite kind! I especially love the addition of the dark chocolate chips! Thanks, Geraldine!
Geraldine
Hi Annie – The dark chocolate chips really gives them a rich flavor. Have a great weekend!!
Jess @ whatjessicabakednext
OK these look ah-mazing! Love good ol’ brownies, so delicious! Love that these are chewy and fudgey – so good. Have a great weekend, Geraldine!
Geraldine
Thanks, Jess – hope your weekend is great also!
Kathy @ Beyond the Chicken Coop
These look like my kind of brownies…the kind that you can’t just eat one!
Geraldine
Hi Kathy – they are kind of addictive – I kept nibbling on them all day and I didn’t feel guilty at all about it :). Have a good one.
Traci | Vanilla And Bean
Yes, Please!! There are so many varieties of brownies! How can it be? I’ll take the dark chocolate and the chewy center piece too… but I also love the crunchy edges. Rob would love these for Valentien’s day (and so would I) with a big scoop of vanilla bean ice cream and chocolate drizzle… Mmmmmmm!! These will not last long! Thank you, Geraldine! 😀
Geraldine
Thanks, Traci! There are so many different kinds of brownies – it’s kind of amazing all the different ways you can make them. I’m definitely a fan of the old fashioned kind. I love the idea of ice cream and chocolate drizzle to jazz them up though! Have a good one.