Chocolate walnut brownies with walnuts and fudgy cocoa powder — it's so easy to make this chocolate and walnut brownie recipe! These brownies with walnuts are the kind you make once and then immediately get asked for the recipe! If you love eating a chocolate brownie with walnuts, then this recipe for chocolate brownies with nuts is the one for you!
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If you're a fan of my chocolate sour cream pound cake, my chocolate olive oil cake, my Keto chocolate mousse, or my raspberry chocolate brownies, you'll love these walnut fudge brownies!
Jump to:
- Chocolate Walnut Brownies with Cocoa Powder
- Old Fashioned Brownies with Walnuts (Classic Style)
- How do you make walnut brownies from scratch?
- Should brownies have walnuts?
- Why do people put walnuts in brownies?
- Ingredients for Brownies with Walnuts
- Equipment
- How to Make Brownies with Walnuts (Step-by-Step)
- Cocoa Brownies with Walnuts (Why Cocoa Powder Works Best)
- Why Browned Butter Makes Brownies with Walnuts Even Better
- Should you toast walnuts before baking in brownies?
- Common Mistakes When Making Brownies with Walnuts
- Tips and F.A.Q.
- Easy Dessert recipes Like These Walnut Brownies
- Top Tip
- 📖 Recipe
- 💬 Comments
Chocolate Walnut Brownies with Cocoa Powder
These brownies with walnuts are SO fudgy, and they're filled with crunchy chopped walnut pieces and chocolate chunks. They're a simplified version of my triple chocolate brownies recipe, with all the gooey, fudgy, chocolateyness you love about those brownies but in a more traditional, easy recipe!
Old Fashioned Brownies with Walnuts (Classic Style)
I grew up eating chocolate nut brownies and I always loved how classic they were. They remind me of elementary school bake sales and after school Girl Scouts meetings. With this incredible walnut fudge brownies recipe, I hope you can capture some of that delicious nostalgia as well!
How do you make walnut brownies from scratch?
No need for that box mix! These chocolate walnut brownies are so simple to make and they're even better than your favorite box mix! They're fudgier with more chocolate chunks, and so irresistible for chocolate lovers!
And the best part is that this is a simple, one-bowl recipe. You won't need any special tools or techniques to make the BEST brownies with walnuts! Let's take a look at what you'll need:
Should brownies have walnuts?
In my humble opinion, yes! Brownies should have walnuts, or pecans, or almonds or any other kind of nut to add flavor and texture.
In these chocolate fudge walnut brownies, the walnuts give you a soft, buttery crunch that goes so perfectly with the fudgy brownie texture and pools of melted dark chocolate.
Why do people put walnuts in brownies?
Because they're SO good! I personally can't get enough of the texture contrast. And that nutty flavor really takes me back to my childhood. But if you really don't like walnuts, you can leave them out or use toasted pecans. But I just want to go on the record that I think that walnuts are the BEST in this recipe!
And if you want to top these walnut brownies with even more chocolate, check out my Chocolate Fudge Frosting! Or try the cream cheese frosting from my Brownies with Cream Cheese Frosting!
Ingredients for Brownies with Walnuts
- melted salted butter - I just popped mine into the microwave to melt so it was super easy! I like to use salted butter to ensure the most flavor in my baked goods. We'll still add a bit of sea salt, so if you use unsalted butter just add a little extra salt.
- eggs - make sure your eggs are room temperature to help them mix well into the other ingredients and allow the brownies to bake evenly.
- vanilla extract - always grab a good quality pure vanilla extract. Or better yet, check out my post on how to make vanilla extract at home with just 2 ingredients!
- sea salt - this is to cut the sweetness a bit more and bring out those chocolatey flavors in these fudgy walnut brownies.
- light brown sugar and granulated sugar - this combination of sugars adds the right amount of sweetness and chewy richness to these chocolate walnut brownies!
- all-purpose flour - you'll need 1 cup of flour for this fudge brownie recipe, measured out to 128 grams by weight or one cup using the spoon and level method.
- unsweetened cocoa powder - this is what gives these chocolate walnut brownies their fudgy flavor and rich brownie texture! I like the Ghirardelli Unsweetened Cocoa Powder, but use whatever variety you prefer.
- chopped dark chocolate - I used a Ghirardelli Bittersweet Baking Bar, but you can use your favorite dark or bittersweet baking chocolate or chocolate chips! You'll need about ⅔ cup of chocolate.
- chopped walnuts - I love the texture of crunchy walnuts in these thick brownies! You can either buy a bag of chopped walnuts or chop up your own whole walnut halves. Feel free to add more or fewer walnuts according to your preference!
Equipment
This chocolate walnut brownies recipe is so simple and perfect for your chocolate cravings! You won't need any specialized tools to make it, but here are a few tools I'd recommend:
How to Make Brownies with Walnuts (Step-by-Step)
The recipe card below will give you detailed step-by-step instructions for making this chocolate and walnut brownie recipe, as well as full ingredient measurements and a recipe video! But here's a quick look at how you'll make it!
Add sugars and whisk until smooth and thickened.
Sift in dry ingredients: flour and cocoa powder, and mix well.
Fold in walnuts, spread into prepared pan, and bake until a toothpick comes out clean or with moist crumbs.
Hint: Leave an overhang over the sides of the pan with you line your square pan with parchment paper, so that it's easy to remove your decadent brownies from the pan once they're cooled!
Cocoa Brownies with Walnuts (Why Cocoa Powder Works Best)
I've seen lots of debates on whether to use cocoa or melted chocolate to make your brownies with walnuts (or a mix of the two). In my testing, I loved the fudgy, soft texture of walnut brownies with cocoa powder, and I especially loved how much easier they were to make than working with melted chocolate.
Why Browned Butter Makes Brownies with Walnuts Even Better
These walnut brownies are incredible, but to take them up to another level, you can brown the butter! I love brown butter recipes because they have a unique nutty flavor that makes them so delicious, and that nutty works perfectly with walnuts!
Just follow the instructions in my How to Make Brown Butter post and add the browned butter into this recipe as usual! You can even add more brown butter goodness with Browned Butter Cream Cheese Frosting!
Should you toast walnuts before baking in brownies?
Actually, there's no need -- the high fat content in walnuts means they toast much faster when baking, so if you toast them beforehand they may burn.
This is great for this chocolate walnut brownies recipe, because it saves us a step! Just toss the raw walnuts into your brownie batter!
Common Mistakes When Making Brownies with Walnuts
- Overcooking your brownies - It's so important to take your walnut brownies out while they're still a little underbaked in the very center so that they set with that fudgy texture!
- Not whisking sugar properly - Whisking the sugar with the eggs for enough time creates that amazing crackly top!
- Using cold eggs - your eggs should be room temperature to make sure the batter whips up evenly.
- Skipping parchment paper - If you’re not lining your pan, you’re making things harder than they need to be! These brownies with walnuts are soft and fudgy, so lining the pan with a parchment overhang makes lifting and slicing so much easier.
- Cutting too soon - I get it. They smell amazing! But cutting too early makes brownies with walnuts fall apart and seem underbaked. Let them cool completely and you’ll get clean slices and better texture!
Tips and F.A.Q.
Fudgy brownies are usually made with more cocoa powder, less flour, and more fat, like butter or oil. And to make sure you get that fudgy, gooey texture you want for these chocolate walnut brownies, check your brownies a little before the baking time is up! For gooey brownies, take them out when the center is just set and no longer jiggles. My Biscoff Brownies are another super fudgy recipe you'll love! 
Any nuts you like! I love brownies with pecans like in my triple chocolate brownies, and macadamia nuts and hazelnuts would be lovely too! For these chocolate walnut brownies, we're going with chopped walnuts. I like to just grab a bag of store-bought chopped walnuts from the baking aisle, but you can also use whole shelled walnuts and chop them yourself.
Absolutely! First you'll want to let your brownies cool completely. If they've already been cut into individual brownies, then wrap each one in plastic wrap and place in the freezer to freeze solid.
Once they're frozen, place them in an airtight container or freezer bag for up to two months. If they haven't been cut yet, then wrap the entire 9x9 block of brownies in plastic wrap and then in aluminum foil. You can also place it in a gallon-size freezer bag -- if you baked your brownies in a 9x9 pan, it should fit. Again, they should stay fresh in the freezer for up to two months. Let them thaw, still wrapped, at room temperature before serving.
This brownies with walnuts recipe is definitely an indulgence -- each brownie has about 313 calories. You can see the full nutrition information in the recipe card below!
Sure you can! I still recommend making this quick and easy recipe for brownies with walnuts that have the perfect texture and rich chocolate brownie flavor, but for an easy solution, you can just toss about a cup of walnuts into any box brownie mix!
They're either overbaked or you might have used too much flour. Be sure to check them at the bake time, and if your brownies feel slightly underbaked when they come out of the oven, you’re probably doing it right.
To get the most accurate flour measurement, use a kitchen scale to measure your flour!
If you love brownies, I have so many for you! You'll definitely want to try my Mini Egg Brownies, my Dairy Free Brownies, my Graveyard Brownies, or my Matcha Brownies! And if you like blondies, you'll love my Brownie Blondies Recipe or my Gluten-Free Blondies with White Chocolate Chunks! And if you love chocolate cake, you'll definitely want to check out my Matilda's Chocolate Cake!
For more ideas, definitely check out my 2 Bite Brownies or my Protein Mug Cake! Or for a delicious no-bake recipe, try my M&M Rice Krispie Treats or my Peanut Butter Rice Krispie Treats!
Easy Dessert recipes Like These Walnut Brownies
- S’mores Brownies
- Triple Chocolate Brownies
- Raspberry Chocolate Brownies
- Brownie Mix Cookies with White Chocolate, Cherries and Pistachios
Top Tip
If you prefer your brownies with a fudgy center, remove them from the oven at around 25 minutes. They'll continue to set up as they cool.
If you try this recipe, I would love it if you could leave a star review rating and comment below! It’s so wonderful hearing your feedback! And don’t forget to share your creations with me by tagging @chenee_today on Instagram!
📖 Recipe
Equipment you may need
Ingredients
- 1 cup (227 g) salted butter - melted and slightly cooled
- 3 large eggs - room temperature
- 2 teaspoon (10 ml) pure vanilla extract
- ¾ cup (150 g) granulated sugar
- ½ teaspoon (2 ml) sea salt
- 1 cup (220 g) brown sugar - packed
- ¾ cup (75 g) cocoa powder
- 1 cup (125 g) all-purpose flour
- 4 oz (113 g) bittersweet baking chocolate - chopped
- ¾ cup (88 g) chopped walnuts
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease a 9x9" baking pan with baking spray and line with parchment paper, leaving an overhang over the sides to allow for easy removal of the brownies.
- In a large bowl, whisk together melted butter, eggs, vanilla extract, and sea salt until smooth.
- Add in sugars and mix well.
- Sift cocoa powder and flour into the bowl and fold with rubber spatula until well combined.
- Fold in chopped chocolate and walnuts.
- Add batter to prepared pan and smooth to the edges.
- Bake for 25-30 minutes or until center is set. (see note)
- Cool in pan for 20 minutes and then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
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Last Updated on March 28, 2026 by Chenée Lewis
Stella says
We made these yesterday and they were gone by today! So good!
Chenée Lewis says
Thank you Stella! I love these too!