Following on the heels of the all-purpose basic muffin recipe I posted for my daughter, here's a recipe for simple brownies made with self-rising flour. This is a one bowl recipe that fits an 8-inch square pan. It's perfect if you keep self-rising flour for biscuits and are looking for other ways to use it.
Self-rising flour is the hero of this recipe because it already contains baking powder and salt which cuts out the terribly burdensome task of mixing those three things. Just kidding, but it does save a few steps. But mostly it affects the structure. Brownies usually rely on eggs for structure, but here the self-rising flour makes them rise quickly then fall into place as they cool. And some brands of self-rising flour (like King Arthur) are made with a softer wheat, which makes them softer even though they hold their shape well.
Classic Cocoa Brownies
This particular recipe is for classic cocoa brownies, which means the chocolate flavor comes from cocoa powder rather than melted chocolate. The batter starts with melted butter and Dutch process cocoa powder for a deep chocolate flavor, followed by sugar, eggs, and vanilla. You stir the self-rising flour in at the end, along with a handful of chocolate chips for even more chocolate flavor and texture.
The result is a pan of brownies that rise up dramatically and cool down with soft centers and fudginess. They're not at all cakey, but they don't taste underbaked or like baked fudge either.
Variations
The point of this recipe is simplicity and using self-rising flour, but that doesn't mean you can't improvise. Here are some variations.
- For really dark brownies, take out 2 tablespoons of Dutch process cocoa and add 2 tablespoons of black cocoa.
- Use European style butter like Plugra for even richer tasting brownies.
- Try using Watkins clear vanilla extract instead of pure. It adds a different kind of vanilla flavor.
- Add a ¼ teaspoon of espresso powder in with the cocoa powder.
- Use a mix of different chocolate chips. I used Ghirardelli semisweet and bittersweet for the batch in the photos.
Recipe
Simple Brownies with Self-Rising Flour
Ingredients
- ½ cup unsalted butter, Plugra works well (114 grams)
- 8 tablespoons Dutch process cocoa powder (48 grams)
- 1 ¼ cups sugar (250 grams)
- 3 large eggs, cold
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- ¾ cup self-rising flour (100 grams)
- ¾ cup bittersweet chocolate chips
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease an 8-inch square pan and line with parchment paper or foil.
- Melt the butter in a microwave-safe bowl or small saucepan. Add the cocoa powder and stir until smooth.
- Add the sugar and return to heat for about 30 seconds, then stir to dissolve sugar. Let stand for 5 minutes.
- With a whisk or a heavy duty scraper, add the eggs one at a time, beating vigorously after each addition. Whisk or stir in the vanilla.
- Stir in the flour. If mixture is warm, let cool slightly, then add some of the chocolate chips.
- Scrape the batter into the prepared pan, spread evenly, and sprinkle remaining chocolate chips on the top. Tap the pan lightly on the counter to bring air bubbles to the top.
- Bake for about 35 minutes. The batter will rise to the top of the pan and the brownies will be very jiggly and appear underdone. You can pull them at 35 minutes at which point the internal temperature should be at 205 and a meat thermometer probe will have very fudgy almost batter-like brownie on it, not moist crumbs. This is due to the eggs. The brownies should set up as they cool.
- Let cool for about 20 minutes at room temperature, then remove from the pan and transfer to the freezer to finish cooling. Remove from the freezer and slice while partially frozen. Or just leave them alone until you are ready to slice them. They hold together well, the freezer just speeds things up.
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