There is a good reason why there are so many brownie recipes out there.
Brownies are easy to make – all you need is a bowl and a spatula or a wooden spoon – and they can be cut into wonderful bite-sized pieces Best of all, they taste super yum!
Today I wanted to bake a brownie, but I was too lazy to chop up chocolate. So I did the next best thing: I made cocoa brownies. That means simply sieving some cocoa powder into the batter!
Easy is good, especially easy and tasty. That’s my kind of busy-week baking!
Here are the instructions on how to make this.
In a heat-proof bowl, add butter, sugar and cocoa powder.
Place the bowl over a ban-marie and stir until the butter melts. You don’t have to stir continuously, just enough to combine the butter with the other ingredients.
The mixture will be gritty but it is okay. When the eggs are added the batter will become smooth again.
Once all the butter has melted, lift the bowl off the pot and let this cool for 3-5 minutes.
Add the vanilla, followed by the eggs, one at a time, and stir vigorously after each addition.
When the batter looks shiny and well-blended, add the flour and stir until the flour is completely incorporated.
Add the chopped walnuts or pecans if you like.
Mix to distribute the nuts.
Pour the batter into a lined and lightly greased 8×8-inch baking pan. The batter will be shallow.
Bake at 180°C for about 20 minutes or until a skewer inserted into the brownie emerges cleanly.
Cool the brownie in the pan for completely then gently lift the baking paper to transfer the brownie onto a cooling rack.
Cut into 16 squares and serve.
Tovolo Singapore is collaborating with The Domestic Goddess Wannabe to *giveaway 8 pasta claws (one each in White, Fuchsia, Lime, Midnight, Royal Purple, Stratus Blue, Sun Ray and Orange Peel) to 8 lucky winners!
To take part, simply click on the link below!
- 140g (1 1/4 sticks) unsalted butter
- 1 1/4 cups (250g) sugar - I used 150g
- 3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons (103g) unsweetened cocoa powder (natural or Dutch-process) - I used Valrhona
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon (5ml) pure vanilla extract
- 2 cold large eggs
- 1/2 cup (62.5g) plain flour
- 2/3 cup (94g) walnut or pecan pieces (optional)
- In a heat-proof bowl, add butter, sugar and cocoa powder.
- Place the bowl over a ban-marie and stir until the butter melts. You don’t have to stir continuously, just enough to combine the butter with the other ingredients.
- The mixture will be gritty but it is okay. When the eggs are added the batter will become smooth again.
- Once all the butter has melted, lift the bowl off the pot and let this cool for 3-5 minutes.
- Add the vanilla, followed by the eggs, one at a time, and stir vigorously after each addition.
- When the batter looks shiny and well-blended, add the flour and stir until the flour is completely incorporated.
- Add the chopped walnuts or pecans if you like. Mix to distribute the nuts.
- Pour the batter into a lined and lightly greased 8×8-inch baking pan. The batter will be shallow.
- Bake at 180°C for about 20 minutes or until a skewer inserted into the brownie emerges cleanly.
- Cool the brownie in the pan for completely then gently lift the baking paper to transfer the brownie onto a cooling rack.
- Cut into 16 squares and serve.
I’m submitting this post to the Best Recipes for Everyone May 2015 Event (Theme: My Favourite Desserts) organized by Fion of XuanHom’s Mom and co-hosted by Aunty Young.
Tools I love and use in my kitchen:
Tovolo Spatulart Cupcake Spatula
Hi Diana,
Fudgy brownies! My big kids are asking for brownies again … thanks for sharing!
Your brownies photo looks so delicious and mouth watering. Thanks for sharing
This look super good! Will try it out soon!
Hi Diana,
Indeed, brownies are simple to make yet superbly delicious, and yours look wonderful! Thanks for sharing it to BREE!
Thanks Aunty Young!
Hi. May I know the temperature to bake the brownies?
Hi Pearlyn it’s 180°C 🙂
These look delish! I have often thought about hosting a brownie bake-off, where everyone would bring in their favorites and we could do a taste test to see which is the absolute best brownie. Doesn’t that sound fun? Yours look delicious 🙂
That sounds fun indeed – I’d take part! 😛
Hi Diana,
Have we got to coat the walnut with little flour before add to the batter? I can see yours is not sink to the bottom.
i didn’t but you can if you wish.
Hi Diana, besides Valrhona, what other brand of cocoa powder that you had tried before? I couldn’t find this brand in Malaysia. Was considering Hershey’s cocoa powder but not sure if its good because I don’t really quite like their baking bar.
Hi Janice you can use Hershey’s too, it is not too bad. Or Ghirardelli if you can find it!
I tried making yesterday using some local cocoa powder…the color of the brownies turned out as black as charcoal. The texture is a little bit dry.. And then I bought Van Houten cocoa powder. Hopefully it will be better. 🙂
Hi Diana
I made the brownies today for my husband. He always loves brownies n with Rum raisin ice cream is the best !! Thanks for the yummy recipe !!!
Xmas Chistmas to u and family!!!
Hi Mimi I am so glad your hubby liked it! Merry Christmas to you and yours 🙂
Dear Goddess,
It’s an amazing recipe you’ve shared with us here! I served it with ‘cinameger’ flavoured pear sauce with the brownie and topped it with strawberries…super yummy!!!
Dear Goddess,
It’s an amazing recipe you’ve shared with us here! I served it with ‘cinameger’ (cinnamon+nutmeg+ginger) flavoured pear sauce with the brownie and topped it with strawberries…super yummy!!!
Thank you Marie!
If i want to use both chopped chocolate & cocoa powder,how much of the chopped chocolate i need to use?
Hi there, once you add chocolate the liquid content of the brownie changes so I can’t really advise you how much to substitute since I have not tried it before. If you do try let me know! 🙂
Hihi, may i know in addition to the walnuts can i add bittersweet chocolate chips?
Thanks for your advice!
yes of course Jo!
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Hi Diana,
If i want to make this brownie with 10 inch by 10 inch pan, must i double the recipe?
Hi pls see http://thedomesticgoddesswannabe.com/tell-me-why/
Hi Diana, thank you for the recipe. I’m a big fan and also bought your book recently. 🙂 It’s lovely.
For the brownie, i followed the recipe but it came out very dry and crumbly. Is that the intention?
I saw a similar recipe and suspect that the amount of cocoa in grams should be 65 grams instead of 103grams?
Thank you! Hi Cas, if the brownie is dry and crumbly you could have overbaked it. AS every oven is different, you have to learn to adjust temp and timing for best results. I used the conversion chart from traditional oven and the amount works out to 103g so I don’t think it is the coaoa.