The search is over! These are the BEST Homemade Fudgy Brownies I've ever had! They are incredibly easy to make and so much better than a box mix!
I've been trying for a very long time to create a recipe for homemade brownies that were as good or better than a box mix. I wanted a homemade fudgy brownie... no less, no more. Let's face it, it's hard to beat the box mix! I've always used the box mix that you can get at Sam's Club and it's easy and delicious, but I wanted a made from scratch brownie.
I've had many fails over the years and then I put these ingredients together and couldn't believe that I had finally cracked the code. You know the fudgy brownie code. The code that says a good brownie must be fudgy, with a deep chocolate flavor, and slightly chewy with crisp corners. That is the code of a perfect brownie!
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Yep, I cracked the code with this recipe and I hope you love it!
I used the Ninja Foodi Cold & Hot blender to make the batter, but you can make it in your stand mixer or with a hand mixer. Honestly, you can make it with a bowl and a whisk, too. The Ninja Foodi Digital Air Fry Oven worked perfect to bake the brownies in, but a regular oven works just fine! So, this is a recipe that does not require any specific appliance, but I sure did love the convenience of melting the chocolate and blending the batter all in the NF Cold & Hot Blender.
If you want to see other recipes I've made with the Ninja Foodi Cold & Blender, here are a few!
EASY 30-MINUTE HOMEMADE CHICKEN TORTILLA SOUP IN THE NINJA FOODI HOT COLD BLENDER
10-MINUTE HOMEMADE BBQ SAUCE ~ NINJA HOT COLD BLENDER RECIPE
HOMEMADE CREAM STYLE CORN IN THE HOT COLD BLENDER
BLENDER GRAVY IN THE NINJA FOODI HOT COLD BLENDER
HOMEMADE PEANUT SAUCE
What makes these Homemade Brownies Fudgy?
The extra fat (I know that is such a terrible word!) from the melted chocolate along with the butter and oil make these brownies extra fudgy and extra delicious. Then, just for good measure, I added in some chocolate chips just before baking! While that doesn't add to the fudgeyliciousness of these brownies, it adds to the entire texture experience!
When eaten warm, the chocolate is nice and gooey and when they are cold, you get a little crunch from the chocolate chip.
I also don't call for baking powder in the brownies because I don't want them to rise and become cake-like. Don't get me wrong, I love chocolate cake, but when I want a brownie, it has to be fudgy.
What type of Chocolate can I use?
You can use whatever type of chocolate you like the best. I prefer dark chocolate, but semi sweet or milk chocolate would work just fine in this recipe. You can't use all white chocolate though, that wouldn't work and it wouldn't be a brownie.
If you love white chocolate, add that in instead of the dark chocolate chips just before baking and that would be wonderful. It would look great, too!
The sweeter the chocolate, the sweeter the brownie. If you don't like dark chocolate, I would probably recommend a semi sweet chocolate over milk chocolate because I really think using all milk chocolate would make the brownie too sweet. You could try decreasing the sugar in the mix, but I haven't tried this so I don't know how it would work.
You can certainly use dark or semi sweet as the melted chocolate and use milk chocolate to mix in just before baking.
You can also skip the added chocolate chips a the end.
The better the quality of chocolate, the better the flavor in my opinion. I'm a fan of Ghirardelli chocolate, it's middle of the road as far as price goes and the flavor is outstanding. Hershey's works too! Use whatever chocolate you love!
How can I make these Homemade Fudgy Brownies without the Blender and/or Digital Air Fry Oven?
This recipe can be made so many different ways, you don't need any special appliances!
If you don't have the Ninja Foodi Cold & Hot Blender, you can use a stand mixer, a large bowl with a hand mixer, or a large bowl with a whisk and spatula.
Stand Mixer or Bowl & Hand Mixer Instructions:
Melt the chocolate and butter in the microwave in 30 second intervals. Stir between each 30 seconds. Be careful not to overheat. Allow to cool for 5-10 minutes. Add the chocolate to the stand mixer or bowl and add the sugar. Blend on low. Add the eggs, oil, & vanilla extract. Blend on low until incorporated. Add the sifted flour/cocoa powder in ½ cup increments and blend between each addition. Scrape down the sides as needed. Stir in the chocolate chips and pour into prepared pan.
Large Bowl with Whisk/Spatula Instructions:
Melt the chocolate and butter in the microwave in 30 second intervals. Stir between each 30 seconds. Be careful not to overheat. Allow to cool for 5-10 minutes. Add the chocolate to the stand mixer or bowl and add the sugar. Stir to incorporate. In a separate bowl, add the eggs and whisk until lightly beaten and no white is showing. Add the eggs, oil, & vanilla extract to the sugar and chocolate and whisk together. Add the sifted flour/cocoa powder in ½ cup increments and stir well between each addition. Scrape down the sides as needed. Stir in the chocolate chips and pour into prepared pan.
Traditional Oven Directions:
Preheat the oven on 325ºF if you are using a dark colored pan and 350°F for a light colored pan. Bake for 35-40 minutes. When the top is starting to crack, they are usually done.
What Size Pan Should I use to make these Brownies?
The recipe was developed for a 9' X 11½' pan. Any pan close to that size will work just fine. Another very common size that would work without any changes to this recipe is an 8½ X 11" pan. A 9" x 13" pan would as well, although the brownies would be a tad bit thinner. I don't think you would need to adjust any temps or timing if using a 9"x 13" pan.
If you have the Ninja Foodi Digital Air Fry Oven and want to use the non-stick tray that came with it, you can. Here are a couple of suggestions.
If you make the recipe as written, your brownies will be thinner so you need to decrease your cooking time. You would also decrease the temperature to 300ºF because of the darker colored pan.
For thicker brownies using the non-stick pan, you will need to alter the recipe as follows:
Ingredients:
- 1 cup of butter (salted or unsalted)
- 2 ⅓ cups chocolate chips, divided in recipe
- 2 tsp espresso powder
- 1 tsp salt
- 2 cups sugar
- 6 eggs
- ½ cup vegetable or canola oil
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- ⅔ cup unsweetened cocoa powder (I used dark cocoa, but regular cocoa is fine)
- 2 cups flour
Instructions:
Mix the ingredients in a stand mixer or large bowl as stated in the recipe. Pour into prepared pan. Bake in the NF Digital Air Fry oven on 300ºF for 40-45 minutes. Let sit in oven for 5 minutes, then remove and cool.
How to Make Homemade Fudgy Brownies in the Ninja Foodi Blender & Digital Air Fry Oven
Cut the butter into pieces and put the butter in the blender. Cutting it up helps to get the butter down to the heating element and begin to melt it. Add 1 cup of the chocolate chips and turn the blender on, select the cook mode and select high heat. Cook on high for 3 minutes. Scrape down the sides of the blender and pulse 2-3 times and turn the heat to low. Cook on low for 2 minutes. The butter and chocolate should be melted. Add the espresso powder/granules and pulse 2-3 times.
Add the salt and the sugar, press the pulse button and hold it for 5 seconds. I have read that adding the sugar to the melted chocolate will help achieve that cracked crust on top. It seemed to work for me! Then add the eggs, oil, and vanilla extract. Press and hold the pulse button for 5 minutes. Scrape down the sides and make sure all the ingredients are well combined.
Sift the flour and cocoa powder together. I know, what a pain. It will help it all incorporate though. Add the combined flour and cocoa to the blender in ½ cup increments. Plus or use manual blend on low between each addition. Sometimes the last two additions will need a little coaxing to combine, so take a long spatula or the tamper and mix a little if needed. Once well combined, stir in the remaining chocolate chips by hand.
Prepare the pan you are using by either lining it with a silicone baking mat or brushing with butter or shortening and lining with parchment. This will make removing and cutting the brownies much easier.
Pour the brownie batter into the pan and spread out into an even layer.
Place the pan on the rack in the Ninja Foodi Digital Oven and select the bake function. Set the temperature to 325°F and the time for 35 minutes. Remove and allow to cool on a cooling rack for at least 15 minutes. I refrigerate mine for about 30-60 minutes before cutting, but that is optional.
It's that easy to make delicious Homemade Fudgy Brownies! Serve & Enjoy!
Homemade Fudgy Brownies
Equipment
- Ninja Foodi Digital Air Fry Oven
Ingredients
- ¾ cup butter salted or unsalted
- 1¾ cup dark chocolate chips divided in recipe
- 1 tsp espresso powder optional
- ¾ tsp sea salt
- 1½ cups sugar
- 5 large eggs cold eggs
- ⅓ cup vegetable oil
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- ½ cup unsweetened cocoa powder I used dark cocoa powder, but regular is fine
- 1½ cups flour all purpose
Instructions
- Cut the butter into small slices and add to the Ninja Foodi Cold & Hot Blender. Add 1 cup of the chocolate chips. Put the lid on the blender and select cook mode on high. Cook for 3 minutes, then pulse several times and turn the heat down to low. Scrape the sides if needed. Cook on low for 2 more minutes. Add in 1 tsp espresso powder. Pulse until smooth.
- Add the salt and sugar, press the pulse button for about 5 seconds. Add the eggs, oil, and vanilla extract. Press the pulse button for about 5 seconds. Scrape down the sides. Make sure the batter is well incorporated, pulse again if needed.
- Sift the flour and the cocoa powder before adding to the blender. Add the mixture in ¼-½ cup increments, pulse for about 5 seconds between each addition. Or you can use the low blend function. If there is remaining flour on top, use the tamper tool or a spatula to push it down into the blender. You may need to stir the batter to incorporate the last addition of flour/cocoa powder. Use the low blend setting to finishing combining the batter. Scrape down the sides.
- Once all the flour/cocoa powder is incorporated, add in the remaining ¾ cup of chocolate chips and stir with a spatula.
- Line a 11.5"X 9" with either parchment or a silpat. If using parchment paper, coat the bottom of the pan with butter or crisco before placing the parchment on the pan.
- Pour the brownie batter into the prepared pan and place it on the rack in the oven. Set the bake function on 325°F for 35 minutes. Remove and let cool for at least 15 minutes.
- Cut and serve!
Notes
Nutrition
ABOUT THE RECIPE AUTHOR, LOUISE LONG
Louise is a full-time recipe creator and food blogger @ The Salted Pepper. She has over 30 years of 
experience with cooking and recipe development. She owned a restaurant for several years and was a full-time RN until retiring to blog full-time.
Louise has several very active Facebook groups that help people with the basics of cooking and getting the most out of the Ninja Foodi.
Ninja Foodi Fresh & Healthy Meals
Seeing the need for easy, delicious, and high quality recipes, she is focusing all of her efforts creating recipes specifically for the Ninja Foodi. Her recipes are easy for the home cook to follow and provide step-by-step instructions.
Louise is also a YouTube creator and you can find most of her recipes in video format on The Salted Pepper YouTube channel.
She is very responsive to messages and eager to help in any way she can.
Amber Meyer
These truly are a fudgy delight! I made these for dessert last night. They are not only delicious but super easy to make. Ohmygosh, the way the top crackles and the chewy inside! These are hands down the BEST brownies I have ever made. Love, love, love these brownies. This will definitely be my go to brownie recipe. Absolutely heavenly!
Louise
Thank you so very much! I'm so glad you liked the brownies!
Gaile
I would like to make this in my 6.5 ninja foodi. What size pan, time and air fry, pressure cook or bake? I love your recipes. Thank you.
Louise
I plan on testing the recipe out in the Ninja Foodi soon, but the ingredient amounts will be different as well as the cooking instructions. Stay tuned for the Ninja Foodi version!