This cocoa powder brownies recipe makes delectably rich and fudgy treat, packed with intense chocolate flavor in every bite. Made with simple pantry staples, these brownies are quick and easy to whip up whenever that chocolate craving strikes.
Whether you're baking for a special occasion or simply treating yourself to a sweet indulgence, these cocoa powder brownies are sure to satisfy your cravings.
I love brownies and these easy cocoa powder brownies are the ones I turn to when I crave decadently dark and fudgy brownies. These brownies are slightly different than my crackly top chocolate brownies in that these are made entirely with cocoa powder. The texture is different too. These cocoa powder brownies are darker and have a more intense chocolate flavor and despite both being equally moist and chewy, these brownies are slightly less dense than the chocolate brownies.
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❤️Why you will love this recipe
- This is an easy brownies recipe and requires only simple ingredients, mostly of which are basic pantry staples.
- The recipe makes rich brownies with a fudgy texture and moist crumbs.
- No chocolate is required in this easy recipe. With just cocoa powder, you can make absolutely delicious brownies with plenty of chocolate flavor.
- This is a great recipe to make really good brownies. Served with a scoop of vanilla ice cream, this chewy brownies are perfect to satisfy chocolate lovers and those with a sweet tooth.
- You can make this recipe with just bowl (one bowl recipe) and no electric mixer required.
📋Ingredients
I have used a total of 7 ingredients in this recipe and they are:
- Self-raising flour + salt - mix these and sift them together before adding into the batter. Use fine salt.
- Butter - I use salted butter. If you are using unsalted butter, add an extra tiny pinch of salt in the recipe.
- Brown sugar - use soft brown sugar. Both dark or light will be fine for this recipe.
- Eggs - use large eggs (large sized eggs)
- Unsweetened Dutch processed cocoa powder - sift first to break any lumps.
- Vanilla extract - adds a lovely flavor to the brownies.
If you notice, this recipe is based entirely on cocoa powder without any chocolate (hence the name cocoa powder brownies). I used unsweetened dutch processed cocoa powder for an intense cocoa flavor and coupled with the brown sugar, the brownies have a deliciously intense chocolate flavor.
*Refer to the recipe card below for full list of ingredients and exact quantities. For best results, use a digital kitchen scale where applicable*
🧾Substitution and variations
- For extra chocolate taste, you can add some chocolate chips (dark chocolate or even milk chocolate) into the brownie batter before baking.
This recipe has not been tested with other substitutions or variations. If you do try, please let me know in the comments section below!
👩🏻🍳How to make
Mixing the batter
Making these cocoa powder brownies is pretty simple. No mixer needed, everything can be mixed in just one bowl.
- Start the process by melting the butter over very low heat. Once fully melted, transfer it into a large bowl.
- Add in the brown sugar and whisk it into the hot melted butter for about 30 to 45 seconds.
- Let the butter and sugar mixture cool down a little, and then add in the eggs.
- After a good one minute of whisking, add the salt followed by the flour and unsweetened cocoa powder that are sifted together into the wet ingredients. Mix until all the dry ingredients are well combined into the brownie batter.
- Finally, add the vanilla extract and mix well. Pour the cocoa powder brownie batter into a well-greased and parchment paper lined square pan.
- For easy lifting of the brownie after baking, it is recommended that the parchment lining on the sides of the cake tin is left long enough to help with the lifting.
You will notice that the brownie batter will rise during baking. That is perfectly fine. Bake the brownie for 20 minutes. To test if the brownie is done, you can use a toothpick to test the sides of the brownie. Ideally, it should come out with moist crumbs sticking to it and the center of the brownie should still be soft.
Let the brownies cool in the tin for about 10 minutes. Lift them up carefully by holding the parchment lining and transfer onto a wire rack to cool the cocoa powder brownie completely.
🍽️Serving & storage
- Let the brownies cool completely before cutting.
- The brownies can last at room temperature for a good 4 to 5 days. Keep them in an airtight container and handle without moisture.
- To keep them longer, refrigerate them. Either wrap in plastic wrap or keep them covered in an airtight container to keep them moist. The brownies can last in the refrigerator for 1 week.
💡Expert tips
Baking time and baking tins
- Always make sure you keep to the time and tin size of these chocolate fudge brownies as mentioned in the recipe. If you change the tin size for something larger or smaller, the time has to be adjusted accordingly. For larger tin sizes, since the batter is spread thinner, you would need to reduce your baking time. And for smaller tin sizes, since the batter is spread thicker, it would require a longer time. These changes need to be adjusted manually. And this is often the most frequent reason why people end up with over-baked or under-baked brownies.
- If these brownies are over-baked, they will end up with a cakey texture. And if yours turn out like that, you need to reduce the baking time the next time you make these treats.
- The other note about brownie tins is that brownies baked in metal tins cook faster compared to glass dishes. So, if a recipe calls for a metal tin and you make yours in a glass dish, be mindful that the baking time would need to be adjusted accordingly as well.
Oven temperature
- Oven temperature is another factor that could affect the texture of these cocoa powder brownies. The tricky thing about oven temperatures is that different ovens require different degree of heat for the same results. For example, I always set my oven to 160 to 170 degrees Celsius for cakes, even if the recipe requires the oven temperature to be 180 degrees Celsius.
- The oven temperature for brownies is often the same as that used for cakes. And so when baking my brownies, that is the temperature I use. You should ideally set your oven temperature to the heat you use when baking cakes.
💭FAQs
Yes, you can. Dutch-process cocoa powder will give the brownies a darker and more intense chocolate taste, but it is fine to use regular cocoa powder too.
Cakey brownies can be contributed by a number of different factors.
Firstly is the recipe. Ideally, the proportion of flour to fat and sugar in a brownie recipe should be lower. If this proportion is not optimum, you can end up with cake-like brownies.
Including baking powder and baking soda in a brownie recipe could also contribute to a cake like structure in brownies.
The other factor is the baking time. Baking the brownies for too long can result in a cakey texture too.
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📖Recipe
Easy Cocoa Powder Brownies (Dark & Fudgy)
For best results, use the metrics measurements. US customary measurements have not been tested and are only meant for guide.
Ingredients
- 125 g butter
- 55 g unsweetened Dutch processed cocoa powder
- 85 g self raising flour
- 200 g brown sugar
- 2 eggs
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- ⅛ teaspoon salt
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 160 °Celsius. Grease and line a 7 inches square pan.
- Melt butter over very low heat. Once melted, turn off the heat and add brown sugar and whisk for about 30 – 45 seconds. Transfer the mixture to a large bowl and let it cool slightly.
- Add the eggs and whisk them into the butter and sugar mixture. Whisk until the eggs are all well incorporated, for about 1 minute. Add salt and stir.
- Next, sift flour and cocoa powder into the mixture and fold them in until they are well incorporated.
- Add vanilla extract and mix well.
- Pour the brownie batter into the prepared tin and level the top.
- Bake for about 20 minutes at your normal cake baking temperature. Remove brownie from oven and let it cool in tin for about 10 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.
- Cut into 16 pieces or large pieces as desired and serve.
Notes
Baking time and baking tins
-
- Always make sure you keep to the time and tin size of these chocolate fudge brownies as mentioned in the recipe. If you change the tin size for something larger or smaller, the time has to be adjusted accordingly. For larger tin sizes, since the batter is spread thinner, you would need to reduce your baking time. And for smaller tin sizes, since the batter is spread thicker, it would require a longer time. These changes need to be adjusted manually. And this is often the most frequent reason why people end up with over-baked or under-baked brownies.
-
- If these brownies are over-baked, they will end up with a cakey texture. And if yours turn out like that, you need to reduce the baking time the next time you make these treats.
-
- The other note about brownie tins is that brownies baked in metal tins cook faster compared to glass dishes. So, if a recipe calls for a metal tin and you make yours in a glass dish, be mindful that the baking time would need to be adjusted accordingly as well.
Oven temperature
-
- Oven temperature is another factor that could affect the texture of these cocoa powder brownies. The tricky thing about oven temperatures is that different ovens require different degree of heat for the same results. For example, I always set my oven to 160 to 170 degrees Celsius for cakes, even if the recipe requires the oven temperature to be 180 degrees Celsius.
-
- The oven temperature for brownies is often the same as that used for cakes. And so when baking my brownies, that is the temperature I use. You should ideally set your oven temperature to the heat you use when baking cakes.
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