Brownies made with cocoa powder is a super easy recipe made from scratch. These brownies are fudgy and chewy with rich chocolaty flavour. Made with simple ingredients this brownie recipe is going to be your go-to dessert recipe.
I love brownies. These are that dessert that doesn’t require a lot of time or attention to make yet we get these square chocolaty pieces that are rich and indulgent.
I have always believed that for rich and indulgent brownies you need to use melted chocolate. Therefore, many times I wasn’t able to make brownies even though my cravings were killing me because I didn’t have any chocolate. But that changed with this recipe.
Check out my double chocolate brownies or brownie cookies for more brownie magic.
In this recipe, the chocolate element is induced by cocoa powder. That means you don’t have to empty your pocket for that luxurious bite. Most of the ingredients if not pantry staples are easily available. You also don’t need fancy equipment or anything. The prepping can roughly take 10 minutes and cooking about 30 minutes. So that means in under 40 minutes you can make these brownies with minimal effort. Minimal effort or attention yet opulent dessert, what do we need more than this?
Ingredients Required
I bet you have most of what you need to make these brownies already sitting in your kitchen. Here is a preview of what is needed.
- Butter For flavour, moisture, and texture.
- White Sugar and brown sugar balances the bitterness of unsweetened cocoa powder and adds to the texture of the brownies. Brown sugar helps in creating a more chewy flavour but you can completely replace brown sugar with white.
- Cocoa powder You can use natural cocoa powder, Dutch-processed cocoa powder, or raw cacao powder. I have used Dutch cocoa powder for that enhanced flavour.
- Eggs For richness and structure.
- Salt and vanilla to balance and enhance the flavour of brownies.
- All-purpose flour For extra fudgy brownies we will keep the flour to a minimum.
How to Make the Easy Fudgy Brownies Made With Cocoa Powder
These easy fudgy brownies are easy to make. Here is a simple preview.
- Step 1. Melt the butter and cocoa powder. Place a bowl with butter and cocoa powder in a saucepan with hot water. Stir occasionally until the butter melts completely. You can also do this process in a microwave or saucepan.
- Step 2. Eggs and sugar. In another bowl beat eggs, vanilla, and both sugars. Into this add butter and cocoa mixture and mix till incorporated.
- Step 3. The dry ingredients. Sift in the flour and salt. Mix till well combined.
- Step 4. Baking- Pour the batter into a prepared pan and bake till a skewer inserted comes out with a few moist crumbs. Let the brownies cool in the pan completely transferring and serving.
How To Tell When Brownies Are Done
Most of the time we end up overbaking the brownies because it can get a little tricky to judge whether our brownies are properly cooked or not. But don’t worry follow these tips for successful baking.
- Check early- Brownies should take 25 to 30 minutes, so to be safe, start checking around 20 minutes. This way, you can keep a close eye on them towards the end of cooking.
- Use a toothpick/skewer. Stick it into the center of the pan, and pull it out. If there is wet batter on the toothpick, they need more time. If there are moist crumbs on the toothpick, they are done, and if there’s nothing on the toothpick, you might have overbaked them so definitely take them out of the oven.
- Use your eyes. Perfectly baked brownies will look a little underbaked in the middle and dry around the edges. Don’t worry, the brownies will continue to cook as they cool down.
Faq’s
- Why do we add cocoa powder to the butter before melting?
When we mix a hot liquid (in this case butter) with cocoa powder, the intense dark flavours of cocoa are released. This process is called blooming. This process enhances the chocolaty flavour of brownies.
2. Is it necessary to melt butter?
The chewy and fudgy texture of brownies is provided by melted butter.
3. Can we other methods other than double boiling?
We can use a microwave or saucepan for this process. But in both of these processes, we have to make sure the butter doesn’t burn. You can also just use melted butter.
4. Why do brownies need to cool in the pan before cutting?
Brownies continue to cook even after we remove them from the oven from the heat of the pan. So if by any chance our brownies are undercooked they will be cooked and set properly.
Tips:-
- While melting butter on a double boiler make sure the bottom of the bowl should not touch the surface of water. And if melting in a saucepan make sure to stir continuously and take off the heat once the butter is completely melted. All of this is to ensure that our butter doesn’t burn.
- I’ve used a metallic light-coloured 8×8-inch pan. If you plan to use dark, ceramic, glass, or even a different-sized one do remember the temperature will vary. Make sure to check early than the given time.
If you liked this recipe, try these!
Brownies Made With Cocoa Powder
Ingredients
- 150 g Butter (unsalted) ⅝ cup
- 40 g Cocoa powder 5 tbsp
- 70 g All-purpose flour ½ cup
- 150 g White Sugar (granulated) ¾ cup
- 50 g Brown Sugar ¼ cup
- 2 medium size Eggs (room temperature)
- 1½ tsp Vanilla Extract
- ½ tsp Salt
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 180℃/ 325 ℉. Line the bottom and sides of an 8-inch x 8-inch square baking pan with parchment/butter paper, leaving an overhang on opposite sides to help remove the baked brownies from the pan.
- Fill a medium-sized saucepan with water about 2 inches deep. Heat the water until simmering.
- Into a heat-safe bowl add the butter and cocoa powder. Place the bowl over the simmering water. Stir occasionally until the butter melts and the mixture is warm. Remove the bowl from the saucepan, and set aside for 5 minutes.
- In another bowl add eggs, both sugars, and vanilla extract. Mix with a whisker or electric mixer till well combined.
- Into this add melted butter and chocolate mixture and mix till incorporated.
- Sift in the flour and salt. Incorporate with the help of a spatula or mixer.
- Spread the batter evenly in the prepared pan.
- Bake the brownies for 25 to 30 minutes.
- Cool completely before removing from the. Cut into your preferred shapes and serve.
Notes
- How to know if brownies are properly baked?
- The edges would look dry and the middle part will look slightly under-baked.
- Insert a toothpick or skewer into the center. It should have a few moist crumbs.
- For this recipe I’ve used light coloured metallic pan. If you want to use glass, ceramic or dark-coloured pans the baking time will vary.
- You can melt butter in a microwave and saucepan also. But while using a saucepan make sure the butter doesn’t burn.
- While melting butter in a double boiler make sure the bottom of the bowl doesn’t touch the surface of the water.
- Let the brownies completely cool in the pan itself before transferring. This step will ensure brownies are properly cooked and set.