These are the ultimate brownie muffins—dark, rich, dense, and fudgy with a deep to-die-for chocolate flavor.
Brownies are one of my favorite simple desserts in the whole world, and I have more than ten different recipes for them that I make regularly. When it comes to brownies in a muffin form, though, there’s so far only been a single recipe that I keep coming back to. It creates brownies that hold their shape well, yet stay fudgy and soft in the center. They look good, and taste ten times better.
The recipe starts with whipping the eggs until they’re pale and thick. This step is what makes this lovely crackly, shiny top. Although air is incorporated into the batter, the muffins still turn out dense and not airy, which is how we all like them, right?
The combination of melted chocolate and cocoa in the recipe makes for an over-the-top chocolate flavor. Be sure to use the highest quality products for the highest quality results.
Timing is everything
The right baking time is always the most crucial part of making brownies. It only takes a couple of minutes to turn them from rich fudge brownies to a dry chocolate cake. When done, brownies should appear baked on the outside, but the center should still be soft. You’ll need to bake them only until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out with very moist crumbs, not dry.
Use them for cupcakes
These brownies are also great as a cupcake base. I love topping them with coffee, peanut butter, salted caramel, or marshmallow frosting.
Some of you have asked me what kind of pan I use for these muffins. I have 2 pans – jumbo and standard, and I love them! Click here to get it.
- 4 oz/113 g bittersweet or semisweet chocolate, coarsely chopped
- ½ cup (1 stick/113 g) unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
- ⅓ cup plus 1 tablespoon (55 g/2 oz) all-purpose flour
- ⅓ cup (35 g/1.2 oz) unsweetened cocoa powder (Dutch-processed)
- ⅛ teaspoon salt
- 2 large eggs
- ¾ cup (150 g/5.3 oz) granulated sugar
- Preheat oven to 350F/180C. Line 12 muffin cups with liners. Set aside.
- To make the brownies: In a medium heatproof bowl, place chocolate and butter. Heat mixture in the microwave in 20-second intervals, stirring between each interval, until melted. Alternatively, you can set the bowl over a saucepan of simmering water, stirring occasionally. Set aside.
- In a small bowl sift flour, cocoa, and salt. Set aside.
- Using a mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, whisk eggs and sugar on high speed until thick and pale, about 4 minutes. Reduce speed to low and slowly add in chocolate mixture. Stop the mixer. Add flour mixture and fold, using a rubber spatula, just until combined. Do not overmix.
- Divide batter between liners, filling them about ¾ full. Bake for 13-16 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the muffins comes out with moist crumbs and not dry. Be careful not to overbake as this will make the brownies dry. Transfer to a wire rack and let cool for 10 minutes before removing from pan. Allow muffins to cool completely on a wire rack.
- Store muffins in an airtight container at room temperature or in the refrigerator for up to 2 days. Allow to reach room temperature before serving.
50 Comments
Cassie
July 21, 2016 at 12:11 pmThese look simply amazing! It is a genius idea to make a brownie muffun. You don’t have to worry about cutting them up and breaking and getting crumbly. I am hoping to have some time to make these this weekend, I will let you know how they come out! Thanks for all the great recipes, Shiran.
Shiran
July 26, 2016 at 4:20 amThank you, Cassie!
Cassie
July 27, 2016 at 11:17 amHi Shiran,
I made these muffins this weekend and they came out tasting amazing! My muffins came out different than yours did, though. I noticed that I only had enough batter for 8 muffins out of a 12 muffin pan. The muffins were also not as crackly and shiny as yours. Unfortunately, I have an older hand mixer that does not have whisk attachment, but I whipped the eggs and sugar as you directed.
I am wondering why I didn’t have enough batter, since I didn’t put too much batter into the muffin cups.
Either way, this is still a great recipe that I will continue to use! 🙂
Shiran
August 1, 2016 at 10:28 amHi Cassie! Each muffin pan is a bit different in size. Did you use muffin liners? With the liners you should get at least 10 muffins. Try to whip the eggs and sugar for a longer time, or just double the recipe.
Frau Mahlzahn
January 28, 2018 at 4:12 ami had the same problem the first time i made them. the second time it was enough, probably i blended eggs and sugar longer…
i‘m thinking about reducing some of the melted chocolate, crumbling the rest and add that to the dough to make for some chewiness. will let you know how it turns out, :-).
Francesca
July 26, 2016 at 5:45 amMaking these as soon as the weather cools down and it’s safe to turn on the oven again!!
Claudia | The Brick Kitchen
July 26, 2016 at 6:28 pmThese look amazing! So densely chocolatey and fudgy – I’m all for using a brownie recipe as a cupcake base because a dry, not-that-chocoately cupcake is always a bit disappointing. Those chocolate chunks on top are the perfect finishing touch <3
Nikki
July 28, 2016 at 4:04 pmHi! This recipe looks fantastic, i’m wondering where you got your muffin tin, I like how these muffins are straight-sided not slanted.
Thanks!
Shiran
August 1, 2016 at 11:14 amHi Nikki, I have a few, but I really like this one (there are different sizes).
Hasina*
July 29, 2016 at 5:29 amHey Shiran?
I tried this amazing recipe and it went down as soon as I took it out of the oven? I made it a bit smaller to get more out of the batter. Is that why it happened or what did I do wrong?? Even tho it didn’t look as great as yours, I had to share it with my family and they all LOVE IT!
Shiran
August 1, 2016 at 11:03 amHi Hasina 🙂 Do you mean that it rose in the oven and then sank? There are many reasons why this could happen. Were the muffins very soft in the center? Because that could be the reason for it (if so, maybe try to bake it for a bit longer next time).
Dally
August 5, 2016 at 8:49 amCan I use natural unsweetened cocoa Instead of Dutch process? Recipe looks amazing!
Shiran
August 6, 2016 at 7:45 amHi Dally! You can, but personally I prefer the color and flavor of Dutch process cocoa powder for this.
Hannah
August 21, 2016 at 5:53 pmHi Shiran!
I made this brownies and they were just amazing.
I have question, they sank while they were in the oven. Why did this happened? I followed the instructions step by step.
Shiran
August 22, 2016 at 6:08 amHi Hannah! At least I’m glad they’re delicious 🙂 This can happen for several reasons. Overbeating is a common reason why cakes sink, so maybe try to beat the eggs/batter less next time. If the oven temperature is off, this can also cause cakes to sink.
Martin
September 5, 2016 at 12:39 pmHi.
I made these Muffins today, but I wondered, if they are supposed to rise in the oven. Mine didn’t. Maybe it’s because they don’t contain baking powder? They also did not get this glossy shine on top.
Greets,
Martin
Shiran
September 7, 2016 at 4:53 amHi Martin, it sounds like the eggs weren’t whipped enough. It’s important to use a mixer and whip the eggs and sugar on high speed for several minutes. This is what causes the muffins to rise (since there’s no baking powder/soda), and this also what gives them their shiny tops.
Patricia
November 18, 2016 at 5:24 amHi!
I also tried your recipe and also had only enough batter for 8 muffins and they also did not rise, I was wondering if you didn’t add some baking soda of powder and overlooked it in the ingredient list?
Shiran
November 20, 2016 at 10:53 amHi Patricia, there’s no baking powder or soda in the recipe. The batter gets its volume from whipping the eggs. It’s important to whisk them for several minutes, and then add the rest of the ingredients slowly or by folding and mixing as little as possible. If not whipped right, you’ll end up with less batter than you should and the muffins won’t rise. I will make sure to use a different muffin pan next time I make the muffins to see if I get less than 12 muffins.
Patricia
November 20, 2016 at 2:43 pmThank you for your reply, You know, I’m not new at baking or at whipping eggs, and my muffin pan is totally standard, so yes I would like to see what you get with using another muffin pan 🙂 Anyway, your batch was gorgeous and tempting.
Shiran
November 24, 2016 at 6:22 amThank you Patricia, I promise I’ll look into it. Having accurate recipes is very important to me!
Ana
January 1, 2017 at 9:54 amThese muffins taste so unbelievably good!!!! I filled them with homemade chocolate pubdding (because, why the hell not) and had to eat one immediately. Thank you!!
Shiran
January 3, 2017 at 9:04 amThank you Ana! Adding the pudding sounds delicious!
Corina
January 12, 2017 at 7:31 pmUsing a silicon mold for baking, can I skip the liners? I like how yours look so clean without any paper in site.;-)
Shiran
January 14, 2017 at 4:41 pmYes, you can! I used a silicone mold as well.
Jacque
January 15, 2017 at 4:46 pmCan u use chocolate mixed with heavy whipping cream instead of butter??
Shiran
January 19, 2017 at 12:27 pmHi Jacque, unfortunately you can’t use heavy cream instead of butter for this recipe.
Lili @ Travelling oven
May 18, 2017 at 12:19 pmThese brownie muffins look absolutely amazing and I need them in my life!!! Will have to make them soon! 🙂
Robbie | Box Tree Events
July 19, 2017 at 6:10 amMy mouth is watering looking at these, Cannot wait to try this recipe over the weekend!
Rita Economides
September 16, 2017 at 2:14 pmCan I put peanut butter and swirl in top of the brownies before gets in the oven??
Shiran
September 19, 2017 at 4:35 pmHi Rita! You can, but these brownies are more cake-y, and I prefer to do the peanut butter swirl with brownies that are more fudgy. This should be ok though, if you want tot try it.
Margaret
December 6, 2017 at 2:58 amReally great recipe success every time. I recently had to make them egg free so used ripe avocado in place of the eggs, which meant I didn’t have a guide line for how long to whisk with the sugar. End result was tasty but a little crumbly. Any ideas for next time?
Shiran
December 6, 2017 at 9:38 amHi Margaret, without eggs it makes sense that it’s crumbly. Eggs also give richness. I know that in some recipes you can replace the egg with a small banana or applesauce but I don’t know how it would work in this recipe. Whipping/whisking is not necessary if you don’t use eggs. You only need to mix the ingredients together.
Lina
December 12, 2017 at 3:42 amHi! I found your recipe and i was looking through my cupboard and saw i only have unsweetened chocolate and i really would love to make these for tomorrow. any tips?
Shiran
December 12, 2017 at 9:19 amHi Lina, here’s a good source on how to substitute chocolates. You can try it out but I can’t guarantee the result.
Angela Renee Rowland
May 13, 2018 at 12:06 amI am making this in the morning, hopeful you answer this before i make this.
Can i substitute more chocolate chips for the cocoa powder?
Shiran
May 13, 2018 at 4:35 amHi Angla, this recipe is so good that I recommend sticking to the recipe. It’s possible to leave out the cocoa powder and add a bit more flour (I don’t know the exact amount without testing), but it gives a wonderful flavor to the muffins.
Amber
May 27, 2018 at 5:50 pmOMG! These are just amazing! Made these for my sister’s 30th birthday meal and I’ve had requests for more! I only have a hand electric mixer so whisked the eggs for longer than recommended and added a pack of chocolate chips definitely making these again!
Clare
July 14, 2018 at 2:04 amHi,
Looking forward to trying out this recipe tomorrow. Did you throw chocolate chips on top right when they came out? And what’s the chocolate sauce in the picture? Looks delicious!
Thanks
Shiran
July 16, 2018 at 1:03 pmHi Clare, the sauce is a simple chocolate ganache, click here for the recipe. I added the chocolate chips on top before baking.
Kaileen C
July 22, 2018 at 12:12 amWow, wow, wow!! So delicious, fudgy and decadent. This is exactly what I think of when I think of a brownie. Thank you for sharing, this will be my new go to!
Aviva
October 28, 2018 at 11:09 amHow long would you bake in a jumbo sized muffin tin and would you adjust temperature or anything different? Thanks
Shiran
October 31, 2018 at 6:19 amHi Aviva, the recipe make about 5-6 jumbo muffins. The temperature is the same.
Shiran
October 31, 2018 at 6:19 amHi Aviva, the recipe makes about 5-6 jumbo muffins. The temperature is the same.
Slavka
November 19, 2018 at 5:18 amOMG these muffins are amazing. Printing the recipe to keep in my book. Thanks a lot for the recipe.
Andrea
November 24, 2018 at 4:02 amI wanna use a microwave to bake these. What’s the right temperature and time that they need to bake for in order to have fudgy cupcakes?
Shiran
November 27, 2018 at 5:57 amHi Andrea, I don’t recommend baking these in the microwave. The result will be different.
Abhi
February 17, 2019 at 4:17 amI tried out this recipe yesterday. They turned out amazing! My hubby loved it! Even got the cracks on top! Perfect! 🙂
Shayna Kersten
March 9, 2019 at 7:11 pmWould you recommend cold or room temperature eggs? I know sometimes it matters!
Shiran
March 10, 2019 at 6:56 amI use room temperature eggs whenever I can, but the brownies will be just as good if using cold eggs. 🙂