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4.95 from 454 votes

Best Fudgy Cocoa Brownies

The Best, Fudgy ONE BOWL Cocoa Brownies! A special addition gives these brownies a super fudgy centre without losing that crispy, crackly top!
FOR THICKER DOUBLE BATCH BROWNIES: USE THIS RECIPE!
Prep Time10 minutes
Cook Time20 minutes
Total Time30 minutes
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Keyword: Best Fudgy Cocoa Brownies, Cocoa Brownies, Fudgy Brownies
Servings: 16 brownies
Calories: 143kcal
Author: Karina

Ingredients

  • ½ cup unsalted butter melted and HOT
  • 1 tablespoon cooking oil olive oil or coconut oil are fine
  • 1 ⅛ 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
US - Metric

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

*Regular white, granulated, sugar can be used if you can't find caster sugar. For even fudgier brownies, use half white and half light brown sugar!
TIPS AND TRICKS:
  • Hot melted butter: Creates those crackly 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 is crucial for that crackly top and helps to incorporate air, giving the brownies structure.
  • Do not over-beat: Once the flour and cocoa powder are added, do not over-beat your 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.

Nutrition

Calories: 143kcal | Carbohydrates: 19g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 8g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 2g | Trans Fat: 0.2g | Cholesterol: 39mg | Sodium: 47mg | Potassium: 56mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 14g | Vitamin A: 211IU | Calcium: 9mg | Iron: 1mg