35 Rich, Moist Brownie Recipes

The key to a perfect homemade brownie is not overcooking it. Rather than a toothpick test, trust your eyes and nose to tell you when the brownie is set. The center will stay ever-so-slightly moist.

Fudge Brownies

Swirl a mixture of cream cheese, sugar, egg and vanilla into rich brownie batter for this classic twist on a chocolate treat.

Marbled Cream-Cheese Brownies

Fans of cakey brownies, step away now. These squares are dense and rich, thanks to brown sugar, extra egg yolks— and more than half a can of stout. Your friends and family may not be able to identify the beer, but its toasted malt flavor brings depth to every bite.

Fudgy Stout Brownies

These wallet-size brownies are one of the most popular sweets at Zingerman's Bakehouse in Ann Arbor, Michigan.

Magic Brownies

These cinnamon-spiked red velvet bars taste just like red-hot candies—with a layer of luscious cream cheese frosting on top! 

Red-Hot Velvet Brownies

We stirred chocolate-flavor malt powder into both the brownie base and the lush, fluffy topper. For an extra-indulgent dessert, substitute your favorite homemade brownie recipe. Just be sure it bakes in a 13x9x2-inch pan.

Malted Mousse Brownies

Lots of chocolate, homemade caramel sauce and toasted pecans create a decadent, hard-to-resist brownie.

Incredible Turtle Brownies

These moist, easy brownies get a little extra crunch from a topping of toffee pieces.

Toffee Bars

White chocolate and macadamia nuts give traditional brownies a flavor and color makeover.

White Chocolate Brownies

Dollop a mixture of shredded coconut and sweetened condensed milk on brownie batter for a fun flavor variation on traditional fudge brownies.

Macaroon Brownies

These brownies pack a coffee punch from coffee liqueuer (or strong brewed coffee) added to the batter as well as stirred into powdered sugar for drizzling on top. The final touch: a garnish of chopped chocolate-covered espresso beans.

Triple Coffee Brownies

Patrick Groth, owner-chef of Incredibly Delicious in Springfield, Illinois, says these ingredients should be mixed and placed in the oven as quickly as possible for best flavor. "We sell these at the local farmers market. They are really good with fresh whipped cream and berries," Patrick says.

Farmers Market Brownies

Trail mix ingredients such as salted peanuts, pretzel sticks, dried cranberries, raisins and chocolate pieces make a sweet-and-salty topper for brownies.

Trail Mix Brownies

Shortbread forms a crunchy, buttery base for a moist brownie topping.

Shortbread Brownies

These sinful brownies feature a cheesecake layer sandwiched between two ultra-rich chocolate layers.

Brownie Bombs

Seedless raspberry preserves and chopped toasted hazelnuts add a little crunch and sweet-sour pop to fudge brownies.

Raspberry-Hazelnut Swirl Brownies

Colleen Weeden, Midwest Living® Test Kitchen project supervisor, combines packaged sweets with homemade frosting for her easy dessert. "My family has no idea I'm using a box brownie mix when I cover the brownies with from-scratch chocolate frosting and sprinkle on candy or chopped candy bars," Colleen says.

Co's Candy-Bar Brownies

Sandra Granseth, food consultant for Midwest Living®, turned a brownie mix into a grown-up dessert by stirring in cinnamon and coffee liqueur. A chocolate drizzle decorates the top. Or, top with white and dark chocolates.

In our picture, Sandra's Fudgy Coffee Brownies are shown with a candy-topped variation of Co's Candy-Bar Brownies (previous slide).

Fudgy Coffee Brownies

Caramel in the bottom of the pan melds with the brownie, creating a dessert so rich and gooey that you need a spoon to serve it. Because cast iron holds heat, the brownie will still be warm when you go back for seconds.

Caramel Pecan Skillet Brownie

Two layers of chocolate sandwich a chewy oatmeal layer in this brownie recipe.

Chocolate-Oatmeal Trilevel Brownies

Orange buttercream frosting and melted chocolate top a brownie base for a decadent combination of flavors.

Orange-Kissed Chocolate Brownies

Caramels, oats and milk chocolate pieces blend in these gooey sweets from a West Des Moines, Iowa, reader.

Caramel Blonde Brownies

Here’s an easy way to sneak some veggies into dessert. Add shredded fresh zucchini to brownies. These are so rich and moist, your crew will never notice. 

Zucchini Brownies

The flavors of bittersweet chocolate, coffee and walnuts—topped with cream-cheese frosting and a brownie glaze—combine to make this luscious dessert.

Chocolate Espresso Walnut Tiles

Want a quick box-mix makeover? Sprinkle chocolate and peanut butter pieces on a brownie mix while it's still hot from the oven. This technique helps the pieces stick to the cake but still retain their shape.

More ideas for box-mix makeovers

Swirl a layer of cream cheese and pumpkin into chocolate batter to create these luscious brownies, and sprinkle walnuts on top for extra crunch.

Marbled Chocolate-Pumpkin Brownies

Creamy peanut butter frosting tops brownies baked on a graham cracker crust.

Chocolate-Peanut Butter Brownies

Bake a fudge brownie mix, then top with tiny marshmallows and drizzle with a mixture of semisweet chocolate pieces, peanut butter and crisp rice cereal.

Marshmallow-Crisp Brownies recipe

You can complete a fast-fix dinner with this easy-to-make dessert. We layered store-bought brownies with a sweetened cream-cheese sauce and peppermint patties.

Brownie Parfaits recipe

A surprise candy-bar center awaits those who bite into these easy, fudgy delights. Baking them in muffin cups makes them super-easy to tote to potlucks, tailgating events or other parties.

Tailgaters' Brownie Cupcakes

As warmly welcoming as the traditional Irish beverage, these brownies have a little whiskey in the batter and a little more in the glaze.

Irish Coffee Brownies

A creamy, peppermint-flavor cheesecake layer adds holiday flair to classic chocolate brownies.

Peppermint Stick Brownies

These moist, fudgy, mocha-flavored bars will remind you of truffles.

Truffle Brownies

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