Rich and dense, these cakey Easy Chocolate Brownies made with unsweetened chocolate and chopped walnuts are decadently delicious and super easy to make!
Friends, if you’re a chocolate lover, you NEED these simple chocolate brownies in your life. Balancing on the razors edge between cakey and fudgy, there’s something for everyone to love.
We ditched the usual cocoa and used squares of unsweetened baking chocolate (100% cacao) instead for totally rich squares of chocolate goodness.
If you follow my blog, you might remember that I was a librarian years ago. Each year the library would gather up the old and damaged books and sell them to patrons for cheap and I was able to snag a Great American Cookbook for 25 cents from the pile. One of the included easy homemade brownie recipes was the inspiration for these chocolate treats.
How To Make Easy Chocolate Brownies
Talk about easy and delicious. We are raving over these simple brownies, mixed in one saucepan, then baked to chocolate lovers perfection!
- Preheat your oven to 350F/180C. Grease an 8 x 8 baking pan.
- In a medium saucepan over low heat, melt the butter and chocolate squares. Stir continuously to blend the two together.
- Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the sugar until well combined.
- Crack the eggs into the saucepan one at a time, stirring well after each. The batter should be smooth and glossy.
- Add the flour, vanilla and salt. Continue stirring until all of the flour is mixed in. Scrape the sides and bottom of the saucepan to make sure all the flour is stirred in.
- Scrape the batter into your prepared pan and use a spoon to smooth the top.
- Bake 40 to 45 minutes until knife inserted in center comes out clean.
- Cool in pan on a wire rack before cutting.
Note – ? For best results, we recommend melting the butter and chocolate in a saucepan, with constant stirring to blend them together, rather than using the microwave.
Ingredients to make these Chocolate Brownies
- Unsweetened Chocolate – this recipe calls for 4 ounces of chocolate. We used one-half of an 8 ounce bar of unsweetened baking chocolate to make this recipe.
- Butter– we always use unsalted butter in our recipes, which allows us to control the amount of salt.
- Sugar – regular white sugar!
- All- Purpose Flour
- Eggs – we always use large eggs for our recipes.
- Vanilla Extract – add so much flavor!
- Walnuts – this is optional, but we lover the nutty crunch. If you don’t like nuts, just omit them.
Can You Freeze Brownies?
Yes, you can freeze brownies, but some will freeze better than others. If your brownies contain fresh fruit or a cream cheese swirl, the flavor and texture may be different when they’re thawed. Both ingredients contain moisture, which may seep into the rest of the brownies as they thaw.
If your recipe calls for frosting, it’s recommended that you freeze the brownies unfrosted. Just frost the brownies before serving.
For the most part, brownies can be frozen for up to 3 months and easily thawed on the counter without issue.
How To Freeze Brownies
There are a few options for freezing your chocolaty treats long term so they taste fresh from the oven delicious when you’re ready to serve them
Freezing A Whole Pan of Brownies
- Brownies left as an uncut slab is the best way to freeze brownies. This allows only the four sides of the brownie slab to have exposure to the frigid air in the freezer, reducing the chance of the brownies drying out.
- When baking brownies that will be stored in the freezer, prep early on for the easiest storage. Do this by lining your baking pan with parchment paper, leaving plenty of paper hanging over the sides to act as “handles” to lift the baked brownies out of the pan.
- When the brownies have cooled to room temperature, simple wrap the entire slab of brownies tightly in plastic, then again in foil. Label and freeze up to three months.
Freezing Individual Slices of Brownie
Cut the baked and cooled brownies into individual portions. Wrap each slice tightly in plastic, then place the wrapped slices into a large freezer storage bag. Label and freeze up to 3 months. Reach into the bag to remove as many slices as you need, then reseal the plastic freezer bag.
Looking For More Easy Chocolate Desserts?
- Chocolate Brownie Trifle
- Flourless Chocolate Cake
- Salted Caramel Chocolate Pretzel Bars
- 10 Minute Homemade Chocolate Sauce
Easy Fudge Brownies
Ingredients
- 1 cup butter or margarine
- 4 ounces unsweetened chocolate
- 1-1/2 cups granulated sugar
- 3 large eggs
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 cup chopped nut walnuts or pecans, divided
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F/180°C. Grease an 8 x 8 or similar size pan.
- In a large saucepan (3 quart), melt butter and chocolate over low heat, stirring constantly. When completely melted, remove pan from the heat.
- Stir in sugar until well mixed. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating after each until completely blended. Stir in the flour, vanilla and salt, mixing until all flour is stirred in. Add nuts and stir to combine. Scrape into the prepared pan.
- Bake on center rack of preheated oven for 40 to 45 minutes, until toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool brownies in pan on a wire rack. Cut into squares.
Chef Tips
Equipment Used
Nutrition Facts
© Copyright Christine Mello for Must Love Home. We would love for you to share a link to this recipe but please do not copy/paste the recipe instructions to websites or social media. We are happy for you to share a photo with a link back to this website instead.
