Fudgy Cocoa Brownies
Rich, fudgy cocoa brownies made with melted butter, a little oil, and unsweetened cocoa for a dense, moist texture.
Equipment
- 8-inch (20 cm) square baking pan
- Parchment Paper
- Mixing Bowl
- Whisk
- Spatula
- Wire Rack
- Oven
Ingredients
Ingredients
- 1/2 cupunsalted butter*melted and HOT
- 1 tablespooncooking oilolive oil or coconut oil are fine
- 1 1/8 cupgranulated sweetener or superfine sugar**caster sugar or white granulated sugar
- 2 largeeggs
- 2 teaspoonspure vanilla extract
- 1/2 cupall purpose flouror plain flour
- 1/2 cupunsweetened cocoa powder
- 1/4 teaspoonsalt
Instructions
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C). Lightly grease an 8-inch (20 cm) square baking pan and line it with parchment paper, leaving an overhang for easy removal; set pan aside.
- In a medium bowl, combine 1/2 cup unsalted butter (melted and hot), 1 tablespoon cooking oil, and 1 1/8 cups granulated sugar. Whisk for about 1 minute until well combined and the sugar begins to dissolve. If the butter is extremely hot, let it sit 30–60 seconds before adding eggs to avoid cooking them.
- Add 2 large eggs and 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract to the butter-sugar mixture. Beat or whisk until the mixture is lighter in color and slightly thickened, about 1 minute.
- Sift together 1/2 cup all-purpose flour, 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder, and 1/4 teaspoon salt into a separate bowl (or directly over the wet ingredients).
- Gently fold the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients with a spatula until just combined and no streaks of flour remain. Do not overmix.
- Pour the batter into the prepared pan and smooth the top evenly with the spatula.
- Bake for 20–25 minutes, until the center no longer jiggles and is just set to the touch. For fudgy brownies, a toothpick inserted in the center should come out with moist crumbs (not completely clean).
- Remove the pan from the oven and place it on a wire rack. Let the brownies cool completely in the pan to room temperature.
- Use the parchment overhang to lift the brownies from the pan, then cut into 16 squares.
Notes
Hot melted butter:Creates thosecrackly tops! Make sure your butter is hot and melted to achieve that perfect, shiny crust.
Hot melted butter:Creates thosecrackly tops! Make sure your butter is hot and melted to achieve that perfect, shiny crust.
Hot melted butter:Creates thosecrackly tops! Make sure your butter is hot and melted to achieve that perfect, shiny crust.
Whisk well:Whisk your butter and sugar together really well. This helps to dissolve the sugar and create a smooth batter.
Beat the eggs:Beat in your eggs for a good minute. This step iscrucial for that crackly topand helps to incorporate air, giving the brownies structure.
Do not over-beat:Once the flour and cocoa powder are added,do not over-beatyour batter. Over-beating creates air in the batter, which will result in cake-like textured brownies. While cakey is okay, it’s not what we’re aiming for today.
Watch the baking time:Try not to over-bake them! I find 21:30 minutes to be the sweet spot. You can go a little over if you prefer them slightly more set, but for the fudgiest brownies, stick to the recommended time.
Oven placement:I bake my brownies on the top shelf in the oven. The middle shelf tends to cook them faster and dry them out, so keep them on the top for best results.
Hot melted butter:Creates thosecrackly tops! Make sure your butter is hot and melted to achieve that perfect, shiny crust.
Hot melted butter:Creates thosecrackly tops! Make sure your butter is hot and melted to achieve that perfect, shiny crust.
Whisk well:Whisk your butter and sugar together really well. This helps to dissolve the sugar and create a smooth batter.
Beat the eggs:Beat in your eggs for a good minute. This step iscrucial for that crackly topand helps to incorporate air, giving the brownies structure.
Do not over-beat:Once the flour and cocoa powder are added,do not over-beatyour batter. Over-beating creates air in the batter, which will result in cake-like textured brownies. While cakey is okay, it’s not what we’re aiming for today.
Watch the baking time:Try not to over-bake them! I find 21:30 minutes to be the sweet spot. You can go a little over if you prefer them slightly more set, but for the fudgiest brownies, stick to the recommended time.
Oven placement:I bake my brownies on the top shelf in the oven. The middle shelf tends to cook them faster and dry them out, so keep them on the top for best results.