When you need brownies for a crowd and a 9x13 pan just won't cut it, sheet pan brownies are the answer. My from-scratch recipe bakes up 36 fudgy, double-chocolate squares in a single 13x18-inch pan in just 35 minutes. There is no box mix, no fuss, no running out. Whether it's a bake sale, a potluck, a school party, or just a Sunday when the whole family shows up, this is the pan you reach for.
One of the best arguments for a sheet pan over a 9x13 is the edge-to-center ratio. A 13x18 pan has significantly more perimeter relative to interior than a standard pan, which means more of those slightly crispy, chewy edge pieces that brownie enthusiasts specifically seek out. Are you an edge, center, or corner brownie person?
Ingredients:
I want you to look at this ingredient list and feel confident, not overwhelmed. Everything here comes from a standard grocery store, and the steps are straightforward and I even have pictures for you! The star of the show is that chopped baking chocolate and trust me, once you taste the difference it makes, you will never go back to a single-chocolate brownie again.
The chopped baking chocolate in this recipe produces a noticeably richer result than a cocoa-powder-only brownie. That intense chocolate flavor of the batter mellows slightly as the brownies bake and cool, landing exactly where a great brownie should.
Recipe Card?
To find the full printable recipe with specific measurements and directions CLICK HERE to go to the recipe card.
Step-by-Step Instructions
Get everything measured and ready before starting. The batter comes together quickly once the chocolate hits the butter.
Preheat and Prepare the Pan
Preheat the oven to 350°F. Butter a 13x18 inch rimmed sheet pan generously, or coat it thoroughly with baking spray.
What size pan?
A rimmed sheet pan (also called a half sheet pan or jelly roll pan) is required here. A flat cookie sheet without sides will not contain this batter.
Mix the Dry Ingredients
In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, and salt until fully combined.
Chip Tip
Add the chocolate chips and stir to coat them in the flour mixture. Tossing the chips in flour before they go into the batter helps keep them evenly distributed rather than sinking to the bottom of the pan during baking.
Melt the Butter and Sugars
In a medium saucepan over medium heat, combine the butter, brown sugar, and granulated sugar. Stir continuously until the butter is fully melted and the sugars are incorporated.
Melt in the First Chocolate
Remove the pan from heat and add approximately half of the chopped baking chocolate - about 10 ounces. Stir until fully melted and smooth. Let the mixture sit off the heat for 3 to 4 minutes before adding the eggs.
Why let the mixture cool?
You want the mixture warm, not actively steaming. Adding eggs to an overly hot mixture risks scrambling them before they incorporate.
Add the Eggs
Add the eggs one at a time, whisking well after each addition. Adding them one at a time into a warm - not hot - mixture ensures they incorporate smoothly and completely.
Add the Remaining Chocolate and Vanilla
Stir in the remaining chopped chocolate and the vanilla extract. Mix until the chocolate is fully melted and the batter is smooth throughout.
Combine Wet and Dry
Pour the chocolate mixture over the dry ingredients and stir until just combined. Stop the moment no dry flour streaks remain.
Don't Overmix
Overmixing develops gluten in the flour, which pushes the texture from fudgy toward dense and cakey - the opposite of what you want here.
Pour and Spread
Pour the batter into the prepared sheet pan and spread it evenly to all four corners with a spatula or the back of a spoon.
Can I make these in a 9x13 pan instead?
Yes. Use the same batter as written and pour it into a buttered 9x13 inch pan. The brownies will be noticeably thicker than the sheet pan version. Increase the bake time to 30 to 35 minutes and start checking at the 28-minute mark. The toothpick-with-moist-crumbs test applies the same way. You will get approximately 24 squares.
Bake
Bake at 350°F for 25 to 28 minutes. Start checking at the 20-minute mark.
How to tell they are done
The brownies are done when the edges are set and just beginning to pull away from the sides of the pan. Insert a toothpick into the center - it should come out with a few moist crumbs attached. Not clean, not coated in wet batter. A clean toothpick on a brownie almost always means they are over baked.
Cool Completely Before Cutting
Cutting. Let the brownies cool completely in the pan before slicing, at least 1 hour. Fully cooled sheet pan brownies cut into clean, even squares.
Cary-Over Cooking
The interior continues to set from residual heat for several minutes after they come out of the oven, and cutting too early means crumbling edges and a messy cut.
Did you make this recipe?
Do you have feedback that would be helpful to others? If so can help this small business owner by leaving a rating and a review in the comments section? Thank you for being part of the Savoring The Good Community. ~ Sarah
Storage Tips
Sheet pan brownies keep well, which makes them a reliable choice for anything that requires baking ahead.
- Store cut brownies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 4 days.
- For longer storage, refrigerate in an airtight container for up to 1 week and bring them to room temperature before serving for the best texture.
- Individual squares can also be frozen in a single layer, then transferred to a freezer-safe bag with parchment between layers for up to 3 months.
- Frozen brownies can be added to a lunchbox and will be ready to eat by lunchtime.
Flavor Variations
This batter is a reliable base that takes well to additions:
- Peanut butter swirl - Drop ½ cup of warm peanut butter over the batter before baking and swirl through with a knife.
- S'mores sheet pan brownies - Scatter crumbled graham crackers and mini marshmallows over the top in the last 5 minutes of baking.
- Birthday cake brownies - Fold rainbow sprinkles into the finished batter and top with vanilla frosting after cooling.
- Pecan brownies - Stir ¾ cup of roughly chopped pecans into the batter before spreading in the pan.
- Frosted sheet pan brownies - Whisk together 2 cups powdered sugar, ¼ cup cocoa powder, 3 tablespoons melted butter, and 3 to 4 tablespoons milk until smooth. Pour over the brownies while still slightly warm and spread to the edges.
Serving suggestion
I will serve them warm with a scoop of vanilla ice cream, a drizzle of caramel or chocolate sauce, or a dollop of fresh whipped cream. For a bake sale or potluck, they travel and stack beautifully once fully cooled.
Another of my favorite classic desserts is peach dump cake.
Seasonal Favorite
This is the best homemade seedless black raspberry jam recipe made with fresh or frozen black raspberries.
Frequently asked questions, answers and tips:
While I try to share all the information you need to make this recipe in your home with restaurant-quality results, there still may be a question or two. Or these are questions I have received from the community about this recipe. I do my best to answer them as clearly as I can. I hope this helps.
A 13x18 inch rimmed sheet pan - also called a half sheet pan or jelly roll pan. The rimmed sides are required to contain the batter. A standard flat cookie sheet without sides will not work. If you do not have a half sheet pan, see the 9x13 adaptation listed.
Each sugar is doing a different job. Granulated sugar promotes the crackly, slightly crispy top that is one of the most recognizable features of a great brownie. Brown sugar contains molasses, which holds moisture in the crumb and creates a softer, chewier interior texture. Using both means the finished brownie has a crackly top AND a fudgy center whereas one sugar alone would give you one or the other, not both.
Cocoa powder on its own delivers deep chocolate flavor and a slightly drier, chewier texture. Melted baking chocolate adds cocoa butter, a fat with a higher melting point than regular butter, which creates a richer, denser, fudgier crumb. The combination gives you the best of both: intense chocolate flavor from the cocoa powder and a fudgy, glossy texture from the melted chocolate.
Two likely causes: overmixing after the flour goes in, (that is usually my issue) or overbaking. Mix only until the flour streaks disappear and no more. And pull the brownies when a toothpick shows moist crumbs, not when it comes out clean. A clean toothpick on a brownie means they have gone a few minutes too long.
Ingredients
- 1 ¾ cups Flour, All Purpose
- 1 cup cocoa powder
- 1 teaspoon Salt
- 1 cup chocolate chips
- 1 ½ cups salted butter 3 sticks
- 1 ¼ cups Brown Sugar packed
- 1 cup Sugar
- 20 ounces Baking Chocolate finely chopped or (chocolate bark,) divided
- 6 Eggs
- 2 teaspoons Vanilla Extract
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Butter a 13x18-inch rimmed sheet pan generously, or coat it thoroughly with baking spray.
- In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, and salt until fully combined. Add the chocolate chips and stir to coat them in the flour mixture. Tossing the chips in flour before they go into the batter helps keep them evenly distributed rather than sinking to the bottom of the pan during baking.1 ¾ cups Flour, All Purpose, 1 cup cocoa powder, 1 teaspoon Salt, 1 cup chocolate chips
- In a medium saucepan over medium heat, combine the butter, brown sugar, and granulated sugar. Stir continuously until the butter is fully melted and the sugars are incorporated.1 ½ cups salted butter, 1 ¼ cups Brown Sugar, 1 cup Sugar
- Remove the pan from heat and add approximately half of the chopped baking chocolate - about 10 ounces. Stir until fully melted and smooth. Let the mixture sit off the heat for 3 to 4 minutes before adding the eggs.20 ounces Baking Chocolate
- Add the eggs one at a time, whisking well after each addition. Adding them one at a time into a warm - not hot - mixture ensures they incorporate smoothly and completely.6 Eggs
- Stir in the remaining chopped chocolate and the vanilla extract.2 teaspoons Vanilla Extract
- Pour the chocolate mixture over the dry ingredients and stir until just combined.
- Pour the batter into the prepared sheet pan and spread it evenly to all four corners with a spatula or the back of a spoon.
- Bake at 350°F for 25 to 28 minutes. Start checking at the 20-minute mark.
- Let the brownies cool completely in the pan before slicing - at least 1 hour.
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