Chocolate walnut brownies with walnuts and fudgy cocoa powder — it's so easy to make this chocolate and walnut brownie 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!
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Chocolate Walnut Brownies with Cocoa Powder
These brownies 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!
I grew up eating chocolate chunk walnut 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 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 these chocolate walnut brownies! 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 fudge brownies and pools of melted dark chocolate. If you really don't like walnuts, you can leave them out, but I just want to go on the record that I think that's a bad idea.
And if you want to top these brownies with even more chocolate, check out my Chocolate Fudge Frosting! Or try the cream cheese frosting in my Brownies with Cream Cheese Frosting!
Ingredients
- 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 Nuts
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!
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.
Actually, no -- 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!
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 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!
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!
Related Recipes
- 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.
- 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 October 4, 2025 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!