Easy Cocoa Powder Brownies
This easy brownie recipe calls for only 5 ingredients and is made in just one bowl! These cocoa powder brownies are fudgy and chewy and can be in the oven in just about 5 minutes! Pin it for Later »
Easy Brownie Recipe Overview
- Skill Level: Beginner
- Techniques Used: One Bowl Method
Here’s the rundown of what makes these brownies so easy to make:
- They are made in one bowl and can be in the oven in just about 5 minutes.
- They are made with cocoa powder and do not require you to melt any chocolate.
- They can be made with oil and without butter.
- They only require 5 ingredients and are made without baking powder or baking soda.
How do you make Brownies More Moist?
To make super moist brownies you want to be sure you do not over-bake them and slightly under baking them will keep them even more moist.
Take the brownies out of the oven when there are moist crumbs clinging to a tester. If the tester comes out clean then they won’t be as moist.
You can use oil or melted butter for this recipe. Oil is going to make more moist brownies than using butter.
How to Make Brownies from Scratch
The process of making these homemade brownies is incredibly easy. You only need one bowl and a whisk!
Ingredients for Brownies
The 5 ingredients required for these brownies are: sugar, flour, eggs, cocoa powder, and oil or melted butter.
Salt is an optional ingredient but I recommend it to balance out the flavors. You can also add chocolate chips or nuts into the brownies if you like.
Step 1: Combine Dry Ingredients
In a large mixing bowl whisk together all of the dry ingredients until they are well combined.
Step 2: Mix in Wet Ingredients
Add the eggs and the oil or melted butter into the dry ingredients and whisk it all together until smooth. The batter will be quite thick.
Step 3: Bake the Brownies
Pour the batter into a greased square baking dish and use a rubber spatula to spread it out evenly. Bake the brownies until they are just slightly underdone.
Ingredient Functions in Brownies
- Flour: Flour is the structure for the brownies. These brownies have a low ratio of flour to keep them more moist and chewy.
- Cocoa Powder: Cocoa powder is also part of the structure of the brownie but is the chocolate flavor of the brownie. You can use natural cocoa powder or dutch processed cocoa powder in this recipe.
- Sugar: You can use granulated sugar, brown sugar, or a combination of the two for these brownies. Brown sugar is going to give the brownies more depth of flavor and more chewiness. Sugar also keeps the brownies moist.
- Liquid Fat: Fat adds richness and moisture to the brownies. You are welcome to use oil or melted butter for these brownies. Oil will make the chewiest brownies.
- Eggs: The eggs bind the brownies together and add moisture and tenderness.
Easy Fudgy Brownies
This is an easy brownie recipe that only calls for 5 simple ingredients!
Ingredients
- 2 cups (392 gr) sugar (granulated, brown, or a combo of the two)
- 1 cup oil or melted butter, slightly cooled
- 4 large eggs (*See note for vegan option)
- 1 cup (120 gr) flour
- 2/3 cup (70 gr) cocoa powder (natural or dutch processed)
- 1/4 tsp salt (optional, but recommended)
Instructions
- PREP: Preheat oven to 350ºF (177 C) and lightly grease a 9X9" (23x23 cm) or 8X8" (20x20 cm) pan and set aside.
- MIX DRY INGREDIENTS: In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, cocoa powder, and salt (if using) until well combined.
- MIX WET INGREDIENTS: Add the oil or butter and the eggs into the bowl with the dry ingredients. Whisk the ingredients together until well combined. The batter will be quite thick. You can also fold in chocolate chips at this point if you want to make them extra chocolatey.
- BAKE: Pour the batter into the prepared pan and use a rubber spatula to smooth out. Bake at 350 F (177 C) for 30-45 minutes until a tester comes out with moist crumbs. Slightly under baking them will keep them extra moist and chewy.
- Let cool before slicing, they will be gooey straight out of the oven. You can eat them like this if you like, but they need to cool to completely solidify.
Notes
*You can substitute the eggs with equivalent EnerG Egg Replacer for a vegan option. Flax egg or chia egg will not work for this recipe unfortunately.
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Nutrition Information:
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 265
209 Comments on “Easy Cocoa Powder Brownies”
Hi.
I used a bowl as i didn’t have a tray but after baking was completely done my batter was still moist in between, could it be because I did not use a proper vessel?
I tried
this is the best brownie recipe i have found. For the last while i have been searching and experimenting on recipes and none were as near fudgy and nice as these. I would suggest for anyone making these to add a sprinkle of icing sugar it really of these lovely creations.
I like this
The worst. You literally couldn’t even call whatever this goop is a brownie. Do not under ANY circumstances try to make these with EnerG Egg Replacer like the recipe clearly states that you can do. I have baked hundreds of cakes, batches of cookies, and brownies over the years. I followed this recipe exactly and these were a complete and total DISASTER. It’s clear the author of this recipe has never actually attempted to make them this way. It’s a hot bubbling mess that will go straight into the trash as soon as it’s finished cooling down. Absolute waste of my time and resources and the author should be ashamed to have put this recipe up without even testing it. What an absolute joke.
Yeah, Looks so tasty, adding this recipe to my favorites.
Let me know if you make them!
I sprinkled crushed nuts on top and baked these a little longer because we prefer brownies with a crisp top and have now been forbidden from ever buying them as these are the ultimate brownie according to my household. Thank you for your recipe!!
Yum! I’m so glad you like them!
Someone was angry about the vegan version of this recipe. Don’t call the full recipe bad because the vegan version didn’t work. You live and you learn. I’ve tried many brownie recipes (non-vegan), and this is my favorites. It’s my go to recipe for brownies, always.
Yes! Thank you! I was about to say the same thing
Excellent recipe. So easy to follow and made the best, most chewy brownies ever. I used gluten free flour and it was perfect. Thanks from everyone in my household! (I’m a bit worried about the sugar content but hey ho, they taste great.) The grumpy person complaining because the vegan version didn’t work seems to have a personality disorder – they might want to get it checked…
Hi! Wondering if these could be made as cupcakes?
You could but they’ll be looser and more fudgy than typical cupcakes. You might have a hard time topping or frosting them. If you aren’t frosting them then it’ll work great! If you’re looking for a more traditional chocolate cupcake then I would recommend my Chocolate Cake recipe.
This was just the recipe I needed! Short and sweet. Thank you!
You’re welcome!
not chewy but more like cake texture, not really a success
then your the only one LMAOOO
The recipe is pretty good. I used 95% white sugar and 5% brown sugar for the two cups of brown or white sugar in total. Along with all purpose flour and Hershey’s unsweetened cocoa powder. It is pretty damn tasty with no vanilla extract and if I do have it it would so enhance the flavor more but it does fine without it. I baked for 40 minutes in my oven and cooled for 50 minutes in my refrigerator before eating. The guy who said the recipe sucks should’ve used eggs to begin with or used a better substitute for eggs. I’m 15 lmao anyways great recipe, thx for posting.
Thanks Nigel! So glad you liked them!
this is great. so yummy. but i did feel like 2 cups of butter was a bit much so i only put 1 and it was still perfect. would definitely recommend if your looking for dessert, a treat or a late night snack.
Hello Bettie. I’d like to make the exact recipe as in the brownie photo because Iike how they look. Can you tell me which ingredients you used? Judging by the photo of ingredients, you used all butter, all white sugar but I can’t tell which type of cocoa though I’m guessing regular, not Dutch-process.
Correct! Although any of the combination of ingredients should give you a similar look.
I halved the recipe and used half pure white and half dark brown sugar, opting for the oil instead of butter. The batter worried me due to the oily consistency, but these baked fine and came out with a crisp top and gooey middle. Next time I may go 2/3 white and 1/3 light brown, as the brown sugar taste is a little strong. But, that’s my doing and is no fault of the recipe. For an easy, great tasting brownie recipe, this is going to be me new “go to”. Just make sure to keep a close eye on your bake and follow the “few crumbs on your tester” note to get the best consistency.
I’m so glad you like it!
Seriously the best brownies I’ve ever had used brown and white sugar and melted butter with chocolate chips. Threw some powdered sugar on top and whip cream
Yum! So glad you liked them!
Nice. It helps a lot
I really liked it, was very gooey 100% the only recommendation id give is id slightly reduce the oil.
i halved the whole recipe and it came out perfect just a little too oily but perfectly gooey and not cakey at all! so maybe like 1/5 less oil or something?
thanks for the review! Yes, this is definitely a gooey brownie recipe.
I made this today it never fully cooked. The middle was raw while the top and bottom were slightly cooked. Really upset.