Recipe: Cocoa Brownies

Now you may be wondering why I felt the need to post another brownie recipe when I have a perfectly great one here. Well, I’ve kept stumbling across brownie recipes that use cocoa powder rather than bar chocolate, and that made me curious how different cocoa brownies would taste. I was worried that using cocoa powder would lead to cakier brownies because in my mind melted chocolate = fudgy.

these may or may not last long

How wrong I was. Not to mention the rich depth of cocoa’s taste…I may never go back to melted chocolate (though Michaela’s brownies will always hold a special place in my heart). These brownies have been blogged on many different sites across the Interwebs with hardly any variation — for consistency’s sake, I’ll attribute my adaptation to smitten kitchen. Make these now and try not to crumble to the floor in amazement.

Cocoa Brownies (adapted from this recipe)

Ingredients

• 10 tbsp (140g) unsalted butter
• 1-1.25 cups sugar (I used just over 1 cup and the brownies were plenty sweet)
• 3/4 cup + 2 tbsp cocoa powder
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 3/4 tsp vanilla
• 2 cold eggs
• 1/2 cup flour
• optional: 1/3 cup walnuts

Procedure

• Preheat the oven to 325F (160C). Line a baking pan with parchment paper.
• Combine the butter through salt in a microwave-safe bowl and microwave for 40-50 seconds. Stir to incorporate the melted butter and bring everything together.
• Beat two eggs with the vanilla in a mixing bowl and add the chocolate mix. Stir until combined, then vigorously beat in the flour.
• Fold in the walnuts (if using), and bake 20-25′. Let cool before cutting (stick them in the fridge to speed the cooling process).

a small piece goes a long way

Enjoy!