Ditch the boxed brownie mix! These Cocoa Brownies mix up quickly and taste amazing, full of chocolately flavor without the junk.
These are a great afternoon snack, as well as a delicious Valentine’s Dessert. For an extra special treat, top them with Sweet Cream Cheese and Homemade Mocha Sauce.
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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.
Carla
“Mom, we’ve got all those bags of brownie mix. Can I make a batch?” Sure! Dessert compliments of the teen tonight! On another note, we must prefer fudgier brownies as I have to add 1/2 cup water to make them perfect for us.—-just fyi for anyone that finds the same thing. 🙂
Jessica Fisher
Water makes the fudgier? I had no idea! Thanks for the tip. Do you omit anything?
Carla
The box mix we use always called for oil, eggs, & water . . . so I figured it might be safe to add the water—glad I was right and didn’t ruin it. No other changes were made. LOL Glad to return the favor for a change. 🙂
Nia Hanna
These are so good. I love how fast they are to make and I didn’t even have they dry team mixed ahead of time. If I made a mix ahead, I fear it would be much TOO easy for me to indulge more often and at this point, thinking how I just enjoyed the last 3, that could be a bad thing for my body. Anyway thanks for sharing the recipe, it’s definitely a favorite!
Jessica Fisher
So glad you enjoyed them! They are too good, sometimes, eh?
melly123
Can’t wait to try this recipe! how many does it make?
Jessica Fisher
The recipe makes an 8-inch square.
Kathy
Yay! Free of partially hydrogenated oil!!!!! Gonna keep this in the pantry.
Claire
Love the simplicity of this recipe. I have everything in my pantry. I’m going to use carob powder instead of the cocoa. I use it all the time, tastes good. I plan on doubling the recipe for our family of 9 🙂 they like to eat, lol. Thank you for the recipe. Loving your series!!!!!
Jessica Fisher
Thanks for the great feedback. Sounds yummy!
Claire
Well…I made them last night. They were going to be our treat during family game night. I mixed the ingredients together & placed them in the oven. I set the timer & proceeded to clean up. About 10 min later i realized I didn’t put any sugar in them!!!! Ugh!! I ran to the oven & sprinkled some candy corn on top, which melted all over the top.
Out of the 9 of us only my 12 yr old son ate a whole brownie 🙂 he ate 3. Crazy kid!
I will be making these again, WITH sugar in the next few weeks 😀
Jessica Fisher
Sounds a little like the paleo brownie I made last night. It’s all memory-making, though.
ra
I made these the other night and was disappointed… pouring in the wet team made for a huge mud-ball of sorts. I had to basically shape it to fit in the pan; it wasn’t wet enough to settle/pour on it’s own. I verified the recipe to see if I’d done something wrong and it didn’t appear that I missed anything or flip-flopped amounts of ingredients. Nope!
Took them out at the appropriate time and ate them warm. They tasted delicious, albelit oily. By the time they cooled (and certainly the next day) they were very greasy, and grainy (which made me think “too much sugar”)! I’m going to try again and see what happens… maybe it was just a fluke.
Jessica
That does sound odd. I’ve made these hundreds of times. I typically add the dry to the wet and then fold very lightly. You don’t want to over mix. It should be thick, but not like you’re talking about. I hope it turns out better next time.
rachel
@Jessica,
Came out completely different the second time. Absolutely perfect.
The only thing I can think of is the cocoa powder… I used special dark the first time. Not that that should’ve made a difference, but it’s the only “different” item I used.
We’re headed to a friend’s house for dinner later in the week and I’m totally making a batch of these to take with us. Mmm!
brian
You over worked the batter
Erica
What would you use to substitute for the instant coffee? I have none on hand and am trying to avoid buying extra new groceries because of the pantry challenge!! Thanks!!
Jessica
@Erica, those mix-ins are totally optional. You don’t have to add them at all.
Erica
@Jessica, Sweet! I cannot wait to bake these up as mini muffins!
Dede
Made these yesterday – so much better than boxed. Even my husband, who hates chocolate, loved them 🙂 Thanks so much for the recipe.
Amanda
I am going to give this a try. I love the idea of saving money with the boxed mixes.
Caroline
Thanks for this wonderful shortcut, the brownies were a hit, I have 2 mix waitng in the pantry 😉
Lisa
I made these tonight at high altitude (8500 ft) and they didn’t need any modifications. Yum! (They came out chewy, just the way I like ’em!)
Becky
I made these tonight for Valentine’s Day and loved them! I was a little apprehensive thinking they might be too rich, but they were great!
Carolyn
Yum!!
I feel a brownie craving coming on!!
Amber
I made some with my daughter today and we tried them when they were still a bit warm and we LOVE them! delish! Definitely going to make up some mixes to have on hand! Thanks!
Lisa
What would be the baking time in the mini muffin tins?
Jessica
Try 10 minutes and then test. Sorry I didn’t keep a record of that. My bad.
FishMama
Yes, you can double it.
Chrissy
What temperature do I need to bake it at?
Jessica Fisher
350. The printable recipe has been fixed. Thanks for pointing out the typo.
Anonymous
I need a 9×13 size for my family…would you just double the amounts? Thanks
FishMama
Yes, you are getting it. You're making your own equivalent of the boxed brownie mix. ;
Becky
Jessica, I think she’s confused because the recipe says to put the wet team ingredients into a quart size ziploc bag. I think you meant to say the dry team. 🙂
Liz
Actually, it says to mark a bag with the wet ingredients and instructions (essentially putting the rest of the recipe on the bag, so you have it when you make them)!
azbaby24
Ok, so I am not quite getting it. Do you premix and store the dry team in the pantry and then the day of baking, make the the wet team??
dana
I had a recipe that you spread a jar of marshmallow fluff over the warm brownies. And you can top the fluff with chocolate frosting or eat as is. They are rich but really good.