22 Great Brownie Recipes for Desserts by the Panful (2024)

Whether you like your brownies fudgy, cake-like, or covered in toppings, this collection of our best recipes has it all. Try a classic buttermilk brownie or opt for the ultimate chewy version. If you want a recipe with a twist, try a fruit topping that adds a bit of tartness, or a splash of bourbon to pump up the richness. It's time to get baking.

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Dulce de Leche Fluff Brownies

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Jars of purchased dulce de leche and marshmallow fluff make a decadent—and easy—addition to this otherwise homemade brownie recipe. The sweet toppings swirl together for a marbled effect, making this recipe chewy, gooey, and sweet. For a little crunch, top the brownies with toasted chopped pecans.

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Malted Brownies

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It's not just the malted milk balls topping that gives this frosted brownie recipe its signature flavor. Vanilla malted milk powder and a homemade malted milk frosting add to the toasty and buttery flavors of these chocolatey brownies. The mini malted milk balls are optional, but if you can find the candy-coated versions, they add a colorful finishing touch.

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Gluten-Free Fudgy Brownies

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Make your own gluten-free flour mix, or buy it prepared for an easy brownie recipe that everyone can enjoy. These gluten-free brownies are delicious on their own, but the chocolate-cream cheese frosting makes them extra fudgy. Try them with a sprinkle of peanut-butter baking chips for a nutty twist that totally works.

Buy It: King Arthur Gluten-Free Flour ($9, Target)

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Inside-Out S'mores Brownies

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Bring the flavors of your favorite dessert indoors with this fudgy s'mores brownie recipe. Real graham crackers and marshmallows are baked into the batter to create a mess-free version of this campfire classic. Make these for a summer picnic or cozy up with a batch on a winter evening—they're delicious year-round.

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Bourbon Brownies

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These southern-inspired brownies add the bold flavor of bourbon with the nutty and sweet flavors of freshly toasted pecans. Although it's just a splash of bourbon in the batter, the flavor makes these simple brownies stand apart. Top them with a bourbon frosting and a drizzle of chocolate for an extra boost of sweetness.

Orange-Kissed Chocolate Brownies

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This recipe with a twist marries the flavors of chocolate and orange with the chewiness of a classic brownie. A teaspoon of shredded orange peel and a few tablespoons of orange juice add tangy citrus flavor to the frosting, which sits between two layers of chocolate. Best of all, this recipe makes 32 brownies, so there'll be plenty to go around.

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Red Velvet Buttermilk Brownies

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These vibrant red velvet brownies are topped with a buttercream frosting. The buttermilk in the recipe creates a cake-like texture, while rich cocoa flavors are packed into each bite. You can freeze these brownies up to three months. so you'll always have a treat on hand.

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Marbled Chocolate-Pumpkin Brownies

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You don't have to wait for fall to enjoy the taste of pumpkin. Canned pumpkin puree gives a sweet-tart boost to this gooey brownie recipe, adding a gorgeous layer. For a nice crunch, top them with crushed walnuts.

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Sweet Potato Brownies

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No one has to know there's a vitamin-rich tuber in this healthy brownie recipe. The mashed sweet potato gives the brownies a dense interior texture, with a flaky, crispy crust, and the vitamins and minerals loaded within may even warrant these lightly sweet brownies a spot on the dinner table. OK, maybe only after dinner is over.

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Fudge Ripple Turtle Brownies

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Adding a thick layer of melted caramel is only the first step to loading this fudge brownie recipe with delicious decadence. Drizzled chocolate and crunchy toasted pecans top the dense brownies. The end result is something that tastes almost exactly like a homemade candy turtle.

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Buttermilk Brownies

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If you're from the South, you probably know this cake-like brownie recipe better as Texas Sheet Cake. A creamy chocolate-buttermilk frosting makes these cake-like brownies even better. Serve them warm with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.

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Dark Chocolate Brownies

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This brownie recipe is for lovers of fudgy dark chocolate. The batter is thick, but it spreads easily into the pan. For the finale, top each bar with vanilla ice cream and hot fudge.

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White Chocolate Brownies

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White chocolate and crunchy macadamia nuts give classic brownies the best kind of makeover. This recipe includes light frosting in a layer of melted white chocolate. Bonus: These brownies take just 15 minutes of hands-on time.

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Crème de Menthe Brownies

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The flavors of an after-dinner mint come together in this decadent, fudgy brownie. We recommend using a fork to cut through the layers, where fresh mint filling is spread between a dark chocolate brownie and a creamy dark chocolate ganache. Add a scoop of vanilla ice cream to create a brownie sundae twist on mint chocolate chip ice cream.

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Cream Cheese-Marbled Brownies

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This cream cheese brownie recipe is marbled for a showstopping finish. A swirl of cream cheese makes pecan-topped chocolate brownies beautiful and tasty. Toasting the pecans brings out their rich flavor.

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Coffee and Cookie Brownies

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This buzzy brownie recipe definitely deserves a seat at your brunch table. A fudgy brownie layer is sandwiched between a crisp sugar cookie crust and melted chocolate pieces. These taste fancy, but they're a cinch to pull together.

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Caramel-Swirl Brownies

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These bake-and-slice brownies are a crowd-pleasing treat. Swirls of caramel add a buttery sweetness to the rich cocoa in the recipe. Make a batch for your next bake sale, or serve them as an after-dinner treat the whole family will love.

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Chocolate-Chipotle Brownies

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These brownies give off some heat even after they've cooled. Warm chipotle spice kicks up chocolate's smoothness in this recipe, for a match that will delight. Sprinkle extra cinnamon over some vanilla ice cream to help cool things down.

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Espresso Brownies

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Coffee enhances the flavor of the chocolate in this chewy brownie recipe. A splash of coffee liquor and a sprinkle of espresso powder give these brownies just the right jolt of flavor. Go over the top with a finishing sprinkle of chopped chocolate-covered coffee beans.

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Shortbread Brownies

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This from-scratch recipe is a brownie and cookie combo (a brookie) that totally works. Make and bake these two-layer treats in about an hour. Classic shortbread provides a sweet and simple base; a buttery chocolate layer caps it off.

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Cake Brownies

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If fudgy and gooey aren't the way you'd like to describe your brownies, this cake brownie recipe is for you. These are soft and airy and are best when topped with a no-cook chocolate frosting and a scoop of vanilla ice cream (nuts are optional). Bake them in a sheet pan for an easy-to-tote dessert.

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Ultimate Brownies

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Your search for the best brownie recipe can stop here. Two kinds of chocolate and a fudge drizzle take this recipe over the top. Add the optional chopped nuts for extra texture, or play around with the stir-in suggestions listed below the recipe to add your own spin.

22 Great Brownie Recipes for Desserts by the Panful (2024)

FAQs

How to make brownies better? ›

One change is to use milk or heavy cream instead of water. This change will make brownies more moist and gooey since milk is more fatty and flavorful than water. A second change is to use butter instead of oil. For similar reasons to using milk, butter adds a rich and more decadent quality to the batter.

How do you keep brownies soft and chewy? ›

Using airtight wrappings (including using plastic wrap right against the brownies) is key to keeping your brownies fresh, whether you're keeping them at room temperature for short-term storage, or planning to freeze them so you can have a fresh brownie ready whenever you need it.

What type of pan is best for brownies? ›

"I'm partial to a crisp but chewy outer edge paired with a fudgy, possibly even gooey inside. For this, glass or metal are the best.” If you prefer a cake-y brownie with a consistent texture throughout, a heavy ceramic pan could be the right choice.

What does it mean when your brownies are chewy? ›

Recipes for chewy brownies use more flour than those for fudgy brownies, which results in a more structured, chewy bite and less dense texture.

What does adding an extra egg to brownie mix do? ›

They give brownies a lighter, drier, and more cake-like texture. If you prefer this over the chewy variety, then go ahead and crack in that additional egg. On the other hand, too many eggs will yield brownies that are hard, heavy, and tough.

Does letting brownie batter sit make it better? ›

Alice Medrich, author of Seriously Bitter Sweet: The Ultimate Dessert Maker's Guide to Chocolate, writes that “refrigerating the brownie batter in the pan for several hours, or as long as two days before baking, wreaks enormous transformations: it improves the top gloss and crustiness, and it also blends the flavors so ...

Is 8x8 or 9x9 better for brownies? ›

A 9x9" metal (aluminized steel) pan yielded crisp-edged, somewhat dense brownies that were unremarkable. An 8x8" glass pan made brownies with cakey, crackly-on-top corners and a very thick, gooey texture within.

Why do you only grease the bottom of the pan for brownies? ›

It used to be that they would only grease the bottom of the pan if you were making brownies. It helps them to rise, and they just naturally pull away from the sides slightly when they are done. Now they generally say to grease and flour the brownie pan.

What are the three types of brownies? ›

Brownie textures fall into three general camps… Cakey, fudgy and chewy. Cakey brownies, like the name implies, are light, moist and airy, with a slightly fluffy, cake-like interior. Fudgy brownies are moist, dense and gooey, with almost the texture of fudge, but not quite as compact.

Is melted butter or softened butter better for brownies? ›

If you want a fudgy chocolate brownie, use melted butter. For cakey brownies, beating softened butter and sugar together to create air pockets will make your brownies lighter and cakier.

Is it better to use melted butter in brownies? ›

The reason we melt butter in brownie recipes instead of beating room temperature butter with sugar is because that helps give a rich, chewy, fudgy texture. Beating butter incorporates air and gives a more light, airy, cakey texture, which we don't want in a brownie. Well, you might want that, but I don't!

What makes brownies fudgy vs cakey? ›

Fudgy brownies have a higher fat-to-flour ratio than cakey ones. So add more fat—in this case, butter and chocolate. A cakey batch has more flour and relies on baking powder for leavening. The amount of sugar and eggs does not change whether you're going fudgy or cakey.

What can I add to brownie mix to make them better? ›

Nuts and chocolate are a flavor combination made in heaven. In addition to scattering nuts on top of brownies, you can also add them directly to the batter, then bake as usual. Walnuts, pecans, almonds and peanuts all work beautifully. Just be sure to toast the nuts beforehand for extra depth.

How do you upgrade brownies? ›

Crushed potato chips, pretzels, and salted nuts stirred in or sprinkled on before baking can add textural interest, plus a little savoriness that can make the rich chocolate flavor more pronounced. A shower of sea salt or flaky salt like Maldon over baked brownies before slicing makes for a dramatic, sparkly finish.

How to make boxed brownie mix better? ›

Adding one large egg plus an extra egg yolk gives brownies an ultra fudgy texture. Chocolate Chips – Even if your brownie mix contains chocolate, plan to add chocolate chips. The additional sugar from the chocolate chips creates a shiny, crackly top as the brownies bake.

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