Made with milk, white, dark and unsweetened chocolates, this rich, decadent brownie recipe is perfect for special occasions and holiday cookie plates. Find more great cookies on the Simple Cookie Recipes page!
I have made these incredible decadent quadruple chocolate brownies for many years – they are truly amazing and everyone loves them. But they are only a once-a-year treat for our family.
Why? Two reasons, really:
- They are rich (and full of calories).
- They are also kind of expensive.
Which pretty much makes it the perfect holiday treat, in my book! They’d also make a fun birthday or other type of special event treat. But they aren’t your run-of-the-mill brownies, that’s for sure.
In my book, that’s what makes them so wonderful.
I adapted this decadent brownie from a Food and Wine recipe that originally made 2 large pans of brownies and called for pounds of butter, chocolate, and a mind-boggling 16 eggs! Obviously this was not a recipe for the faint of heart.
After a few modifications, which included lessening the sugar for sure, the recipe still uses a fair amount of butter, eggs and chocolate, so it’s still a rich recipe. But with one bite and you will understand – it’s worth it.
So let’s make some brownies!
Quadruple Chocolate Decadent Brownie
Biggest Cooking Tip for Decadent Brownies
One of my biggest tips for this recipe (or any recipe that calls for melted unsweetened chocolate) is to use cocoa powder and oil as a substitute for the pound of unsweetened chocolate.
It’s about half of the cost of bar chocolate, are items most people have in their pantries (versus a bar of unsweetened chocolate – now sweetened chocolate is another thing…), and no one I’ve ever served these too has ever noticed a difference.
How do you substitute cocoa powder & oil for bar chocolate?
Every container of unsweetened cocoa powder should have the substitution equivalents on the back label: 3 TB. cocoa powder + 1 TB oil = 1 oz. of unsweetened chocolate.
So for this recipe, it would be:
- 1-1/2 cups cocoa powder + 1/2 c. oil = 1 pound unsweetened chocolate
You can use any oil you prefer, even melted coconut oil (I usually choose a neutral one like expeller-pressed sunflower) and then add it and the cocoa powder to the melted butter called for in this recipe. It’s really simple and actually quicker than melting that much chocolate.
Tip #2
Another tip that works with bar cookies to make them easier to remove from the pan and cut is to line your baking pan with parchment that extends up the long sides. These “handles” make it easy to grab and lift the brownies out when they are ready to be cut.
Making these brownies is about the same as any brownie recipe: you melt the chocolate, butter, and sugar together and then add the remaining ingredients. You can then just drizzle the three melted chocolates on top for follow the directions below to make the pretty chevron design.
To make the pretty decorative top, simply:
- Melt and drizzle three different melted chocolates on top of the dough (as you can see, perfection is not required – some of the chocolate will be dollops and some drizzles – it’s all good).
- Run a knife through the chocolate and the dough lengthwise.
- Then turn the knife and run it up the opposite way, going completely across the top which creates a sort of chevron pattern.
Baked, the pattern is a bit more subtle, but still lovely.
You’ll want to let the brownies cool completely – even refrigerate them overnight – before cutting since they are so fudgy.
I like to use a pizza cutter to cut them, it makes it really easy to get fairly straight lines and neat edges without having to stop and clean your knife.
Gifting Tip:
To give these brownies at the holidays (or birthdays, special days, etc.), you can cut them into regular sizes and wrap 2 or 4 to a package (like shown) or cut into 12 large pieces to wrap individually leaving the recipients to cut them up in smaller pieces.
Make-Ahead Tip:
They freeze beautifully and last for months when frozen, so these are a great option for making ahead.
I’m confident you’ll want to remember these, so pin this image and then click the arrow below for the full, printable recipe!
Click the arrow for the full printable Quadruple Chocolate Decadent Brownie recipe!
Subscribe & Grab Your Holiday Helpers!

Subscribe to AOC's popular weekly Newsletter full of useful information, behind-the-scenes updates, and occasional offers AND get access to Holiday Planners and Gift Tags in the VIP Subscriber Library (full of eBooks, checklists, and recipes and more added regularly). We'll never send spam - read our Privacy Policy here.
Blanka says
April 19 at 7:07 amI made the original recipe 12 years ago and I would not modify anything.
Jami says
April 22 at 8:21 amAgreed! They are meant to be decadent. 😉
Megan - The Emotional Baker says
December 8 at 12:54 pmWow!! These brownies look amazing! Definitely worth splurging cals and $$$ around the holidays when it means snacking on such a great treat 🙂
Gaila says
December 7 at 5:31 amHi Jami! These brownies sound and look amazing! I have to try this recipe like today! thanks for sharing it!
Jami says
December 7 at 12:39 pmI hope you like them as much as we do, Gaila – they truly are decadent.:)
Shellie Gregg says
December 6 at 7:02 pmOhhhhhhh you mischievous little elf! These brownies look so decadent. They just might get me on the “naughty list” while trying to eat healthy thru the holidays….heehee! I am thrilled to hear they freeze well. That will keep us from being tempted to eat the whole pan! Thanks for sharing such a great holiday treat. I’m thinking a few in a decorative food gift baggie would be so pretty to give away. I love to bake…….it just makes me happy, happy, happy. But its even better when its a goodie to share. You are such a sweet treat yourself, Jami. Thanks for all you do 🙂
Jami says
December 7 at 12:39 pmOh, thank you, you sweet thing! It’s good to have a one-time-a-year like these – I like making them to give so that there’s only a couple pieces left for us to divide up. There’s definitely room for that in a balanced, healthy lifestyle. 🙂
Jenna @ A Savory Feast says
December 6 at 1:56 pmOh my goodness, these look amazing! Brownies are my all-time favorite and I love finding ways to dress them up.
Jami says
December 7 at 12:36 pmThank you, they really are Jenna!
Erin @ The Speckled Palate says
December 5 at 8:25 pmThese brownies look absolutely INSANE, Jami! The combination of chocolates is killer and definitely something my family is going to want to indulge on this season.
As always, well done! And thank you so much for contributing a decadently wonderful recipe to this year’s The Sweetest Season!
Jami says
December 7 at 12:36 pmThank you so much, Erin – I was so happy to contribute again this year to your fantastic round-up of sweetness. 🙂