Cocoa Powder Brownies
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You can make this brownie recipe with cocoa powder only–no chocolate needed! I’m sharing a quick and easy recipe that guarantees that classic, rich chocolate flavor and fudgy texture. Just minutes to prep! Recipe includes a how-to video!
Finally, a Brownie Recipe with Cocoa Powder (and Only Cocoa Powder)!
Today’s brownie recipe with cocoa powder ONLY (no melted chocolate) comes by popular request! Many of you have asked me if you can make my brownies from scratch with just cocoa powder, but unfortunately that one relies heavily on plenty of melted chocolate. After some careful testing, I’ve developed this quick and easy, cocoa powder-based version that still delivers great chocolate flavor.
There’s no chopping or melting chocolate, and you’ll only spend a few minutes prepping the batter. Despite their ease, these brownies look and taste incredible, and they still beat box brownies any day of the week!
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Rich chocolate flavor without any melted chocolate. Instead, we’ll use cocoa powder and bloom it in melted butter to extract its flavor (like steeping tea or coffee!). A pinch of espresso powder adds a rich flavor too, if you have it.
- Shiny, crackly tops. Vigorously whisking the eggs and sugar (a trick I use in many of my brownie recipes) is key for those crackly, shiny, meringue-like tops.
- Use whatever cocoa you have on hand. This recipe can be made with either Dutch process or natural cocoa, but natural cocoa was our preference during testing!
- Just as easy as a box mix. But it tastes so much better! Try this recipe one time and you’ll be skipping the box mixes forever.
Ingredients
- Butter. Use unsalted butter (or use salted and reduce the salt to just a pinch). Usually you’d want to let the butter cool after melting, but not here. It’s important that the butter is nice and hot (or at least warm) so we can use it to bloom the cocoa…more on this below.
- Cocoa powder. I preferred natural cocoa powder, but Dutch process cocoa will still work if that’s all you have on hand! Regardless of what you use, it’s very important that you add this to the butter while it is still hot. This is called “blooming” the cocoa, and it’s a trusted technique for drawing out the most chocolatey flavor from your cocoa powder. This is an especially important step when making a brownie recipe with cocoa powder only!
- Espresso powder. To help enhance the chocolate flavor even further, I recommend adding a pinch of espresso powder in with the cocoa powder. I do this with many of my recipes (like my chocolate cake recipe or chocolate mousse), and it makes a big impact on the chocolatey taste without adding any coffee flavor.
- Eggs. Vigorously whisking these with the sugar and vanilla makes for crackly, shiny brownie tops. You’ll find me doing this in quite a few of my brownie recipes–even my brookie cookies!
- Mini chocolate chips. While regular sized chocolate chips will work, I typically go for mini with this recipe. Feel free to add some chopped nuts along with or in place of some of the chocolate chips, if you like!
This is just an overview of the ingredients I used and why. For the full recipe please scroll down to the bottom of the post!
Sam’s Tip
Make sure you measure your flour properly! Over-measuring your flour could result in brownies that are cakey instead of fudgy. If you need a refresher on this, head over to my post on how to measure flour.
How to Cocoa Powder Brownies (Step-by-Step)
- Whisk the eggs and sugar. Vigorously whisk the sugar, eggs, and vanilla for 30-45 seconds until very well combined. The mixture will thicken and lighten in color during this process (this is how we get those shiny, crackly brownie tops!).
- Add the bloomed cocoa. Melt the butter, then add the cocoa powder and whisk well to combine. If you are using espresso powder, whisk that in now as well. This step is key to a rich, chocolatey flavor! Pour this mixture into the egg mixture and stir to combine.
- Fold in the flour. Sprinkle the flour and salt over the batter and fold to combine. Add the chocolate chips last, then pour your batter into your prepared pan (either greased or parchment lined).
- Bake and cool. Bake for about 23 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out with moist, fudgy crumbs. For the cleanest cuts, let the brownies cool before you dig in.
Sam’s Tip
Over-baking is the biggest culprit for dry, crumbly brownies. To avoid this, remove your brownies from the oven when the centers are still fudgy; do the toothpick test and look for moist, fudgy crumbs (but not wet batter!).
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes! While versions with a melted chocolate base will have the richest, fudgiest flavor, you can still make an amazing homemade brownie recipe with cocoa powder only. The key is to bloom the cocoa with the hot melted butter–this extracts its flavor and intensifies it!
If you have it, I also recommend adding a bit of espresso powder in with your cocoa; it will enhance the chocolate flavor even further.
Fudgy brownies tend to have more fat and less flour, while cakey brownies are the opposite. The number of eggs (and whether you use just the yolks vs whole eggs), type of butter (melted vs softened), and presence of a leavening agent will also affect whether your brownies turn out fudgy or cakey.
I personally like my brownies fudgy (even my brownie cookies and white chocolate brownies!), so that was my goal here today.
Yes, though the brownies will be thinner and the bake time will be shorter.
Or if you want the brownies to be the same thickness as the pictures, I recommend you 1.5x the recipe for a 9×13″ pan (your bake time will likely be longer as a result).
More Cocoa Powder Recipes
Want to make a brownie sundae? I highly recommend you whip up my easy salted caramel sauce and some toasted pecans to go with it!
Enjoy!
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Cocoa Powder Brownies
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 ¼ cups (250 g) granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½ cup unsalted butter, cut into 8 pieces
- ½ cup (50 g) natural cocoa powder
- ¼ teaspoon espresso powder, optional
- ½ cups (63 g) all-purpose flour
- ¼ rounded teaspoon table salt, (or fine sea salt)
- ½ cup (85 g) mini chocolate chips, optional
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350F (175C) and line a 9×9 square baking pan with parchment paper (or lightly grease with butter). Set aside.
- Whisk the sugar and eggs. In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the sugar, eggs, and vanilla extract until very well-combined. For shiny, crackly-topped brownies, whisk vigorously, until lightened in color (about 30-45 seconds of vigorous whisking) Set aside.1 ¼ cups (250 g) granulated sugar, 2 large eggs, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- Melt the butter and bloom the cocoa. In a separate bowl, melt the butter. Immediately whisk in the cocoa to combine (this helps “bloom” the cocoa and gives you a darker chocolate flavor). If using espresso powder, add this here as well.½ cup unsalted butter, ½ cup (50 g) natural cocoa powder, ¼ teaspoon espresso powder
- Combine the sugar and chocolate mixtures. Pour the melted butter mixture into the sugar/eggs mixture and stir until well-combined.
- Add the dry ingredients. Add the flour and salt and stir until combined, then stir in the mini chocolate chips (if using).½ cups (63 g) all-purpose flour, ¼ rounded teaspoon table salt, ½ cup (85 g) mini chocolate chips
- Spread and bake. Spread the batter evenly into your prepared baking pan, then transfer to the center rack of 350F (175C) preheated oven and bake for 23 minutes, until toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean or with moist, fudgy crumbs.
- Cool & cut. Allow brownies to cool before slicing and enjoying.
Notes
Storing
Cover tightly and store at room temperature for up to 4 days.Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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