Milk Chocolate Brownies

Rich, fudgy, and decadent, these milk chocolate brownies with a creamy chocolate ganache will satisfy any chocolate craving! These brownies are so addictive, before you even know what happened, the whole plate will be gone!

Even a dark chocolate purest who loves my fudgy brownie recipe {ahem, yours truly} will gobble these up. They are so rich and decadent. The milk chocolate brownie is paired perfectly with a milk chocolate ganache!

If you are looking to find your favorite brownie recipe, you should try my browned butter brownies or these one bowl brownies, and let me know which is your favorite!

Ingredients & Substitutions

• All-Purpose Flour
• Cocoa Powder: Adds a secondary layer of chocolate depth, balancing the sweetness of the milk chocolate. I use Dutch-processed cocoa powder, but you could also use natural if that’s what you have on hand.
• Kosher Salt
• Unsalted Butter
• Milk Chocolate: This is the ingredient that defines the entire recipe, and it is worth buying your favorite milk chocolate. I tested this with several brands, and the difference between a supermarket chip and a good couverture bar is significant enough to change what you think of the finished brownie.
• Granulated Sugar: Sweetens the batter and helps create that slightly crackly top that good brownies are known for.
• Vanilla Extract
• Eggs: Bind the batter and give the brownies their fudgy density. Use large eggs at room temperature so they incorporate evenly without seizing the melted chocolate.
• Heavy Whipping Cream: Emulsifies with the milk chocolate to make the ganache layer. Use full-fat cream for a ganache that sets smoothly and slices cleanly.

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

Variations on This Milk Chocolate Brownies

• Dark or Semi-Sweet Chocolate. Swap the milk chocolate for dark or semi-sweet chocolate in both the brownie batter and ganache for a less sweet, more intensely bitter result.
• Add a swirl or a drizzle. Finish the set ganache with a drizzle of salted caramel sauce. You could also add a swirl to the brownie using the caramel sauce, jam, or peanut butter, like in these peanut butter brownies! (coming soon!)
• Mix-ins! What is a good brownie without all the mix-ins! You could add walnuts or pecans, chocolate chips, peanut butter chips, or your favorite candy like M&M’s or chopped Snickers. Bonus points for placing them on top of the ganache before it sets!

Professional Tips

• Use the best milk chocolate you can find. This is not a recipe where mid-range chocolate disappears into a crowd of competing flavors. Milk chocolate is doing all the heavy lifting, so a good couverture bar will make a measurable difference in the finished brownie.
• Do not overbake. Pull the brownies when the top looks set, but the center still has the faintest give, somewhere between 25 and 30 minutes. I always start checking at 25 and have never needed to go past 32, and once you cross 35 minutes, the fudgy texture you are after is gone.
• Let the brownies cool before adding the ganache. Pouring ganache over hot brownies can cause it to slide off or be absorbed unevenly. Smooth it to the edges with an offset spatula in one or two passes. You can pour the ganache on a warm brownie in its pan, but it will set faster if you pour it onto a room-temperature or even a cold brownie.
• Line the pan with parchment. Lift the whole slab out before cutting, which is my go-to move with any layered bar. Trying to cut ganache-topped brownies inside the pan almost always tears the top layer.

How to Make Milk Chocolate Brownies

Start with the brownies, then make the ganache while they bake, so everything is ready to come together at the right moment.

Make the Brownie

Step 1: Preheat the oven and prep the pan. Set your oven to 325°F and line an 8×8 baking dish with parchment paper, leaving enough overhang on the sides to lift the brownies out cleanly later.

Step 2: Whisk the dry ingredients. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, and salt until evenly combined. Set this aside.

You want everything fully incorporated before it goes into the batter, so you do not end up with streaks of cocoa or pockets of salt.

Step 3: Melt the butter and chocolate together. In a large microwave-safe bowl, combine the butter and 2 ounces of chopped milk chocolate. Microwave in 30-second intervals on high power, stirring after each interval, until the mixture is completely smooth. The butter melts faster than the chocolate, so stir well between intervals, even if it still looks chunky. You are looking for a glossy, fluid mixture with no visible chocolate pieces remaining.

You can also melt this mixture over a pot of boiling water.

Step 4: Add the sugar, vanilla, and eggs. Whisk the granulated sugar into the warm chocolate mixture until combined, then add the vanilla and eggs, whisking until the batter is completely smooth and slightly thickened. The eggs need to be fully incorporated.

Step 5: Fold in the dry ingredients. Add the cocoa mixture to the chocolate mixture and stir until just combined, then fold in the remaining 4 ounces of chopped milk chocolate. Do not overmix once the flour is in.

Step 6: Pour the batter into the prepared pan. Transfer the batter to your lined baking dish and smooth it to the edges with a spatula. The batter is thick, so take a moment to push it into the corners for an even bake.

Step 7: Bake the brownies. Bake at 325°F for 25 to 30 minutes, start checking at 25. The top should look set and matte rather than wet and shiny. Pull them when the center no longer jiggles and the top does not leave a wet indent when you gently press it.

These will look underdone when you pull them. The center may feel soft and the edges will have just barely pulled from the parchment. That is exactly what you want. Overbaked brownies are sad brownies.

Make the Ganache

Step 8: Make the milk chocolate ganache. While the brownies cool, combine the remaining 4½ ounces of chopped milk chocolate and the heavy cream in a small microwave-safe bowl. Microwave in 30-second intervals, stirring between each, until the mixture is completely smooth and fluid. The ganache should be glossy and pourable.

If your ganache looks broken or greasy, add a teaspoon of cold cream and stir gently from the center out until it comes back together.

Assemble and Cool

Step 9: Pour and smooth the ganache. Pour the ganache over the brownies and use an offset spatula to spread it evenly to the edges. Work quickly while the ganache is still fluid. You want a level, glossy surface, so use the spatula in long, confident strokes rather than short back-and-forth movements that can drag the brownie’s surface.

Overmixing or working a ganache can cause it to break, so barely whisk to combine and then gently level it out over the brownie

Step 11: Cool completely before cutting. Let the brownies cool at room temperature until the ganache sets, then transfer them to the refrigerator for at least 2 hours before cutting. The center takes longer to firm up than the edges, which is completely normal.

Step 12: Cut and serve. Lift the brownies from the pan using the parchment overhang and transfer to a cutting board. Cut into squares with a sharp knife, wiping the blade clean between cuts for the cleanest edges. Serve at whatever temperature you prefer: cold from the refrigerator, room temperature, or slightly warm.

Recipe FAQs

Before You Go

These fudgy, milk-chocolate-loaded brownies with their crisp edges and glossy ganache tops are the kind of thing that disappears fast, so consider making a double batch. Find more recipes like this in brownies and bars recipes, or make my favorite carmelitas recipe next!