Saucepan Brownies

Name: Saucepan Brownies
Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 40 min
Total time: 45 min
Yield: 16
Cuisine: American
Ingredients: 8 tablespoons butter; 4 ounces unsweetened chocolate, chopped into small bits; 1 ¾ cup sugar; 1 teaspoon vanilla; 2 eggs, beaten; 1 cup flour; 1 cup chopped walnuts (optional but so good!)

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This super easy recipe for saucepan brownies uses just one pot and one pan for a perfect version of everyone’s favorite chocolate dessert!

Saucepan brownies with walnuts on a piece of parchment.

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Why we love this recipe
Ingredients you need
Ingredient notes and substitutions
Here’s how you make this recipe
Recipe FAQs
Want to round out your dessert?
Other brownie recipes we love
Could you leave us a review?
Saucepan Brownies

Why we love this recipe

I should start by saying that I have made many brownie recipes over the years, but this is the recipe that the Southern husband declared is my Best Brownie Recipe Ever.

He loves the fact that this recipe bakes up 16 classic, fudgy, chocolatey brownies that are everything you want in a brownie. The rich chocolate flavor comes from the fact that we are using melted chocolate instead of cocoa powder, and I am HERE for that.

And while I totally appreciate the scrumptiousness, I also love this recipe because these brownies cook up in exactly one pot and one pan.

The easiest brownies you will ever make…which makes them even more delicious in my book!

Ingredients you need

Ingredients for saucepan brownies on counter.

Ingredient notes and substitutions

Unsweetened Chocolate: This is exactly what you think it is – a bar of chocolate in its natural, unsweetened state. Chocolate is actually a little bitter before it gets mixed with sugar, so anyone who swipes this is in for a surprise! But there’s sugar in this recipe, and the melted chocolate is key to the rich flavor of these one pot brownies. You can find it in the baking aisle near the chocolate chips.
Walnuts: You can leave these out, or swap in chopped pecans or even macadamia nuts. You can find chopped walnuts in the baking aisle (and if you have any left over, make this amazing Walnut Pasta for supper!).

See the recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities and nutritional information.

Here’s how you make this recipe

STEP 1: Preheat your oven to 350 and line an 8 inch square baking pan with nonstick foil or parchment paper.

STEP 2: Grab the nearest saucepan, and melt up some butter. Take the pan off the stove. Add in some unsweetened chocolate and stir it up over medium heat until everything is melted together.

STEP 3: Now stir in some sugar, some vanilla, some eggs and then some flour. All in the same saucepan.

Pot full of saucepan brownie batter with walnuts.

STEP 4: You can add walnuts if you like, and you can leave them out if you don’t.

Square foil-lined pan full of saucepan brownie batter.

STEP 5: Now pour this chocolate scrumptiousness into an 8 inch square baking dish that you have cleverly lined with nonstick foil or parchment paper that extends over the sides of the pan for easy brownie extraction.

Pop the pan in the oven for 40 minutes.

Now comes the hardest part.

THE WAITING.

Because as tempting as it is to cut right into those brownies, you need to let them cool off completely so you can cut them into squares of chocolate perfection.

Stack of saucepan brownies with a glass of milk.

Is there anything better than a brownie and a glass of milk?

Recipe FAQs

What is the best way to chop up the chocolate?

While you absolutely can just chop it up with a regular knife, I always use my food processor. It will pulverize your chocolate into chocolate dust which will melt magically fast.

Can I leave out the nuts?

You can! Or you can swap in another type of chopped nuts – chopped pecans or chopped macadamia nuts would both be scrumptious.

Can these be made ahead of time?

Definitely! These will last for a few days covered on your counter…or you can do like my mom does and pop them in a closed plastic bag in your freezer. There is nothing like a frozen brownie, I’m here to tell you. Swoon.

Have a question that I didn’t cover?

Pop your question in the comments section below and I will answer pronto!

Want to round out your dessert?

We love a cup of fresh mint tea with these one bowl brownies…and we also love a warm cup of red wine hot chocolate!

Other brownie recipes we love

Looking for dessert inspiration? Here is our complete collection of dessert recipes!

Could you leave us a review?

If you try this recipe, we would love to hear how it came out for you! I’d be super grateful if you could leave a star rating (you pick how many stars! 🌟 ) and your thoughts in the Comments section.