One Bowl Brownies aren't flashy, but they are very good and definitely worth trying -- especially if you have some top quality cocoa powder on hand. I happened to have a can of Scharffen Berger natural cocoa powder which I brought back from San Francisco. This recipe put it to good use. The one bowl brownies are rich and kind of chewy – not too fudgy and not too cakey either. Plus they’re sturdy enough to be wrapped individually for bake sales or lunch boxes. I will definitely make these again.
Update: I still make these cocoa brownies. They're pretty relaxing to put together when stress-baking because everything is just stirred together in one bowl. I use a Pampered Chef Batter Bowl which I purchased from a friend at a PC party. And even though the recipe is called One Bowl Cocoa Brownies, you can make them in a 3 quart saucepan instead.
A Sweet & Salty Tip
Here's a tip you may want to try if you like your sweets a little salty. It's from Tucker Shaw at America's Test Kitchen. When making the brownies, grease the bottom of the pan and sprinkle some coarse salt evenly over the greased pan. Skip it if your taste buds aren't inclined to the sweet & salty, but definitely try it if sounds appealing. It really adds something to any batch of brownies.
Recipe
One Bowl Cocoa Brownies
Ingredients
- 12 T. unsalted butter 1 ½ sticks or 6 oz/170 grams
- 1 ⅔ cups granulated sugar (320 grams)
- ¾ cup unsweetened cocoa powder, natural (60 grams)
- 1 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract
- 3 large eggs
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- 1 ⅓ cup all purpose flour (170 grams)
- 12 walnut halves optional
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a 13x9 inch metal pan or line it with parchment or foil. If using foil, spray the foil with cooking spray.
- Melt the butter in a microwave-safe mixing bowl. Whisk in the sugar, then whisk in the cocoa powder, followed by the vanilla extract and eggs. When mixture is smooth, add salt and baking powder and whisk thoroughly, breaking up any lumps in baking powder and taking care that it is thoroughly distributed. Scrape sides of bowl and stir (do not beat) in the flour. Pour into pan and spread to edges. Arrange nuts over top.
- Bake on center rack of oven for 22-25 minutes or until toothpick inserted comes out with moist crumbs. Cool completely and chill before slicing.
- Makes 12 or 16 (depends on how big you cut them)
Anna says
Thanks Heidi! I hope the teachers enjoy them. I need to bake a batch, too. I just bought a huge canister of really good cocoa powder.
Heidi says
Still my favorite brownie for a crowd. I've made these probably 20 times, and will be making them again for Teacher Appreciation Day tomorrow night. 🙂
Catharina says
I made these last weekend and they were so great! I was a little worried, because it seemed like they rose so much in the oven, but they turned out delicious and looked a lot like in your photo. The perfect recipe to have on hand if you live in a country that doesn't have decent brownie mixes, as I do.
krista says
i've been searching for a brownie recipe that lives up to my husbands love for brownies from a boxed mix - this one was pretty good!!!
i used organic fair-trade cocoa powder from cocoa camino and it was delicious!
i was wondering if i could reduce the amount of flour a bit to make them slightly fudgier? would they still turn out? i'm assuming that baking them less wouldn't help since they'd just be undercooked...
thanks for a yummy recipe!
Anna says
Glass and metal conduct heat differently, so your results might not be quite the same is you use a glass pan. BUT don't let that stop you. Some people use glass pans exclusively. I think the trick is to reduce the heat by 25 degrees. Metal conducts heat better than glass, so I think cooking the brownies at a lower, slower heat keeps the crust from browning too quickly. If you bake the brownies at 350, there's a chance you'll get really crusty brownies with soft (if you are lucky!) or undercookied (boo!) centers.
It would be great if you could use the glass pan and let us know how it worked out.
Yum-Yum says
Do you have to use a metal baking pan? I have glass baking dishes of various sizes. Cooking newbie here... I would love to make my first batch of [easy] brownies!!
FFichiban says
Yeah thhhxx oh well :'( shall try again some other time and make it better then!
Anna says
Sounds like you either packed too much flour into the measuring cup or over-baked.
FFichiban says
Hey Anna,
Thanks for the recipe but mine turned out a bit dry 🙁 so what could have gone wrong? Did I bake too long or something? Help pleaseeee
mariah says
These were best recieved by the family member who likes brownies the least...LOL. We all liked them, but both me and my 9 year old brownie expert agree the shiny topped dark chocolate brownies are better. I got that recipe here too....I think it was a KA recipe..
Anyhow, my H who has very recently returned from deployment enjoyed them immensely. He said having me in the kitchen is way better than stealing cheesecakes from the mess hall.
Anna, thanks again.
mariah says
Gosh you are FAST! These are in the oven now (9x9). My family likes THICK brownies....as soon as my H heard the cocoa can pop open he came running in the kitchen like a dog after bacon....ROFL.
Thanks again for a new recipe.
Anna says
Hi Mariah,
It's hard to say. First off, I'd go with the 9x9 inch pan because I think the 8x8 inch pan might make them a little TOO thick. I'm guessing in a 9 inch pan, the full recipe would take between 28-32 minutes.
mariah says
If y ou were to make these in an 8x8 or a 9x9 pan (to make them thicker) how long would you go on the baking?
Thanks!
Anna says
Hi Carol,
Thanks for asking! It's always good to double-check and I'm not a perfect typist. However, 1 1/2 sticks of butter is 12 tablespoons -- at least in America. I'm not sure where you live, but I think it may be different in other countries.
1 stick = 4 oz
4 oz = 8 tablespoons
Becca A says
These are awesome! I'm bringing them into work tomorrow before I eat the whole pan!
Anna says
Giz, I'm in a keep-it-simple mood too. Sometimes I tend to make-it-too-complicated ;).
Katrina, thanks for posting your results with the mixed cocoa powders. I think you may be onto something!
Lucy, that's great that you are so close! Maybe all you need is a better cocoa powder or a bit less sugar or maybe sub some brown sugar for the white? You might have to go to Rhode Island and get one of those brownies so you can do a side by side taste test.
Lucy says
My husband's favorite brownies are from a bakery in Rhode Island, where he grew up. Although we've been married 13 years, I've only made it a quest to duplicate those brownies in the past couple of months. I made these last night and you know what? They are darn close! So close that I don't think I'll keep trying...I might just play with different types of cocoa and maybe mixing the light & dark. The RI brownies are more dense, I actually like that these are lighter. Thanks for another great recipe, Anna!
Katrina says
These ARE really good. I actually liked mine with the 1/4 cup regular cocoa and the 1/2 cup Hershey's dark.
So easy and great!
giz says
The one bowl is great - I'm so into keeping it simple. They look just great with enough for a taste and not so much that you feel like you knocked out your chocolate allotment for a year.
Anna says
I sometimes mix the Hershey dark with natural too. Can't wait to hear what you think!
These remind me of a popular brownie here in Austin called Mrs. Butters' Brownies. They're not quite as thick as MB's, but they have a similar texture.
Katrina says
I've made the brownies. They are cooling. I'm bummed because I didn't have as much cocoa as I'd thought, so used 1/4 cup Hershey's cocoa and 1/2 cup Hershey's Special Dark Cocoa (which I think is way too "dark"/rich, whatever, but we'll see, they look good! I added about 3/4 cup semi sweet chocolate chips.
Erin Mylroie says
Your pictures are looking so pretty.
Anna says
Lisa, I looked at a billion recipes and it all came back to brownies ;).
Katrina, I think the Hershey's cocoa would be fine. I'd like to know how you think these stack up to the other one bowl brownies. I liked these a little better.
Ling, thanks!!! It's 12 tablespoons not 12 ounces. I have been a terrible typist this week. So it's 12 T. or 3/4 cup or 1 1/2 sticks or 6 oz :).
ling says
Hi Anna, these brownies sound good... "not too fudgy and not too cakey"... just the type I like. Just to check... is it 12 oz butter or 1 1/2 sticks (6 oz)? Thanks. Can't wait to try this recipe.
Katrina says
I was wondering when you were going to use that cocoa I'd seen in your picture! Someone just told me they could use some brownies. I just have plain old Hershey's cocoa, do you think it will still be good? Brownies seem to be "the thing" right now. I bought stuff to make those Butterfinger Blondies again from Recipe Girl, to give away. These look yummy!
Lisa Ernst says
I always welcome another brownie recipe!