Just when I think I've found the perfect fudge brownies, another good recipe comes along. These easy cocoa powder fudge brownies are from a recipe that originally appeared on the back of the King Arthur Flour bag. The brownies are somewhere in between fudgy and cakey, but lean toward fudgy. They call for cocoa powder, so you don't have to melt any chocolate, and a combination of oil and butter, which helps give the brownies a chewy texture.
One Bowl Brownies
The brownies are made in one bowl and they really do come together quickly. Plus using one bowl makes clean-up easier. You can use any mixing bowl, but if you have a stand mixer you might want to use the stand mixer bowl and paddle, because the batter is thick! I stirred this batch by hand with a spatula scraper and a lot of regret. Getting all that flour mixed in took some elbow grease and I have weak little arms. Maybe not so weak after stirring these.
Original Back of the Bag Cocoa Powder Brownies
Here's a link to the original version of this recipe from the back of a King Arthur flour bag. There are lots of reviews from people saying they cut the sugar. When you cut the sugar in a brownie recipe you've basically created a new brownie recipe. This one needs the full amount of sugar to offset the amount of cocoa powder, flour and eggs and keep the chewiness. If you happen to prefer a less sweet brownie, I recommend trying a different recipe.
More Notes
This recipe has been here for a while, but it's still one I go back to. I cut the salt slightly to ¼ teaspoon (Morton kosher) which is still plenty. I also like to slip some black cocoa into the mix. The pan sizes have changed over time. The original calls for a 9x13 inch pan and baking at 375 for 25 minutes. I have used a 9-inch pan, reduced the heat to 350F and baked longer (about 40 minutes) for thicker brownies.
Recipe
Easy Cocoa Brownies aka King Arthur Bag Quick & Easy Brownies
Ingredients
- 1 cup all-purpose flour (126 grams)
- ¾ cup unsweetened cocoa powder, natural or Dutch (64 grams)
- 2 cups granulated sugar (390 grams)
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt or table salt
- ¼ teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon espresso powder or coffee extract
- 3 large eggs room temperature
- 8 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and cooled slightly (114 grams)
- ¼ cup vegetable oil (50 grams)
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- ½ cup bittersweet chocolate chips or chopped chocolate optional
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Line a 9x12 or 9x13 inch pan with foil and grease the foil or just grease the pan. For thicker brownies, use a 9-inch square pan and preheat to 350 degrees F.
- Stir the flour, cocoa powder, sugar, salt, baking powder and espresso powder (if using) together in a large mixing bowl.
- Add the eggs, butter, oil and vanilla and beat on low speed or by hand with a heavy duty scraper (the batter will be thick) just until well blended. Stir in chocolate chips or chocolate pieces if using.
- Bake at 375 degrees F for about 25 minutes for the 9x13 inch pan or up to 32 to 40 at 350F if using a 9-inch square pan.
- Let cool completely, then lift from the pan and serve. If desired, chill before serving.
Anna says
Thanks for the comment, Kat!
kat says
Thanks for posting as I accidentally tossed my King Arthur bag. I do like mine with 1/2 cup less sugar, though. I think that recipe modification is really no different than modifying the pan size/temp/baking time. Do what makes your mouth happy! I also use regular ground espresso, not "instant" as it calls for. Is instant espresso powder even a thing? I put ground espresso in my espresso maker and within a minute I have an espresso. That seems pretty "instant" to me!
Terry says
Anna, they are delicious as I expected them to be! I've never made melted chocolate brownies, always done cocoa based ones. My original recipe is probably at my moms house, I can't seem to locate it here. I remember it had shortening in it. It was a recipe I got in 4-H, many (m a n y) moons ago! I really need to get it, and try half oil, half butter instead of the shortening. I remember them to be fudgy inside too. Oh, and the 9 X 13 keeps us from eating too much! I gave half the pan to my sister and her boyfriend, along with a loaf of your chocolate bread. They should be in chocolate heaven by now...ha ha
Anna says
Terry, report back! My family liked them a lot. I think my daughter likes these cocoa based brownies better than melted chocolate baked brownies. The sugar makes them chewy and the butter keeps them soft. Your brown sugar version should be great. The original version called for a 9x13 inch pan anyway. I just like thicker brownies.
Terry says
Sugar? Did someone say sugar? Ha! I replaced 1/2 cup with brown sugar, and I tasted the batter....yum!! They have a few more minutes to go....I can't wait! I don't have a 9" square pan, so I opted for using my pampered chefs 9 X 13 stoneware pan. Decreased the oven temp and the cooking time...so we shall see!! Oh, and no coffee drinkers here...so none of that in my brownies! Heehee...
Sue says
I think I remember making these using the recipe from the side of the bag and we liked them a lot. Thanks for the reminder. I'm going to pick up the missing ingredients and make them again. My husband will be thrilled.
I hope you get good feedback from school. So many people are used to eating brownies made from a box mix.
Angie says
I cut this recipe off of a bag of King Arthur flour years ago. I've used it many times. I've doubled the recipe and baked them in a 9 x 13 pan for a fudgy and thick brownie. I usually add walnuts as well. It never occurred to me to bake them in a smaller pan! I love the recipe and I agree they are easy to make!
Katrina says
Yummy! sigh
Carol says
I just recently pinned a brownie recipe with both oil and butter. I have made a lot of brownies but never with that combination. I can't wait to give your recipe a try!