Last Updated on August 28, 2023 by TheFarmChicken

Are you looking for a simple, chocolatey, better than boxed mix brownie? You have come to the right place! This recipe is a staple in my husband’s family and for good reason too. These brownies are fudgy, soft, chewy, and of course chocolatey with signature crackly tops and a moist crumb. Ha! Did I get all the proper words to describe them? Definitely a classic brownie taste and better than the box mix without much more work. So good! I’m pretty sure you can mix these up in like 15 minutes…maybe less! Let’s talk more about these Classic Homemade Brownies: A Recipe from the Farm.

This recipe came from my mother-in-law’s mom. Her mom got the original recipe from a Betty Crocker Cookbook back in home economics class. You maybe have heard me say it already but if you are new here, I’m going to mention it again! Family recipes are so neat. Always coming with a story and most every time they are delicious! They have adapted a couple things in this recipe and now it is used for all kinds of occasions in my husband’s family. Just because, goodie plates, holidays, church potlucks, for friends. My kids love these brownies. Our little boy gets mad sometimes when they need to cool when they come out of the oven. He wants to eat them right away. I can’t really blame him! This has become my go-to brownie recipe. I hope you enjoy!

This post may contain Amazon affiliate links. This is no additional cost to you.

The Brownie Pan:

Strange that I would write a paragraph just about the pan, isn’t it…? ha! My husband and probably other family members swear by these brownies needing to be baked in this kind of pan. The same kind of pan that he grew up with his mom making them in. You can bet both me and my sister-in-law have the same pan! I’ll link it below too. You really can use any 9×13, but you can’t expect to get the full experience. 😉 Oh, and another perk this recipe doesn’t mess around with a 9”x9” pan like a lot of brownie recipes do. This recipe makes a nice 9” x 13” pan of fudgy brownies. There is evidence to support the metal pan theory too and sometimes a metal pan is better than a glass pans and for this recipe that holds true!

The Batter:

This is a thick brownie batter made with simple ingredients. Simple ingredients that are easily found in a well-stocked pantry! No waiting till you go to the store to get baking chocolate. These brownies simply use cocoa powder to get their rich chocolate flavor. All you have to do is take the dry ingredients and combine them in a bowl and then add the wet ingredients. Mix them well and pour the batter in the prepared baking pan(make sure to grease the sides of the pan too) and you are ready to bake! These are such easy brownies to make!

Brownies and Bake Time:

This is probably the trickiest part of making brownies; the bake time. Since brownies are…brown they can be hard to tell when they are baked. It also seems the baking time can vary between ovens. For us it is 32 minutes exactly to bake these brownies but for my mother-in-law it is more like 25 minutes.

Brownies done in oven — Brownies are pulling away from the sides of the pan.

Here are some things to watch for to know that you bake the brownies for the right amount of time:

They start coming away from the sides of the pan.
You press slightly on the center of the brownies, and they seem set.
The top is no longer glossy.
Try the old toothpick method: insert a toothpick into the center of the brownies and if it comes out clean the brownies are done.

In the end it is better to leave them in a little less time than too long. I would at least bake them for 25 minutes and then assess them from there. Kind of gooey brownies are better than hard and dry brownies.

Story time:

Maybe like 5 years ago I made brownies for my family using a recipe that was not this one. Haha I haven’t lived down how they turned out since. It was a baking failure and I believe they were referred to as shingling material…ha! I think I overbaked them and they were so hard! Now I stick to this family recipe and have much better results! It is the best brownie recipe I have used.

Optional Add Ins:

Really not necessary as these brownies are delicious all on their own but if you are looking for something a little different to try then these add ins might be perfect for you to try! I recently made a pan of these brownies and added 1 cup of semi-sweet chocolate chips. They turned out well that way and just added to the rich chocolate flavor of these brownies.

Brownie Add Ins:

Coconut
Nuts like pecans or walnuts
Dried Cranberries
- Different types of chocolate:
Dark Chocolate Chips
Milk Chocolate Chips
Chocolate Chunks
Mint Chocolate Chips
Mini M&M’s

Ways to serve these homemade brownies:

Labor day is a celebrated occasion on the farm and usually includes these brownies served with a scoop of vanilla ice cream or two!
With ice cream and hot fudge.
You could even frost these brownies if you like frosted brownies better!
Simply on their own with a cold glass of milk.

Option with less sugar:

My husband decided we should try these brownies with a little less sugar. We adjusted the amount of sugar to 1 ¾ cups. We thought they were still just as good this way! Just something to try if you are interested in lessening the sugar in your desserts.

The Edges vs Middle Debate:

I think there are two kinds of people in the world. Those that love the middle bars and those that love the edges. Are you more of a middle or edges brownie lover? Me? I love the edges, give me the corner over the middle any day and I will be happy. I love the crispy edges with just a little bit of chewiness to them. Yum, the best part! I can see where people like the soft middle brownies but really with the edges you get the best of both worlds, especially if you like chewy brownies!

Where did brownies originate from?

Brownies originated in the United States of America. They were thought to have first been created in the 1890’s but the actual story of how they came to be is debated upon. Their name comes from their color which is kind of an obvious connection. Brownies in the US are kind of a staple like the chocolate chip cookie. Both can be enjoyed with friends and a glass of cold milk!

Storing Brownies

You can store these brownies in an airtight container, or the pan mentioned above for 3-5 days.
You can also freeze these for a later date just make sure to put them in a freezer bag or airtight container.

Make ahead tip:

If you want it to be even easier to make these classic brownies when you have a chocolate craving, you can store the dry ingredients together in your pantry. Just take a quart size jar and one of these storage lids and fill it with the dry ingredients. Then when you are ready to bake some brownies all you will have to do is put the dry ingredients in the bowl add the mixed wet ingredients and you are ready to put them in the oven.

Pin for Later: