These made from scratch chewy fudge brownies are topped with a creamy chocolate brownie frosting.

Chewy Fudge Brownies

These brownies have a deliciously intense chocolate flavor with a creamy and rich frosting. This recipe uses unsweetened 100% cacao chocolate which is very different from cocoa powder.

If you needed an excuse to eat these delicious brownies, try these:

Cacao is rich in antioxidants which prevent the body from disease and aging.
It's a great source of magnesium and iron - in fact, it's the best source for them!
It's a mood booster! Cacao helps you relax and promotes better sleep.
It's also good for your skin! Believe it or not, cacao helps you stay hydrated!
It's also really good for your heart and it reduces inflammation!

Baking the Brownies

These brownies are baked in a 13" x 9" pan. Even though most of the pans you can buy these days are non-stick, it's always a good idea to grease the pan when working with brownies.

Also, because you allow these brownies to sit for 3 hours before slicing and removing them, it will make it easier to remove them from the pan if it's greased.

Chewy fudge brownies on a marble background cut into squares.

Chewy fudge brownies stacked on white plate with marble in background.

Ingredients in Chewy Fudge Brownies

Butter
Cacao, unsweetened chocolate
Eggs, room temp
Granulated sugar
Vanilla extract
All-purpose flour
Unsweetened cocoa powder
Baking powder
Salt
Confectioner's sugar
Half and half

📖 Recipe

Yield: 30 squares

Chewy Fudge Brownies

Name: Chewy Fudge Brownies
Prep time: 14 min
Cook time: 25 min
Total time: 3 h 39 min
Yield: 30
Cuisine: American
Ingredients: 1 cup butter, 2 sticks; 4 squares cacao, unsweetened chocolate; 2 eggs, room temp; 1 1/2 cup granulated sugar; 2 teaspoon vanilla; 1¼ cup all-purpose flour; 3 tablespoon cocoa powder, unsweetened; ¼ teaspoon baking powder; ¼ teaspoon salt; ½ cup butter, 1 stick; 2 squares cacao, unsweetened chocolate; 4 cups confectioner's sugar; 1 teaspoon vanilla; 5 tablespoon half and half

Made from scratch chewy fudge brownies topped with a creamy chocolate brownie frosting.

Prep Time 14 minutes

Cook Time 25 minutes

Cooling Time 3 hours

Total Time 3 hours 39 minutes

Ingredients

Chocolate Brownies

1 cup butter, 2 sticks
4 squares cacao, unsweetened chocolate
2 eggs, room temp
1 ½ cup granulated sugar
2 teaspoon vanilla
1¼ cup all-purpose flour
3 tablespoon cocoa powder, unsweetened
¼ teaspoon baking powder
¼ teaspoon salt

Chocolate Frosting

½ cup butter, 1 stick
2 squares cacao, unsweetened chocolate
4 cups confectioner's sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
5 tablespoon half and half

Instructions

Brownies

Preheat oven to 325° and grease a 13" x 9" baking pan well.
In a small saucepan melt together then 4 squares of unsweetened chocolate and the 1 cup of butter. Stir occasionally.
Allow the butter and chocolate to melt completely and set aside.
In a large bowl, beat the room temp eggs, sugar, and vanilla, until well blended.
Pour the melted chocolate mixture into the bowl and mix well.
Add the cocoa powder, salt, baking powder, and flour into the bowl and blend well.
Pour the brownie mix into the prepared pan and spread evenly.
Bake for about 25 to 30 minutes. Remove and set on a wire rack to cool. Start preparing frosting.

Chocolate Frosting

In a small saucepan, melt together the 2 unsweetened chocolate squares and the ½ cup of butter. Stir until melted.
In a bowl, add in the 4 cups of confectioner's sugar and vanilla.
Pour the melted chocolate mixture into the confectioner's sugar and beat with a hand mixer.
Add in the half and half and beat until creamy. Add more half and half 1 tablespoon at a time if needed.
Spread the frosting over the brownies while still warm and spread evenly.
Allow brownies to cool on a rack for 3 hours before cutting and serving.

Notes

TIP: You can also place the brownies in the refrigerator and allow them to cool this way. Allow at least 30 minutes on the counter with frosting to allow the brownies and frosting to set.

Creamy Chocolate Frosting

The frosting for this recipe also has cacao in it as well! It's melted down with the butter in a small saucepan and then added to the powdered sugar once it has cooled slightly. Usually, with baked goods, you want your cake to cool completely before frosting. That's not the case with this recipe!

Once the brownie has cooled for about 5 minutes, the creamy chocolate frosting is poured on and evenly frosted. This allows the frosting to sink into the warm brownies a little bit. It helps increase flavor, and it also makes them fudgy!