I have a confession to make. I kind of like boxed brownies. They’re fudgy on the inside with slightly crispy edges. They take almost no time to make and you can eat them warm from the oven.
But I also hate relying on box for something so simple as a brownie. These are amazing little wonders. They’re also super quick to mix up and amazingly good. Like the box, but with far more flavor. Perfect crispy edges and fudgy centers. Oh me oh my.
You can definitely use a single Dutch process cocoa for these guys, but I really encourage you to use a mix of half Dutch process and half black cocoa. Black cocoa has this amazingly dark chocolatey flavor that intensifies the chocolatey-goodness of whatever you’re making. I get mine from King Arthur, but it can be found on Amazon as well.
fudgy brownies
adapted from Mel’s Kitchen Cafe
for a 9×13 inch pan*
2 ½ sticks of butter
2 ½ cups sugar
¾ cup unsweetened cocoa powder (Dutch-process)
1 cup black cocoa powder (it’s fine to substitute unsweetened cocoa powder for the black cocoa)
1 tsp coarse salt
2 tsp vanilla extract
4 large eggs
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 tsp espresso powder
Preheat the oven to 325°F. Line your baking dish with parchment paper and spray with cooking spray.
In a microwave-safe bowl, combine sugar, butter, cocoa powders, espresso powder, and salt. Microwave in 1 minute intervals, stirring between rounds, until the butter has melted. It will look gritty. Set aside for a few minutes until the batter is no longer hot. Mix in the eggs, stirring to incorporate fully. Add vanilla and flour. Stir until your arm feels as though it might fall off. Mel advises 40 times. Really though, I don’t know that it matters much, as long as the ingredients are fully mixed.
Bake for about 30 minutes, until a tester toothpick comes out clean.
*This can easily be cut in half for an 8×8 inch square baking dish. Just bake for less time: 20-25 minutes.
brownie photo bomb!
oopie belle 