The Best Fudgy Cocoa Brownies you’ll ever try thanks to a special addition that gives these brownies a super fudgy centre without losing that crispy, crackly top!
This one-bowl cocoa brownie recipe is outrageously easy to throw together, skipping the extra bowls and the extra steps but keeping ALL of the extra flavour.
COCOA BROWNIES RECIPE
What if I told you that you don’t need to melt chocolate or chocolate chips with butter together to make brownies and you don’t need two separate bowls? Just one bowl and five minutes to bring it all together to make the BEST cocoa brownies you’ll eat in this lifetime. The best part is they’re only 144 calories EACH! Dramatically lighter than the usual 356 calorie brownies, am I right?
If you’ve been closely following my brownie journey, you’d know I’ve tried almost every brownie adaption under the sun including our World’s Best Fudgiest Brownies, Mixed Berry Nutella Brownies and Cookies and Cream Brownies, all in an attempt to find the perfect brownie texture.
Well, after testing what feels like a lifetime of brownies, I finally found the perfect texture! What’s the secret? The one ingredient I add to these cocoa brownies that differs from most is a small amount of oil. The oil is just enough to keep the centres extremely fudgy, without compromising the crispy, crackly crust you can see in these photos.
WHAT MAKES BROWNIES FUDGY VS CAKEY?
- Hot melted butter creates those crackly tops!
- Whisk your butter and sugar really well.
- Beat in your eggs for a good minute. This step is crucial for that crackly top
- Do not over-beat your batter once the flour and cocoa powder are added. That creates air in the batter which will give you cake-like textured cocoa brownies. Cakey is okay, but not today friends.
- Try not over bake them! I like mine at exactly 21:30 minutes. You can go a little bit over if you like them slightly more set, but I don’t recommend it if you’re looking for the fudgiest brownies you’ve ever tried.
- I bake my brownies on the top shelf in the oven. I find the middle shelf cooks them a lot faster and dries them out.
I mean… I think these cocoa brownie pictures speak for themselves don’t you?!
WHAT’S THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN COCOA BROWNIES AND CHOCOLATE BROWNIES?
The difference between the two brownies comes down to the different types of fat used. For instance, cocoa brownie recipes traditionally use oil while chocolate brownies use butter.
The texture and flavour of the brownie can also differ based on the use of cocoa over melted chocolate. Personally, we prefer the flavours and fudgy textures you get from cocoa brownies!
CAN A BROWNIE BE HEALTHY?
As much as I love these Low Carb Zucchini Brownies, and these Flourless Hazelnut Brownies, I’m thinking these super luxe cocoa brownies are even better. Although, despite our cocoa brownies being decadent, they are still considered low calorie at 144 calories per slice.
WATCH HOW WE MAKE THE BEST FUDGY COCOA BROWNIES RIGHT HERE!
FOR THICKER DOUBLE BATCH BROWNIES: USE THIS RECIPE! FIND IT ON FACEBOOK HERE
Best Fudgy Cocoa Brownies
Ingredients
- ½ cup unsalted butter melted and HOT
- 1 tablespoon cooking oil olive oil or coconut oil are fine
- 1 â…› cup superfine sugar caster sugar or white granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- ½ cup all purpose flour or plain flour
- ½ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- ¼ teaspoon salt
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C).
- Lightly grease an 8-inch square baking pan with cooking oil spray. Line with parchment paper (or baking paper); set aside.
- Combine hot melted butter, oil and sugar together in a medium-sized bowl. Whisk well for about a minute. Add the eggs and vanilla; beat until lighter in colour (another minute).
- Sift in flour, cocoa powder and salt. Gently fold the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients until JUST combined (do NOT over beat as doing so well affect the texture of your brownies).
- Pour batter into prepared pan, smoothing the top out evenly. (OPTIONAL: Top with chocolate chunks or chocolate chips.)
- Bake for 20-25 minutes, or until the centre of the brownies in the pan no longer jiggles and is just set to the touch (the brownies will keep baking in the hot pan out of the oven). If testing with a toothpick, the toothpick should come out dirty for fudge-textured brownies.
- Remove and allow to cool to room temperature before slicing into 16 brownies.
OPTIONAL ADD INS:
- Crushed walnuts, peanuts, almonds, pecans, chocolate chips, peanut butter chips, chocolate chunks, dried fruit (cranberries, raisins, etc)
Notes
2. Beat in your eggs for a good minute. This step is crucial for that crackly top
3. Do NOT over beat your batter once the flour and cocoa powder are added. THAT creates air pockets in the batter which will give you cake-like textured brownies.
4. Try NOT over bake them. Check them at around the 15 minute mark and keep your eye on them. As some ovens run hotter than others, timing is a guide only. Our oven bakes them at exactly 21:30 minutes. Another oven we tested them in baked them at 18:40 minutes. You can go a little bit over if you like them set a bit more, but I don't recommend it if you're looking for the fudgiest brownies in this lifetime.
5. I bake my brownies on the top shelf in the oven. I find the middle shelf cooks them a lot faster and dries them out. If your oven runs hotter at the top half, move them to the middle shelf.
Nutrition
Catherine Wilde says
I like decadently chocolate brownies so as the last step after beating in the eggs I beat in 2 ounces of melted unsweetened chocolate to the batter. Delicious!
bailey says
Almost perfect, amazing flavor, exactly the amount of balance between good sweetness and chocolate richness, However, I would say that if your oven doesn’t get as hot like mine doesn’t, bake at a slightly higher temp or for an extra 5-8 mins, the center really didn’t solid up and is too wet for my liking. Maybe I messed up somewhere along the way, but I’ll continue to use this recipe regardless and adjust it. Thank you for such a yummy brownie🩷
Pattie P says
The best gooey chocolatey fudge brownies! So easy and delicious!
TM says
I think this is my favorite brownie recipe, thanks for this!
Jane says
These are by far THE best brownies I have ever made. Phenomenal recipe! I baked a batch for my husband to share with his co-workers and they got rave reviews. Thank you for sharing this – it will be my go-to recipe from now on 🥰
Sophie says
I often find myself underwhelmed with homemade brownies but finally I’ve found my perfect recipe and it’s this one! And it’s a one bowl recipe. Who could ask for more?
Rita Lahiri says
Thank you so much for sharing this recipe. Best fudgy brownie I have made. You tips on timing etc helped a lot. Thanks.
Padraic says
These are so good and easy to make. It’s best to double them because they are thin. It takes all of my self-restraint to not eat all of the batter. It’s actually horrible how amazing these are because I keep making them and I really ought to lose some weight…
Patricia Willard says
I was looking for a good fudgy brownie recipe and these did not disappoint. From now on this will be my go to brownie recipe. Taste very rich and fudgy.
Cat says
These are the best brownies. I am never baking brownies another way again. They taste like a chocolate lava cake! I used dutch cocoa and some bittersweet chips on top. Amazing.