Ditch the boxed brownie mix! These Cocoa Brownies mix up quickly and taste amazing, full of chocolately flavor without the junk.
I love brownies. But, frankly I consider it ridiculous what they charge for a box of brownie mix. I rarely find it worth the price even with a coupon. Instead I make my own mixes.
In fact, when I’m really on my game, I make several batches of brownie mixes at once to stash in the pantry. Then we have a supply of brownie mix without the preservatives and other junk the big brands add.
This recipe for Cocoa Brownies is super easy to mix up, no fancy ingredients. No junk.
What ingredients do you need to make homemade cocoa brownies?
- sugar
- all purpose flour
- cocoa powder
- baking powder
- salt
- vegetable oil
- eggs
- vanilla extract
Can I use hot chocolate instead of cocoa powder instead of brownies?
You can. However hot chocolate mix already has sugar in it, so you would want to cut back on the sugar in the recipe.
Can you make brownies with butter instead of oil?
You absolutely can. You can replace all of the oil with melted butter .
One brownie recipe – many variations
One of the things I love about it — besides being able to make it into a mix — is that you can doctor it up in many different ways.
- Want peppermint brownies? No problem. Stir in peppermint extract and peppermint candies.
- Craving a little mocha flavor? Stir in some instant coffee or espresso powder?
- Care for a little south of the border flare? Mix in cinnamon and nuts.
There are really no limits to what you add to cocoa brownies. I tried it this past week with marshmallows and chocolate chips stirred in. I wasn’t sure what would happen. I can now safely report that it’s not a great idea. The marshmallows kind of melt and don’t give it that rocky road texture I was hoping for. In case you were wondering.
Can I freeze brownies?
Brownies are excellent for brown bagging, gift giving, and afternoon snacking. If you want something even quicker than a brownie mix, bake up your brownies. Cool them completely and cut into squares. Then store them in an airtight container. Store them in the freezer so they are ready when you are.
Hint: they are really good still cold, so you don’t have to wait for them to completely thaw. Yum!
Tools that I use for my brownie baking:
- stainless steel mixing bowls
- wooden spoons
- rubber spatula
- parchment paper – line the pan with this so the brownies don’t stick
- Pyrex 8-inch square baking dish – this one comes with the lid so that you can store the brownies in the pan.
Cocoa Brownies
Ingredients
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- ⅔ cup unbleached, all-purpose flour
- ⅔ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup neutral oil
- 2 egg
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- mix-ins for brownies choose 2 or 3: ¼ cup chopped walnuts, chocolate chips, M&Ms; 2 teaspoons instant coffee or espresso powder; ¼ teaspoon cinnamon
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350. Grease an 8-inch square pan or line it with parchment paper.
- Place the oil, eggs, and vanilla extract in a large mixing bowl and stir to blend. Add the sugar, flour, cocoa, baking powder, and salt to the wet mixture. Stir gently to combine. Fold in mix-ins, if using. Spoon the batter into the prepared baking pan.
- Bake until a tester comes out with few crumbs attached, about 25 to 30 minutes. Cool. Cut into squares. Brownies can be wrapped in plastic wrap and stored in a ziptop freezer bag in the freezer for up to 2 months. or layered between waxed paper in an airtight container.
- If preparing this as a mix, mark a quart-size ziptop bag with the wet ingredients and baking instructions. Combine the dry ingredients in a bag and seal. Store in the pantry until ready to use. Store the mix in the freezer for longer shelf life.
Irene
Hi there
If I want to substitute maple syrup for the sugar, will I use an equal amount?
Jessica Fisher
When you swap in maple syrup, the texture changes dramatically. I tried during a sugar fast and the result was this cupcake recipe. Very good, but not very brownie like.
Irene
Awesome! Thank you. I’ll give them a try.
Nicola
HiThank you Jessica Fisher, I just searched for a simple recipe and yours came up so I tried this recipe with gluten free (Dove’s farm self raising flour) I’m in UK, I needed it gffor me and not used to cups but had a set given to me at Christmas and found it was lovely.
I used some additions of mixed peel and cinnamon ( could only taste cinnamon cos needed a bit more perhaps peel)
I tried it because Our rainbow guide group (like daisy girlscouts) asked to bake brownies on zoom, so we are going to do this on Monday!
It should be fun this is the third time they have done baking over zoom! but wish us luck, it came out really rich I enjoyed it so I hope they will. maybe have a second slice with a cup of tea this afternoon after a walk.
Jessica Fisher
Yay! So glad the recipe worked well for you.
Sarah
These are good. I substituted a stick of butter (1/2 cup) for the oil since…well…butter. Also, chopped up a half of a dark chocolate bar languishing in the pantry and threw that in at the end. I’m at altitude and I baked them in a 9″ round cake pan at 350 for 30 minutes. Cut into wedges, it looks fancy-schmancy. Just took a leftover out of the fridge and nuked it for dessert. Yum.
Jessica Fisher
Sounds like your adaptations are fantastic. Kudos!
Susie
I recently discovered a simple technique of letting the cocoa “bloom” to enhance the chocolate flavor. Just warm the oil in the microwave slightly 20-40 seconds, then mix in the cocoa and let the mixture sit for 10 minutes. Treat the chocolate mixture like a wet ingredient and follow the regular direction. I really liked the results!
Kayw
Can you use gluten free flour, and which one do you prefer, plain I guess
Jessica Fisher
Yes, plain. Most gf blends are extra sweet, so you may want to reduce the amount of sugar just a tad.
Catherine
I really love the sound of this recipe, especially as you can make up a dry mix in advance! I’m so sorry, could you give the amounts in grams, I find it difficult to work out cup sizes etc!
Jessica Fisher
I would have to google that as well. I imagine you can find a converter online for that. I don’t ever cook in grams. Sorry. 🙁
Hannah
Is the baking powder necessary?? 🙂
Jessica Fisher
Yes.
Kelly
Do you know how badly I want brownies right now??!
Jessica Fisher
I hope you made some!
Sarah
Like a previous commenter, I attempted this with Hershey’s Special Dark cocoa and ended up with insanely thick batter. I had followed everything to a T, so as for food science I have no idea why it happened. I added enough liquid (milk) to get the batter closer to the texture I thought it should have (a little thicker than a boxed mix, but still spreadable) and increased the bake time. The result was fudgy, incredibly moist, satisfyingly chocolatey brownies that my son declared the best he ever tasted!
Jessica Fisher
Well, I’m glad you arrived at the right spot, even if it took a little work to get it there! I had some weird results with other recipes when I used special dark. I wonder why….