Tessa’s Recipe Rundown
Taste: Intensely chocolatey and not too sweet.
Texture: Rich, chewy, and gooey. Does it get any better?
Ease: One of the easiest scratch-baked brownie recipes I’ve ever made.
Appearance: Brownies always look delicious, especially when they have that crinkly crust like these ones.
Pros: Convenient, cheap, delectable.
Cons: None.
Would I make this again? Maybe tonight!
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It doesn’t get any better than these Cocoa Brownies! Rich, chewy, AND gooey.
Brownies have always been one of my all time favorite desserts. I especially love chocolate-y, gooey, and chewy brownies with a lovely crinkly crust. But I hate brownies that are overly sweet, cakey, or artificial tasting. I’ve tested quite a few brownie recipes and for a while the Baked brownie was my favorite. But that recipe requires a little work and a lot of chocolate. Actually, most homemade brownie recipes require either expensive chocolate, or that your butter be a room temperature (who wants to wait for that?) or require you to use multiple bowls and tools before you’ve got your batter in the pan. Not these cocoa brownies. No expensive blocks of chocolate, just cocoa. And only one bowl. These brownies are so easy and cheap to bake which makes them a wonderful holiday gift.
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Ingredients
- 10 tablespoons (141 grams) unsalted butter
- 1 1/4 cups (250 grams) granulated sugar
- 3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons (75 grams) unsweetened cocoa powder (natural or Dutch-process)
- 1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
- 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 2 large eggs, cold
- 1/2 cup (64 grams) all-purpose flour
Instructions
- Position a rack in the lower third of the oven and preheat the oven to 325°F. Line the bottom and sides of an 8×8-inch square baking pan with parchment paper or foil, leaving an overhang on two opposite sides.
- Combine the butter, sugar, cocoa, and salt in a medium heatproof bowl and microwave for 1:30 minutes. Remove and stir until the butter is melted and the mixture is smooth. Set aside briefly until the mixture is only warm, not hot. It looks fairly gritty at this point, but don’t fret — it smoothes out once the eggs and flour are added.
- Stir in the vanilla with a wooden spoon. Add the eggs one at a time, stirring vigorously after each one. When the batter looks thick, shiny, and well blended, add the flour and stir until you cannot see it any longer, then beat vigorously for 40 strokes with the wooden spoon or a rubber spatula. Spread evenly in the lined pan.
- Bake until a toothpick plunged into the center emerges slightly moist with batter, 25 to 30 minutes.
- Let cool completely on a rack. Lift up the ends of the parchment or foil liner, and transfer the brownies to a cutting board. Cut into 16 or 25 squares.
Hi! This recipe is great… super easy and delicious.. have one problem though,i didnt get the top to be crinkly like yours on the pic.. and while baking, it formed big bubbles on top… 🙁
I love this recipe tessa! It’s 2:40 am in Pakistan right now and I just got done baking them!
My 10 year old follows this recipe easily and has made these brownies 4 times! I’m not allowed in the kitchen when he’s in the mood to be independent!
One question though, what is the reason for mixing with a wooden spoon and not an electric mixture?
Wow, that’s awesome Saarah! Great question. Mixing with a wooden spoon instead of an electric mixer helps ensure the brownies stay chewy and rich, instead of light and cakey. An electric mixer would incorporate more air, causing that cake-like texture. Hope that helps 🙂
I made these on a whim today and they are the best from-scratch brownies I have made! They were super easy, and they weren’t too cakey like most of the brownie recipes I have tried. They were fudgy and super rich.Yum!
I’ve just made it, and it does get crinkly, just the way I like it! However, I forgot the salt. I’m so sad… How could I have done that? Oh, well, I’ll remember next time. Thank you!
These are THE BEST brownies I’ve ever eaten!! They were much like a fourless cake. Chocolate Heaven!!! Thank you so much for the recipe! Oh! And SO EASY to make!!
Wonderful! Glad you enjoyed 🙂
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I just made these today and they're insanely fudgy!! I had trouble cutting into them. How did you get yours to look so neatly cut?
I am going to make these today!
I just made these and the husband could not get enough of it! FANTASTIC recipe!!! I sprinkled two crushed candy cane into the mix. Thanks for posting. I'm now a fan! Merry Christmas!
this recipe does sounds easy and quick! most good recipe do require lots of chocolate, or a couple of bowls. that's why I went for a brownie mix this weekend. I'll try this recipe for sure!!
these look like the perfect kind of brownie – fudgey with a crinkle top – beautiful picture, too!
I have made these brownies, love them! I could go for a few right now:)