Tessa's Recipe Rundown
Taste: Bold, rich dark chocolate flavor.
Texture: Fudgy and chewy without being overwhelmingly dense.
Ease: Nothing difficult here!
Why You’ll Love This Recipe: A simple, delicious brownie recipe, perfect for dark chocolate lovers.
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Calling all dark chocolate lovers! These Dark Chocolate Brownies are about to become your new obsession.
Brownies are deceptively complex. Small tweaks in the ingredients or process can cause big differences in the final result. That’s why I love experimenting with brownies to come up with new variations on the classic dessert!
For this recipe, I wanted to achieve a bold chocolate flavor that was perfectly rich and fudgy, without being overly dense or even slightly cakey.
I tested batch after batch to finally nail my Goldilocks recipe: the perfect balance of rich cocoa flavor, deep bittersweet chocolate, and that ultra-fudgy texture you dream about.
Pure dark chocolate heaven!
Sprinkle of Science
How to Make Dark Chocolate Brownies
Do I Have to Use Dutch-Process Cocoa Powder?
The reason I call for Dutch-process cocoa powder in these Dark Chocolate Brownies for its smoother flavor and higher fat content, compared to unsweetened cocoa powder. This creates richer, fudgier brownies!
Since there’s no baking soda or baking powder in this recipe, you can use unsweetened (aka natural) cocoa powder instead if you need to – your brownies will just be a little lighter in color, milder in flavor, and have a slightly drier texture.
Learn more about the differences between cocoa powders here.
How to Get Moist Brownies
The most important factor here is measuring your flour and cocoa powder correctly. Weigh your ingredients with a digital scale, or if you don’t have one, use the spoon and level method to avoid dry brownies. See my full article on how to measure correctly here.
Also, do not reduce the sugar. Learn more about sugar’s many roles in baking brownies here.
Butter + Oil in Brownies?
In addition to the butter, there’s a small amount of vegetable oil in this recipe. This ensures the Dark Chocolate Brownies retain a moist texture. Cocoa powder can zap moisture, and the oil helps to give that sensation of moisture on the palate. It can also extend the shelf life of the baked brownies, helping them stay softer for longer.
Do I Have to Use Bread Flour?
Bread flour contains a higher protein content compared to all-purpose flour, creating a chewier texture. However, if you don’t have bread flour you can just use all-purpose instead – just note that your Dark Chocolate Brownies won’t be quite as chewy.
Can I Omit the Espresso Powder?
Espresso powder simply enhances the chocolate flavor without adding a coffee taste, but if you don’t prefer it or don’t have any, feel free to simply skip it – no other modifications needed.
The Best Pan for Dark Chocolate Brownies
I highly recommend using a light-colored metal baking pan for Dark Chocolate Brownies. This is my favorite pan for brownies. Dark metals can overbake the edges and dry the brownies out.
I don’t like to bake brownies in glass or ceramic because those materials don’t conduct heat efficiently. These types of pans cause brownies that are undercooked in the center but dried out at the edges. Learn more about Glass vs. Ceramic Pans here.
How to Make Brownies with Shiny Thin Crust
You know that shiny, glossy, crinkly, tissue thin crust on top of brownies? The key to achieving that crust requires dissolving your sugar properly! I share my secret methods for perfectly crinkly brownie tops in this article, and some surprising mistakes you may be making which prevent the brownie crust!
How to Tell When Dark Chocolate Brownies are Done Baking
Bake Dark Chocolate Brownies until a tester comes out with moist crumbs still attached. If you have a digital kitchen thermometer, the internal temperature should be about 195°F.
Err on the side of underbaking brownies. The residual heat will continue to cook them even after they’re pulled from the oven. Refrigerating the cooled brownies will also help them set up further if you’re worried they’re a little too gooey.
How to Store Dark Chocolate Brownies
Store completely cooled Dark Chocolate Brownies inside an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days or in the fridge for up to 1 week. They’re even fudgier when served chilled!
To freeze, wrap the whole slab or individual slices in plastic wrap and place inside an airtight container. Store in the freezer for up to 6 weeks.
More Brownie Recipes You’ll Love:
- Best Chewy Brownies – my most popular brownies!
- Toffee Brownies
- Nutella Brownies
- Cosmic Brownies
- Mexican Hot Chocolate Brownies
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Ingredients
- 1 1/2 sticks (170 grams) unsalted butter
- 2 tablespoons (27 grams) vegetable oil
- 1 cup (170 grams) bittersweet chocolate, chopped
- 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons (225 grams) granulated sugar
- 3 large eggs plus 1 egg yolk, cold
- 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 2/3 cup (57 grams) Dutch-process cocoa powder, measured correctly
- 1/2 cup (64 grams) bread flour, measured correctly
- 1/2 teaspoon instant espresso powder
- 1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees Line a light-colored metal 8-inch square pan with parchment paper, leaving an overhang. Spray with nonstick cooking spray.
- In a large microwave-safe bowl, combine the chocolate, butter, and oil. Microwave in 30-second bursts, stirring between each burst, until the mixture is completely melted and smooth. Add the sugar to the hot butter mixture and whisk vigorously until combined. Allow to cool until just barely warm.
- Add in eggs, yolk, and vanilla extract and whisk vigorously for 1 minute. This helps create that shiny crust on top.
- Use a rubber spatula to stir in the cocoa, flour, espresso powder, and salt until combined. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl to ensure it’s all well combined.
- Pour the batter into the prepared baking pan. Bake until a tester comes out with moist crumbs still attached, about 30 minutes. The internal temperature should be 195° F. Do not overbake.
- Let cool completely to room temperature. If they’re still warm from the oven they will be more cakey. Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days or in the fridge for up to 1 week. They're even fudgier when served chilled!
Notes
This post was originally published in 2019 and has been updated with additional baking tips. Photos by Ashley McLaughlin.
Can I substitute coca powder with dark chocolate (couverture)
We haven’t tried that!
I went by the recipe with omission of espresso powder and substitute of all purpose flour. I also added walnuts and a little salt, which I think is probably helpful.
I used a 9×9 silicon Tupperware baking thing and baked for 40 minutes and allowed time to cool as instructed.
They turned out great! Thanks for the recipe. 🙂
I don’t Instagram so I can’t upload a pic to that but I made this recipe and haven’t tried a bite yet but it has made my house smell delicious!
Delicious, fudgy, rich, naughty… my friends loved it when I left some on their doorsteps during lockdown! Brilliant recipe as flour was in short supply and this uses so little! I left out the coffee – didn’t need it. Have made 5 batches so far, each one perfect.
Just made these but I will be looking for a new recipe. There is no coveted shiny crackly crust and they were pretty underwhelming in taste and texture. I make brownies a lot and these are probably my least favorite so far. I am actually pretty disappointed because they sounded great. I am giving them 2 stars because I love weight measurements in recipes.
I just had one out of a batch i made fresh and these are great! I baked them exactly for 30 min and they were really good but just a bit too soft and moist, i think maybe they need longer in the oven ?
Hi if I want to replace some of the sugar with a tbsp of corn syrup how much should I reduce?
I felt like corn syrup helped them stay fresh longer your cosmic brownies and am planning to courier these to a friend.
Please help
Exactly like a brownie should be! Super easy to make with minimum mess.
The batter tasted sooo gewd, I literally licked the bowl clean *guilty*
Personally I choose to eat the brownie cold. So I wrapped individual pieces in foil and keep in fridge. Perfectly fudgy.
I just made the dark chocolate brownies, five stars for the flavor, but I can not say it is brownies, because it is too cakey. Too high also, just like a cake.
Did I do anything wrong? I don’t know.
But I will make it again, as a cake,
Thanks Tessa, for sharing the recipe.
thank you for all of the research into the perfect balance with dark chocolate brownie, if I had to choose between too cakey and too fudgy, I’d go with too cakey, but still prefer a good balance, so much appreciated
hello,
if I were to add a fruit puree to this, do you know how I would change the sugar by chance? thank you!
or also, I can add frozen raspberries without changing anything and it would be ok? thank you again
Hi this recipe looks amazing :). I am looking for a slightly Cakey brownie recipe from sometime now. Could you please tell me how to adapt this recipe to make it slightly more Cakey ?