There are countless reason why I love making brownies. All they require is a bowl and wooden spoon. They’re moist and satisfy that deep chocolate craving. But more sentimentally, brownies are one of the first things I remember making with my sister growing up. We’d take out one bowl, one pan, follow the directions on the back of the unsweetened chocolate box, and about 45 minutes later- warm brownies! We’d burn our fingers trying to get the hot brownies out of the pan. But it was worth it to sit down with a plate of warm brownies and cold milk to watch episode after episode of I Love Lucy. Those were the days. These old school Fudge Brownies with walnuts and chocolate chunks were made in an effort to reach back to those days eating brownies on the living room floor with my sister. The amazing thing is that one bite into the warm chocolate took me right back to being 10 years old, baking with my sister. It’s pretty remarkable what a brownie can do!
I took the recipe for these brownies right off the chocolate box, just the way my sister and I used to rock it. The result was a dark, fudgey and nutty chocolate brownie. Just perfect! And you must eat at least one piece hot out of the pan with a glass of milk. It makes life worth living. You think I’m exaggerating… well I’m not.
Old School Fudge Brownies with walnuts and chocolate chunks
adapted from Toll House
1 2/3 cup granulated sugar
3/4 cup cocoa powder
3/4 cup butter
2 Tablespoons strong coffee or water
2 large eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup chopped walnuts
1/4 cup chocolate chips or coarsely chopped chocolate bar
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour a 9×13-inch baking pan. (I used a 10-inch round cake pan.)
Combine butter and cocoa powder in a small bowl, and place over a pot of simmering water. Make sure that the simmering water down not touch the bottom of the bowl. Add the coffee or water and stir to melt the ingredients.
In a medium sized bowl whisk together the eggs and the sugar. Add the vanilla extract. When the butter and chocolate have melted and come together, slowly stir the chocolate mixture into the sugar mixture.
Add the flour, baking powder and salt. Stir to combine. Fold in the nuts, saving a small handful for the top of the brownies if you like.
Pour the batter in the pan, sprinkle with chocolate chips or chocolate chunks and remaining nuts. Bake for 18-25 minutes.
Remove from the oven and cut into bars.
Ankita
Joy! I’ve never really made brownies before … too scared since I brunt a batch quite badly in my youth.
This recipe is simple and delicious! I took them to a morning meeting and they were a huge hit. Thank you for sharing!
Frederic
I tried the recipe first in the 9×13 pan but it was overcooked; time and temperature probably work better with the 10-inch round pan. I tried it again as mini-muffins (300° for 15 min) and it was perfectly gooey! Grated half a tonka bean in the dough and the kids loved it. Thanks
Lauren Kane
Hi Joy! Do the chocolate chips/bar need to be bittersweet or semisweet? Does it matter?
Thank you!! Hope you’re having a great weekend
Esther Johnson Robinson
Every time I make these, I get bombarded with compliments. Now I have to bring them to every church bake sale… ;)
joythebaker
Fantastic!!
Rupa Das
Made this today for my mother in laws’ group of friends. Had some of them hugging me coz they loved it so!! Thanks a lot for this recipe.
ruzzelljr
I dont understand the bow over simmering water part and there after
Mondomulia
I made these brownies twice last week, they are so amazing I couldn’t resist baking another batch! Best brownie recipe ever! I used pecans instead of walnuts.
Jyothi
Hi! I’ve the brownies in the oven right now….it’s been almost an hour now and it’s still not cooked all the way through! I’ve never had issues with my oven before. The only thing different I did from your recipe was that I used a 9in round pan since that’s all I had…..Any suggestions would be appreciated…
Fatima
Hi how many kgs or lbs brownie cake does this make pls?
joythebaker
i’m not sure. sorry i can’t answer your question.
ZUN
do you use unsalted butter? thankss
joythebaker
Yes. Always use unsalted in baking :)
Molly
Great! I cut the butter to 1/2 cup (Plus a little coconut oil) and cut the sugar to 3/4 cup plus a couple table spoons of honey, and Still! It was outrageously fudgy. I will definitley make this again.
Anu
Hey I tried the recipe. And it was absolutely fantastic. . . Thanks a lot
Kelly
I’ve been trying to get that beautiful crispy crust on top all my life. And last night, for the first time, i made it !!! Thanks so much for the recipe :-)
Emily
Joy, I’ve made these twice now for my family. Thank you for a wonderful recipe and awesome photos. Your blog is such an inspiration!!
Sharmi
Sorry this probably sound bit silly but I don’t understand the measurements. Does 1 2/3 cup granulated sugar mean one + 2/3 or is it twelve/three??
Many thanks in advance
nel
Hello Ms. Joy! Sorry for the many questions as this is my first time to bake brownies :) May i ask what brand of strong coffee did you use? And if i were to bake this in a glass dish, whats the oven temp & baking time?
joythebaker
I use Whole Foods French Roast and double the coffee to water ratio to make strong coffee. Add just a few minutes to the bake time, like 4 minutes. Nothing too drastic.
Pooja Kumar
350 degrees C, right?
Fatima
350 degrees farenheit. That’s 180 degrees C
Linda
I have been making your brownies now for 3+ years (5/23/2008 original post) and they are still the best brownies ever! No other recipe tops these they are that good.
Jackie
Joy, these brownies are AMAZING! Thanks so much for sharing! And ps – the cake pan… why did I never think of that? Brilliant!!
Laura
Yurp just made this recipe for about the gazillionth time, as amazing as always! Thank you so much. This time I’ve mentioned it (and you!) on my blog so thought I’d let you know
xxx
GastroStu
Just found this blog looking at the Saveur Food Blog Awards 2011. After reading this and seeing the pics, I’m not surprised you won! Great looking brownies :)
neha
Hi…I just made these. I had baked it in a 9*13 inch pan for 21 mins and they tasted yum when they were hot. But after they turned cold they were very hard and chewy. Can you tell me where i went wrong?
Natalie
These came out really good! I loved the addition of walnuts.
& I sprinkled semi-sweet mini chocolate chips on top :)
Thanks Joy!
Jenny (VintageSugarcube)
Joy- I’ve been following your site for quite some time now and love, love, love it!! I made these brownies this weekend and topped with an espresso frosting for something different. This is the best brownie recipe I’ve tried. Kudos to you and can’t wait to get a copy of your cookbook. Very happy for you. Please come down to San Diego for a book signing. :)
shalini
Just wanted to let you know that I made these brownies this afternoon and they turned out simply fantastic. It’s one of the best things I’ve ever baked I think.
Thanks so very much.
ace015
AB-SO-LUTELY amazing brownies!!! Just the recipe I was looking for. If you are looking at this recipe…make these brownies!!
Michelle
I JUST made these, and they are FANTASTIC. The first brownies I’ve ever attempted to make, and they will definitely not be the last. I’ve read every single one of your entries and I adore your blog <3
Mama Mia
OK, Joy, so you don’t know this but you are like my best friend!
We are definitely kindred spirits. ;)
I happened on your site about 10 months ago and LOVED your photography!
Your recipes looked amazing and I so enjoyed reading your blogs. I never really had time to try any of them because of my busy schedule but in the past month I have made three! I first tried your Chocolate Peppermint Sandwich Cookies, BIG hit. Then I made the Brown Sugar Bacon Waffles, my daughter’s favorite. (I made the waffles again yesterday but without the bacon and they were still amazingly delicious.) Today I tried the Old School Fudge Brownies with Walnuts… OMG! You ROCK, Joy! I tell all my friends about you and I always say, “Haven’t met a recipe of Joy’s that I don’t love!”
Thank you, Joy, from the bottom of my tummy!
jeannie
Have made these 3 times now. My boyfriend (and his roommate) request them!
dinè
i’ve made these a couple of times now and they are AMAZING!
nee
These look amazing! Would they hold up well if they were baked in mini muffin pans as bite sized brownies? I’m sure the time would need to be adjusted but once they cooled do you think they’d slip right out of the tins?
Julia
I just finished eating a piece warm from the pan. I think I might go into a chocolate coma :-)
I used Brazil nuts and they turned out delicious. Now the cat is stalking me, trying to get a piece of them. Can’t really blame him, either.
Em
Just made these.. They are perfection!
Joan
Old School brownies are in the oven….everybody calm down! 18 minutes only seeeems like a long time.
Cate
These are in my oven right now!
I used a 8×8 inch glass pan – I greased + floured the 9×13 but when I looked at the amount of batter I made a last minute switch. You may want to revise that note.
Thanks for the great recipe… + beauty pictures!
Emily
I made these tonight and also used a smaller pan. They were perfect in my pan, so I think they would have been very sad and thin in the larger pan. Anyway, they were delicious!
Shauna
I used an 8×8 pan, too. I adore this recipe, but the direction to use them in a 9×13 pan just seems off, especially since you said in the post that you used a 10″ cake pan, which is closer to an 8×8 than a 9×13, size-wise.
Anyway, I’m making these now and I can’t wait for them to come out of the oven! It’s become my favorite brownie recipe–thanks for posting it!
Millie
Mmm…my hubby is making those as I type! The house smells great!
lena
I made these on Sunday and they were SUCH a hit! Thank you for the recipe.
Theresa
I had a serious craving for chocolate today and your photos made me run up to the kitchen and get baking. These hit the spot!
KD
I just tried making them – YUMMY is an understatement!! I have to make a second batch now because most of the first batch is already gone! Thanks for this amazing recipe :)
Megh
Hey mine turned out a bit too hard and not gooey.. pch
I guess different ovens will react differently.
Megh
that seems like a lot of sugar no :-?
Megh
I have been looking for a good recipe that someone has personally tried and tested.
Just bought all the things I need :-) am going to make these now.
This is just what I was looking for .. something that uses cocoa and coffee instead of cooking chocolate.
Linda
Made these and they taste as good as they look. Perfect! What more can I say. After cooling I cut and wrapped individually in plastic wrap and put them in the fridge for later. I microwaved an individual slice for 15 seconds and it brought it back to a just baked out of the oven taste and texture.
Martine
Wow.
I saw your brownies a few days ago and couldn’t stop thinking about them so I just finished making them. They are absolutely wonderful. I’ve made batches of brownies before but never as perfect as these. I think they are going to be a “Have a good weekend” gift for my son’s teacher.
Also just watched your podcast.
Have you ever thought of having your own TV show. I’d watch it.(and tape it and watch it over and over).
Thank you for the inspiration
MrsDocChuck
I do not remember it the same way, sorry. The brownies YOU gave MA were from a box, Chuck!!
Had I paid more attention in school, I might not have had to practice my nursing in prisons, which is where I actually met you.
Now that we both have more time to cook, I do love it when you bake from scratch. I hope you copied down this recipe, since it looks fantastic!
Whitney
I totally just made these with almonds instead of walnuts and they were awesome. I will confess that I have always just made brownies from a box but these were 10 better.
Thanks for your wonderful blog.
Expat Mom
I came across your blog on Stumble, bookmarked it and then realized that just looking at these photos is going to make me fat! I´m totally drooling and dying to get baking (and I´m more of a cook than a baker) . . . so, if I balloon up to 300 lbs, I´m totally blaming you and your delicious blog. ;)
Mike
Looking back, I also have fond recollections of brownies being one of the few things I could (er, “would”) make. These got my stomach rumbling–they look excellent!
Mary Luce
Hi, I found your blog last week and made two of your recipes just this weekend: these delicious brownies (coworkers swooning all over the lab) and the chocolate orange bundt cake which I halved since I only have a 6 cup bundt pan and replaced sour cream (difficult to find in Portugal) with natural yogurt. Two hits in two days! Awesome score :)
BTW, lovely pictures!
Stephanie
You inspired me to make brownies tonight while watching Top Chef…I used Nigella’s recipe from Domestic Goddess but I still tipped my hat to you, Joy!
Jj
Ohhhh…nummy! You just got me totally in the mood for some rich brownie baking! Those look so good I could almost tatse them and I think my mouth is watering now!
Chuck
Brownies have always been an old time favorite of mine too. I remember licking the spoon after my mom would make brownies. I loved the batter, so good!
Gigi
My friend Jose always requests two things from me every year …a german chocolate cake for his birthday and a box of fudgy walnut brownies for Christmas. I have bookmarked this recipe for next year. Thanks Joy! :)
HoneyB
Your brownies looks so yummy! I agree, there is nothing better than a warm brownie fresh from the oven with a glass of cold milk!
diva
i’ve got this bookmarked. i remember the I Love Lucy days..and add Bewitched to that, Oreos & a glass of cold milk. was awesome. with this recipe, I’m sure I can recreate some of the old days. thanks joy! :D x
Patricia Scarpin
I have never made brownies in a round pan. These look delectable!
DocChuck
I suspect that brownies conjure up a few memories in nearly everyone, particularly in those of us who have managed to mature (i.e. managed to reach the ripe old age of 50 years plus).
My favorite memory is that in my younger days as a Professor of Education (attempting to educate people how to be “teachers” when classrooms were for learning . . . not for jungle warfare training) . . . some of my female students (most school teachers then were female, fortunately) would occasionally bring me brownies.
Although their motives might have been questionable, their brownies ranged from great to terrible. I graciously accepted them all (but I did not necessarily eat them all).
However, when a certain student (I will call her “E”) brought me a box of brownies using a recipe VERY similar to yours, I was impressed.
“E” went on to become a Master-degreed teacher, then a Registered Nurse, and finally a medical corporation executive, supervising the nursing staff of an entire state.
And I am now her husband (happily retired).
Your post is wonderful, for its content, for its outstanding photos, and for reminding me how lucky I am that “E” made me a box of brownies just like yours.
Deborah
You are giving me a serious craving for chocolate now!
noble pig
These look amazing! Gooey and yummy and cakey. My stomach is now growling!
Steph
These brownies look irresistable, as all your recipes do!
steph (whisk/spoon)
aww shoot…those look so good. walnuts in brownies are a definite must!
Susan from Food Blogga
With walnuts, just like my mom’s. And could they be any fudgier?:)
brilynn
That’s it, I’m off to the kitchen to make brownies!
Brittany
Sometimes the recipe on the box really is the best–particularly with toll house stuff.
YUM YUM
Amanda
Eating homemade brownies fresh out of the oven is one of life’s simple pleasures. Especially when those brownies have a nice cold glass of milk or ice cream accompanied with them.My kind of brownies involve massive amounts of bittersweet chocolate melted into the already chocolatey batter because I normally need more oomph then the cocoa powder offers.
Melanie
Oh, those look so totally delicious and a complete throwback to the good ol’ days of simple desserts – brownies (and usually ice cream!). Yum!
Chelle
These look absolutely incredible! I can’t wait to try them!
peabody
Brownies make the world go round!
Kim
What size pan do you use??