The Best Chunky Fudgy Brownies with Cocoa Powder

Craving rich and decadent fudgy brownies? Look no further, my friend, because this homemade brownie recipe with cocoa powder is SUPER fudgy, delicious, and easy to make!

I can’t think of anything more heavenly than one of these brownies fresh from the oven with melted bits of chocolate in each bite.

That’s right, we are getting a double dose of chocolate, with cocoa powder in the batter AND chocolate chunks folded into the batter. So epic, you’re going to need a tall glass of milk.

Fudgy Brownie Recipe with Cocoa Powder

If you’ve only ever made brownies from the box but want to make them from scratch, this recipe is the perfect one to make the switch.

These homemade brownies come together in one bowl and use unsweetened cocoa powder instead of baking chocolate with milk and sugar. Cocoa powder is pure chocolate, so the brownies have a more intense flavor, and you don’t have to melt baking chocolate in a double broiler.

That means less clean-up and time between you and fresh-baked brownies.

Fudgy Brownie Ingredients

Here’s everything you need to make the best brownies on Earth: 

• butter: gives brownies a moist and lighter texture. 
• white sugar and brown sugar: the white and brown sugar combination adds a touch of depth you can’t get from the box. It’s the molasses in the brown sugar.
• large eggs: to help bind the ingredients. 
• vanilla extract: for flavor! 
• all-purpose flour: gives the brownies structure, but you don’t need as much since we are making this recipe with cocoa powder. 
• cocoa powder: use regular unsweetened cocoa powder or Dutch-process cocoa powder. 
• salt: enhances the sweetness and chocolate flavor. 
• chocolate chunks: at the very end, we stir in chopped chocolate from a block or semi-sweet chocolate chips into the batter, so each brownie has flecks of melted chocolate in every bite- oooh boy! 

How to Make Chunky Fudgy Brownies

Now we get to the good part, where we make delicious homemade brownies with chocolate chunks! 

1. Get the oven hot
   Preheat the oven to 350F, line an 8×12 or 9×13 baking pan with parchment paper and grease the uncovered ends.
2. Grab a large mixing bowl
   In the bowl, mix melted butter and sugar with a whisk. Add the eggs and vanilla, and combine until the eggs are fully incorporated into the mixture.
3. Add the dry ingredients
   To the wet ingredients, add flour, cocoa powder, and salt. Lightly whisk the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients until they’ve just been incorporated.
4. Add more chocolate
   Fold most of the chocolate chunks or chips into the batter. Pour the batter into the lined baking pan, spread it evenly with a spatula, and sprinkle the remaining chocolate chips over the top.
5. Into the oven they go! 
   Bake for 30 minutes or until the center of the brownies are just set.
6. Treat yourself! 
   Remove the pan from the oven and allow the brownies to cool down to room temperature. Slice into 16 squares, grab a brownie or two, and indulge! 

If you happen to have leftovers, you can store these brownies in an airtight container for up to 3 days. Watch this short video to see these epic brownies come together.

Where Does the Fudginess Come From?

Brownies get their fudginess from using less flour and no baking powder.
Flour adds structure while the baking powder helps the batter rise and gives the brownies a cake-like texture.

But that’s not why you’re here.

You’re here because you want gooey, dense squares of chocolate heaven. In order to achieve that, we skip the baking powder for this recipe and reduce the flour to only 1 cup.

No worries, the unsweetened cocoa powder, and flour, combined add enough structure for the brownies to hold together, but just barely.

What Size Pan To Use for Brownies?

I like to use an 8 x 12-inch pan for thick, moist brownies. However, you can also use a 9 x 13-inch baking pan, but the brownies will be thinner, and you’ll need to reduce the baking time by 5 minutes. 

How to Know when These Fudgy Brownies are Done

We want fudgy, chewy brownies, not cake-like brownies, so it’s important not to overbake the batter. Here are a few visual cues that help indicate when it’s time to remove that pan of brownies from the oven: 

• a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out with moist brownie crumbs. Once removed from the oven, the brownies will continue to cook until they completely cool off. 
• the edges are crisp, and the center is just set.
• the top is shiny and cracked. 

Don’t overmix the batter
You want the batter to be just combined, with no large clumps of flour and cocoa powder. 

Set a timer
To reduce any chance of overbaking, aka- tough brownies, set a timer for 5 minutes less than the recipe’s bake time so you can check for doneness. In this case, it will be 25 minutes. This gives you a little wiggle room. 

Let them cool down before slicing
Hot out of the oven, and these brownies are barely holding together. As they cool, they will continue to cook and ‘set’ so you can slice them without plowing through all your hard work. 

Use melted butter
Melted butter will melt the sugar and give those brownies that shiny, crackled top we all love to see. 

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