I love a good chocolatey brownie with rich chocolate. So these Chewy Brownies with Cocoa Powder are the best choice for when you have a brownie craving. My Chocolate Crinkle Cookies are also a good chocolatey option to try.
Since I was a kid, I have always loved a good box brownie. We tried making them from scratch occasionally, but they just weren't as good. Now that I do my own recipe development I’ve created something that is delicious. These brownies are soft, chocolatey, and chewy. A perfect bite. I really love when they are warmed up and always zap them in the microwave before eating for the best experience. You can eat them by themselves, with ice cream or even on s'mores.
Table of contents
Why You Should Make These Brownies
If it's your first time making this homemade brownie recipe you will be pleasantly surprised with the chewiest brownies as a result. It has become my new favorite brownie recipe and I have spent a lot of time making brownies to find that perfect chewy, fudgy, and chocolatey brownie.
If you're craving chocolate, this is the perfect brownie recipe. The prep and baking time isn't too long, and they're great to share with friends and family! Feel free to easily double the recipe if you'd like to share with neighbors or anyone around.
Ingredients
I always suggest using exactly what a recipe calls for, especially when baking. Baking is a science and switching out ingredients can cause big issues in the recipe. If you’re looking for gluten-free, dairy-free, etc. it would be best to find a blog with that type of recipe. I am someone with a LOT of dietary restrictions and I can tell you, substituting isn’t your best option. You are of course, more than welcome to try it, just a word of warning.
- Unsalted Butter: It's good to use unsalted butter for this chewy brownies recipe because we'll add kosher salt and that way you can control the amount of salt in the brownies.
- Oil: The combination of oil and butter in brownie recipes is great for moist brownies. Instead of grapeseed or a neutral oil, you can use others like canola or vegetable oil, or even olive oil, but olive oil may leave a hint of a taste versus the others.
- Sugar: A cup brown sugar and one and a half cups granulated sugar used together helps add to the moisture and create the best balance of sweetness. If you'd like to dust a little powdered sugar on top when the brownies are done, feel free.
- Vanilla Extract: Vanilla extract is one of the key flavor ingredients in many baking recipes and helps to bring out chocolate flavor as well.
- Flour: I suggest using all-purpose flour for the tastiest brownie. The consistency will come out perfectly with this flour.
- Unsweetened Cocoa Powder: This is the star of the show. Ghirardelli unsweetened cocoa powder is a great quality option for this recipe. You can use dutch processed cocoa powder if you'd like because there is no baking soda or powder in this recipe. Dutch processed cocoa powder is treated with an alkalizing agent which lowers the natural acidity and gives it a less bitter taste.
- Add-ins: If you want to get adventurous with your brownies feel free to mix in some fun ingredients! Some suggestions would be sweet chocolate chips, semi sweet chips, milk chocolate chips, peanut butter chips, or nuts.
How to Make Brownies More Fudgy
- Butter and Oil: A mix of butter (great for flavor) and a neutral oil, helps to make a moist brownie. I like the combination, although other recipes may just use one or the other. I suggest using both.
- Eggs for Moist Brownies: As mentioned above, fats help to make the brownies soft and moist. Another thing that helps is a mix of brown sugar with the granulated because it adds moisture. So does the number of eggs, egg whites can add extra water content and yolks add in extra fat.
Room Temperature Eggs
A lot of baking recipes (mine included) ask for room temperature eggs.
- This is because a room temp egg is easier to break down than a cold egg. So, therefore, it mixes into the batter better.
- Also, room temp eggs get a better volume making for a fluffier baked good.
How to get room temp eggs: I would suggest leaving them on the counter for about 1 hour to get room temperature. However, if you forget or run out of time, another option is to place the eggs into a bowl of warm water (not hot) for about 10-15 minutes.
Baking Tips
- Brownie pan: I use a 13x9 inch pan as this helps me to get shorter brownies that are perfect on s'mores. However, if you like yours thicker, use a 9x9 or an 8x8 pan. You'll need to add in additional time at least by about 8 minutes (just keep an eye on it) for the perfect chewy brownies.
- Prep your pan: Be sure you prep your pan for easy removal. You can do a few different methods, my favorite is the parchment sling. Take to long pieces of parchment, cut the width of the base of your pan. The length should run over the sides. And then cut one on the perpendicular side. Grease your pan and add in the two sheets overlapping. Use metal binder clips to pin down each side (has to be completely metal, not plastic). This works great on square pans, but not always necessary for two pieces on a rectangle pan. You can also just grease your pan well.
- How to slice brownies: The easiest way to slice brownies is to make a parchment sling so you can remove all your brownies from your pan. Then use a sharp knife, run it under warm water, wipe of excess, and slice. Repeat warm water/wiping as needed.
How to Make Brownies with Cocoa Powder
After preheating your oven to 350° F, prepare your 9x13 inch pan with oil and/or parchment paper. Combine butter, oil and sugars in a large mixing bowl and mix with whisk attachment until smooth. Add one egg at a time, making sure each is mixed in before adding the next one. Then add vanilla and mix.
In a separate large bowl mix together the flour, cocoa and salt. Pour dry ingredients gradually into the wet ingredients. Mix until combined and make sure to not over mix.
If you want to put some add-ins there, fold them in now. Pour your batter into the prepared pan and use a rubber spatula to smooth across the pan.
Bake for 25-27 minutes and use a toothpick in the center to check if they are done. If the toothpick comes out wet, bake for additional two minutes and keep baking and checking. Once done, let cool, cut and serve with ice cream or on a treats board!
How to Store Brownies
To store brownies that have been cut, put them in an airtight container and keep them at room temperature. They are best enjoyed within one or two days.
If you have a whole pan and haven't cut the brownies, you can wrap it up well in plastic wrap and can keep it at room temperature for up to 4 days, or in the freezer for up to 3 months.
FAQs
You want a higher fat-to-flour ratio with a fudgy brownie. Cakey brownies will have more flour and baking powder. Whereas fudgy brownies will have more butter, oil, and eggs. You want to find a recipe with a higher fat ratio.
I recommend using grapeseed oil or a neutral oil. However, you can use other oils such as canola or vegetable oil. If you choose to use olive oil, that can work as well, but it may leave a bit of an olive taste in the brownies. Whereas the other oils will not.
There are a few ways to get a moist brownie. One, the combination of butter and oil in this recipe helps make the brownies more moist. Butter is great for flavor, but oil usually makes for a moister baked good. Two, when you combine granulated sugar and brown sugar it helps create more moisture as well, as brown sugar naturally has more liquid. Three, the number of eggs. Eggs add fat and therefore add in more moisture and make for a denser, more fudgy brownie. Lastly, make sure to not over bake your brownies. When you check the brownies doneness with a toothpick, it shouldn’t come out wet, but there should still be a few crumbs.
Other Recipes to Try
- Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Perfect Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Chocolate Crinkle Whoopie Pies with Peppermint Buttercream Filling
- Chocolate Crinkle Cookies
- Vanilla Cupcakes with Vanilla Buttercream Frosting
- Small Batch Carrot Cupcakes
Love this Recipe?
Did you make this recipe and just love it? Awesome! If you have a quick minute and could leave a star rating and comment below, I would appreciate the support and knowing your feedback! And if you’re over on Instagram, be sure to tag me in your photos!
Equipment
- Stand Mixer
Ingredients
- 1 cup unsalted butter melted but cool
- 2 Tbsp grape seed oil
- 1 ½ cups granulated sugar
- 1 cup brown sugar
- 4 eggs large, room temperature
- 1 Tbsp vanilla extract
- 1 ½ cup all-purpose flour
- 3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- add-ins like chocolate or caramel chips, nuts, etc. optional
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350° F. Prepare a 9x13 inch with oil and/or parchment paper.
- In a large mixing bowl or stand mixer combine butter, oil, and sugars with a whisk attachment until smooth.
- Add in one egg at a time, each should incorporate before adding another. Add in vanilla and mix.
- In a separate large bowl sift in the flour, cocoa, and salt. Mix well.
- Pour dry ingredients slowly into the wet ingredients slowly. Mix until just combined. Be sure to not over mix.
- If you have optional add-ins, fold them in now.
- Pour batter into the prepared pan. Using a rubber spatula or offset spatula, smooth across the entire pan.
- Bake for 25-27 minutes. Using a toothpick or knife check the middle of the brownies, if it is still wet, the brownies still need another few minutes. In intervals of about 2 minutes, keep baking and checking. It may not come out perfectly clean, but it shouldn't be completely wet, just crumbly.
- Let cool, cut, and serve with ice cream or on a treats board! Enjoy!
Cortney says
You had me at Ghirardelli! Also, a s'mores board?! How have I never thought of this before! So pretty and delicious!
Amanda Wilens says
A chocolate love affair for sure! The more chocolate the better!
Kathy says
I made these brownies for the neighbor since she loves sweets and hasn't been able to bake. She LOVED them as she loves chocolate and these were rich with chocolate. Had one (or two..) before passing them on and looking forward to new batch for our household! So YUMMY!
wilensamanda says
That is so sweet of you! And I'm so glad they are loved.