Rich whole wheat brownies are just like your favorite brownie recipe, but made with whole wheat flour or whole grain oat flour for a gluten-free option. Plenty of butter and melted bittersweet chocolate make these little morsels stand out.
Who doesn't love brownies? This whole wheat brownies recipe has been a back-pocket recipe for years - it's my tried-and-true, ultra-reliable brownie that I turn to whenever I need a quick dessert. Fudgy and dark, they rely on plenty of butter, good chocolate, and whole grain flour to create the ultimate decadent brownie.
Use whole wheat flour, or trade in gluten-free oat flour or brown rice flour for a whole grain gluten-free option. See my gluten free brownies or gluten free one-bowl brownies recipes for more brownie deliciousness.
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Why You'll Love These Brownies
Lots of intense chocolate flavor make these sturdy brownies stand out from the crowd. Here's why you'll love them:
- Quick and easy - This is basically a one-bowl recipe: Once you melt together the chocolate and butter, you'll stir in the rest of the ingredients, and the brownies are ready to bake!
- Adaptable - Use this solid recipe as your base for add-ins like nuts or try different types of chocolate to make it your own.
- Better than a box - These brownies are so much better than any boxed mix and don't need any more effort to make. Plus, they use simple pantry ingredients with no weird extras or preservatives.
Ingredient Notes
Here's a look at what you'll need. See the recipe card at the end of this post for the full ingredient amounts.
- Semisweet chocolate - I kept it easy and used semisweet chocolate chips. A bar of your favorite semisweet chocolate is fine, too. You can play around with the type of chocolate (darker or lighter) or even try milk chocolate for a richer, sweeter brownie.
- Butter - I mostly always use unsalted butter when I make these brownies; however, sometimes I want a more sweet-salty vibe going on, so I use salted butter. You do you.
- Granulated sugar
- Brown sugar - Either light or dark brown sugar is fine.
- Eggs - I always use large eggs when I bake.
- Salt - Fine sea salt is my salt of choice!
- Whole wheat flour - You can use whole wheat flour or whole wheat pastry flour, or use oat flour or brown rice flour to keep them gluten free.
Variations
Feel free to fancy up these brownies with nuts, chocolate, and more!
- Nuts - Do you love adding nuts to brownies as much as I do? Whole wheat brownies would be amazing with chopped walnuts or almonds.
- Coconut - Stir in some shredded or flaked sweetened or unsweetened coconut to the batter.
- More chocolate - Add 1 cup of chocolate chips of your choice (semisweet, milk, or white chocolate) to the batter.
- Flaky salt - Sprinkle coarse-grained sea salt across the top of the batter before you slide the pan into the oven for the perfect sweet-salty pairing.
- Gluten free - Swap your favorite gluten free flour blend or oat flour (use 1 cup of any gluten-free flour for the whole wheat flour).
Step-By-Step Instructions
Here's a look at how you'll make this whole wheat brownies recipe. The detailed instructions are in the recipe card lower down.
- Melt chocolate: Preheat the oven to 350℉ and grease a square pan. Melt together the butter and chocolate.
- Add remaining ingredients: Add the sugar, eggs, salt, and flour.
- Add to pan: Mix the batter to combine, then spread it in the prepared pan. Bake the brownies for 40 minutes.
- Cool and cut: Let the brownies cool in the pan, then cut them into 2-inch squares.
Whole Wheat Flour vs Whole Wheat Pastry Flour
Whole wheat flour and whole wheat pastry flour are both flours that are less processed than all-purpose (white flour). In more scientific terms, whole grain or whole wheat flour refers to flours in which the bran, germ, and endosperm are used during the milling process and kept in the final flour.
Whole wheat flour is more coarsely ground than the whole wheat pastry flour. You may find that you prefer to use whole wheat pastry flour for cakes, cookies, bars, brownies, etc., rather than whole wheat flour. Whole wheat flour is ideal for bread recipes. However, I often use them interchangeably. For this whole wheat brownies recipe, you may use either whole wheat flour or whole wheat pastry flour.
Brownie Tips
- Don't overbake! Dry, crumbly brownies are the worst. To avoid this, check the brownies at 35 minutes, and then every 5 minutes because oven temperatures may vary.
- Rest before cutting - While it's so tempting to cut into your brownies as soon as you've pulled them from the oven, don't do this! Let the brownies rest and cool in the pan for at least 15 minutes before cutting them, preferably a little longer if you can bear to wait.
- Don't overmix - Once you've combined the ingredients, stir to combine, but don't overdo it. Brownies are better if you don't vigorously stir the batter.
- Cool the butter-chocolate mixture - I learned the hard way that if you don't let the melted butter and chocolate cool slightly before adding the eggs the eggs will get cooked! You want the mixture to still be melted but not hot before you add the rest of the ingredients.
- Dairy-free - If you need to keep this dairy-free, use non-dairy butter and vegan chocolate chips.
Proper Storage
Brownies keep really well, another reason I love them. Here's how to store them in a few different ways:
- Counter - Place brownies in an airtight container and store them on the counter at room temperature for up to 5 days.
- Fridge - Keep the brownies in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 7 days.
- Freezer - Transfer cooled brownies to a freezer-safe container or freezer-safe bag and store them in the fridge for up to 3 months. Thaw the brownies completely in the fridge before serving.
Happy baking! If you make these whole wheat brownies, I'd love to know. Please leave a comment below, reach out with any questions, and tag me on Instagram @Cucina Nicolina ❤️
Recipe
Whole Wheat Brownies
Ingredients
- 5 ounces semisweet chocolate
- ½ cup unsalted butter
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- ½ cup packed light or dark brown sugar
- 3 eggs
- ¼ teaspoon fine sea salt
- ¾ cup whole wheat flour, or use whole pastry flour
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350℉. Grease a 9-inch square cake pan and line it with parchment paper.
- Melt the chocolate and butter in a pot on medium heat (or in a bowl set over simmering water), stirring until smooth. Remove from heat and transfer to a bowl. Now add the sugar, eggs, salt, and flour. Gently stir the batter together until combined. Spread in the prepared pan and bake for about 40 minutes, until dry on top and almost firm to the touch.
- Remove from oven and cool in pan set on a rack for about 15 minutes before cutting into 2-inch squares.
Notes
- Don't overbake! Dry, crumbly brownies are the worst. To avoid this, check the brownies at 35 minutes, and then every 5 minutes because oven temperatures may vary.
- Rest before cutting - While it's so tempting to cut into your brownies as soon as you've pulled them from the oven, don't do this! Let the brownies rest and cool in the pan for at least 15 minutes before cutting them, preferably a little longer if you can bear to wait.
- Don't overmix - Once you've combined the ingredients, stir to combine but don't overdo it. Brownies are better if you don't vigorously stir the batter.
- Cool the butter-chocolate mixture - I learned the hard way that if you don't let the melted butter and chocolate cool slightly before adding the eggs the eggs will get cooked! You want the mixture to still be melted but not hot before you add the rest of the ingredients.
- Dairy-free - If you need to keep this dairy-free, use non-dairy butter and use vegan chocolate chips.
Stefanie says
Oh yes, Spring is trying hard to arrive up here in the foothills, too. I know it because I found a perfect bundle of oh-so-thin asparagus in the market this week! Grabbed a nice leek and now have plans for a soup in the pot for Sunday dinner. Keep up the cookbook work! I am sure I'm not the only one looking forward to it!
Leslie Cohen says
Oh, once again: yum! Looks like it has a nicely textured crust. And, what a pretty plate to offset it. Happy baking!