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Brownies · Fudgy One-Bowl

Fudgy One-Bowl Cocoa Brownies

Dense, fudgy brownies with a shiny, crackly top, made from cocoa and pantry staples in a single saucepan. Fast to make and easy to clean up, so they are a great first bake.

New, no ratings yet0 reviewsby Simmerbee Kitchen

Prep
15 min
Cook
28 min
Total
2 hr 45 min
Serves
16 squares
Level
Easy
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Ingredients

  • ½ cup unsalted butter, 1 stick (113 g)
    Swaps for unsalted butter

    Instead of butter

    • Salted butter: The same amount, with about ¼ tsp less salt per stick (½ cup) elsewhere in the recipe. Nothing noticeable once you cut the salt.
    • Plant-based butter sticks: The same amount. The closest swap.
    • Refined coconut oil: The same amount: solid when the butter is soft or cold, melted when it is melted. It is all fat, so bakes are a bit more tender and rich, with no butter flavor.

    All 4 swaps for butter

    Cooking for an allergy? Check every label.

  • 2 tbsp vegetable oil
    Swaps for vegetable oil

    Instead of vegetable oil

    • Another neutral oil: The same amount. No difference.
    • Melted butter: The same amount. Richer, buttery flavor; cakes are a little less moist and firmer once cool.
    • Light olive oil: The same amount. "Light" olive oil tastes mild.

    All 4 swaps for vegetable oil

  • 1 cup granulated sugar, 200 g
    Swaps for granulated sugar

    Instead of sugar

    • Less sugar: Up to ¼ less in cookies, muffins and quick breads. Less browning and spread, a drier, more cake-like texture, and bakes go stale sooner.
    • Brown sugar: The same amount, packed. Moister and chewier, with a caramel flavor and darker color.
    • Coconut sugar: The same amount. Darker and caramel-like, a little less sweet; cookies spread slightly less.

    All 4 swaps for sugar

  • ¼ cup brown sugar, packed (53 g)
    Swaps for brown sugar

    Instead of brown sugar

    • White sugar + molasses: 1 cup granulated sugar + 1 tbsp molasses (light) or 2 tbsp (dark). The same as store-bought.
    • White sugar: The same amount. Crisper, paler cookies with less caramel flavor.
    • Light and dark brown sugar: The same amount, either way. Dark brown sugar tastes stronger and makes bakes a bit darker and moister.

    All 4 swaps for brown sugar

  • ⅔ cup unsweetened cocoa powder, 57 g
    Swaps for unsweetened cocoa powder

    Instead of cocoa powder

    • Natural and Dutch-process cocoa: The same amount. Swap freely when the recipe uses baking powder.
    • Unsweetened chocolate: 1 oz melted unsweetened chocolate for each 3 tbsp cocoa; cut the butter or oil by 1 tbsp. Fudgier and richer.
    • Carob powder: The same amount. Caffeine-free and naturally sweet, but it tastes like carob, not chocolate.

    More for cocoa powder

  • ½ tsp kosher salt
    Swaps for kosher salt

    Instead of salt

    • Table salt or fine sea salt: About half as much as Diamond Crystal kosher, about ¾ as much as Morton kosher. The same saltiness when measured this way.
    • Salt by weight: 1 tsp is about 6 grams of table salt, 5 grams of Morton kosher, 3 grams of Diamond Crystal kosher. The most reliable way to swap, especially in baking and brines.

    More for salt

  • 2 large eggs, cold is fine
    Swaps for eggs

    Instead of eggs

    • Flax egg: 1 tbsp ground flaxseed + 3 tbsp water for each egg. Binds well but gives less lift, so bakes are a little denser and flatter, with a mild nutty taste and brown flecks.
    • Chia egg: 1 tbsp chia seeds + 3 tbsp water for each egg. Works like a flax egg: good binding, little lift, slightly denser crumb.
    • Unsweetened applesauce: ¼ cup for each egg. Moister and denser, with a soft, slightly gummy crumb if you swap more than one egg.

    All 5 swaps for eggs

    Cooking for an allergy? Check every label.

  • 2 tsp vanilla extract
    Swaps for vanilla extract

    Instead of vanilla extract

    • Vanilla bean paste: The same amount. Stronger, with visible vanilla seeds.
    • Vanilla bean: The seeds of 1 bean for each 1 tbsp extract. A deeper, floral flavor and visible seeds.
    • Alcohol-free vanilla: The same amount. Made with glycerin; a slightly milder taste.

    All 5 swaps for vanilla extract

  • ½ cup all-purpose flour, spooned and leveled (63 g)
    Swaps for all-purpose flour

    Instead of all-purpose flour

    • Gluten-free 1:1 baking flour: The same amount, a blend that includes xanthan gum. A little grittier and more crumbly, browns faster and dries out sooner.
    • Bread flour: The same amount. More gluten: chewier cookies and bread, tougher cakes.
    • Whole wheat flour: Up to half of the flour. Nuttier, darker and denser.

    All 4 swaps for all-purpose flour

    Cooking for an allergy? Check every label.

  • ½ cup semisweet chocolate chips (optional) ≈ 84 g
    Swaps for semisweet chocolate chips

    Instead of chocolate and chocolate chips

    • Semisweet and bittersweet: The same amount, either way. Bittersweet is less sweet and more intense; semisweet is milder and sweeter.
    • Chopped bar chocolate for chips: The same weight (a 12 oz bag of chips is about 2 cups). Melty puddles and streaks instead of neat chips.
    • Chips for bar chocolate when melting: The same weight. Chips melt thicker and less smoothly, so ganache and glazes are a bit stiffer.

    All 4 swaps for chocolate and chocolate chips

Different pan? Written for 8x8-inch square; rescale the amounts for an 8x8, 9x13, round, loaf or sheet pan.

Cooking for a crowd? Pans, timing and salt for 12 to 50.

Missing something? Tap Swaps next to an ingredient, or see all substitutions.

Steps

Kid helper. A child can do steps 5, 6, 7 and 8: no knife, no heat. Steps marked “Grown-up” use a knife or heat. Cooking with kids

  1. Heat the oven to 350°F (175°C).
    Line (how to line a pan) Line a pan Cover the bottom (and sometimes sides) of a pan with parchment or foil so food doesn't stick and lifts out easily. 1. For a sheet pan, tear parchment the size of the pan and lay it flat.2. For a round cake pan, trace the bottom on parchment, cut the circle out and press it in.3. For brownies and bars, leave two long sides hanging over to make handles (a "sling").4. A little grease under the paper holds it in place. Done when: The paper lies flat with no folds where the batter could run under it. How to line a baking pan with parchment: mistakes to avoid
    an 8x8-inch pan with parchment, leaving the ends hanging over two sides as handles.
    350°FGrown-up: heat
  2. Melt the butter in a medium saucepan over low heat. Take the pan off the heat.
    Grown-up: heat
  3. Whisk (how to whisk) Whisk Beat ingredients with a whisk to mix them smoothly or to add air. 1. Use a bowl big enough to whisk without splashing; set it on a damp towel to stop it spinning.2. Hold the whisk loosely and move it in quick circles or side to side, touching the bottom.3. For lumpy mixtures, add liquid a little at a time and whisk after each.4. For sauces on the stove, keep the whisk moving across the whole bottom of the pan. Done when: The mixture is even with no lumps or streaks of egg. How to whisk: mistakes to avoid
    the oil, both sugars, cocoa and salt into the warm butter until it looks like thick, grainy fudge.
    Grown-up: heat
  4. Let the mixture cool so it will not cook the eggs.
    ⏱ Cool slightly: 5 minGrown-up: heat
  5. Whisk in the eggs one at a time, then the vanilla.
    Kid step
  6. Whisk hard until the batter turns glossy and pulls away from the sides of the pan. This gives the brownies their shiny, crackly top.
    ⏱ Whisk hard: 1 minKid step
  7. Add the flour and
    fold (how to fold) Fold Combine a light mixture (whipped cream, beaten whites) or chunky add-ins into a batter gently, so it stays airy. 1. Put the lighter mixture on top of the heavier one, or add the flour or chips.2. Cut a rubber spatula straight down through the middle to the bottom of the bowl.3. Sweep it across the bottom and up the side, then turn it over on top.4. Turn the bowl a quarter turn and repeat.5. Stop as soon as no streaks remain. Done when: There are no dry streaks or white blobs, and the mixture still looks light and puffy. Safety: Batters with raw eggs or flour aren't safe to eat raw.How to fold ingredients into a batter: mistakes to avoid
    it in with a spatula until no streaks remain. Fold in the chocolate chips, if using.
    Kid step
  8. Scrape the batter into the pan and spread it into the corners.
    Kid step
  9. Bake until
    a toothpick (how to toothpick test) Toothpick test A quick way to tell if a cake, quick bread or brownie is baked through. 1. Near the end of the baking time, open the oven and pull out the rack.2. Poke a toothpick or thin skewer into the center (the last place to set).3. Pull it straight out and look at it.4. If wet batter clings, bake a few minutes more and test again. Done when: Clean, or with a few moist crumbs for brownies and fudgy cakes. Wet, shiny batter means not yet. How to test a cake with a toothpick: mistakes to avoid
    poked 1 inch from the center comes out with moist crumbs, not wet batter.
    350°F⏱ Bake: 28 minGrown-up: heat
  10. Cool the brownies completely in the pan on a rack. They finish setting as they cool.
    ⏱ Cool: 2 hrGrown-up: heat
  11. Lift the brownies out by the parchment and cut them into 16 squares with a sharp knife, wiping it between cuts.
    Grown-up: knife

Tap an underlined word for how to do it, or see all techniques.

Tips

  • A toothpick in the very center will look wet even when they are done. Test 1 inch in from the middle.
  • Waiting until they are fully cool is the hardest part, but warm brownies are gooey and fall apart when cut.
  • Dutch-process cocoa makes darker, mellower brownies; natural cocoa makes them taste a little brighter.

Storage

Covered at room temperature up to 4 days.

Make ahead

Wrap the uncut slab tightly and freeze up to 3 months. Thaw at room temperature, then cut.

How long leftovers keep, and freezing and reheating: leftovers and storage.

Quick answers

Can I freeze it?

Wrap the uncut slab tightly and freeze up to 3 months. Thaw at room temperature, then cut.

What can I swap?
  • Instead of butter: Salted butter.
  • Instead of vegetable oil: Another neutral oil, the same amount.

Answered from this recipe's own storage, make-ahead and swap notes.

Estimated nutrition per serving

Calories
160
Protein
2 g
Carbohydrates
21 g
Fiber
1 g
Sugars
16 g
Fat
9 g
Saturated fat
4.5 g
Sodium
65 mg

Whole recipe, 16 servings: about 2,550 calories.

Estimate from USDA FoodData Central; not medical or dietary advice. Based on 9 of 9 ingredients.

How we estimate

We add up USDA FoodData Central values for each measured ingredient as written and divide by the recipe's 16 servings, so changing the servings or units here doesn't change a serving. Brands, swaps, trimming and cooking all change the real numbers.

Not counted: semisweet chocolate chips (optional).

Estimated cost

About $0.20 a serving

About $3.45 for the recipe as written (16 servings).

Estimate; prices vary by store and region. U.S. average prices for September 2026 from BLS Average Price Data and USDA ERS Purchase to Plate prices updated with the BLS Consumer Price Index. Priced: 7 of 9 ingredients, 98% by weight.

How we estimate

Each measured ingredient is weighed as in the nutrition estimate and priced at the U.S. average: BLS's average price where BLS publishes one, else USDA ERS's Purchase to Plate price for 2017-18 raised to September 2026 with the CPI for that food group. Whole packages, store brands, sales and regions all change the real cost: treat it as a ballpark.

  • unsweetened cocoa powder $1.25 ERS
  • unsalted butter $1.00 BLS
  • granulated sugar $0.45 BLS
  • eggs $0.40 BLS
  • brown sugar $0.20 ERS
  • vegetable oil $0.15 ERS
  • all-purpose flour $0.10 BLS

Not priced (no official average price we can match, so not in the total): kosher salt, vanilla extract.

Not counted: semisweet chocolate chips (optional, or to taste).

More dishes for less: cheap eats.

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Cleanup score 4/5 (easy cleanup): 2 things to wash, 8x8 pan, saucepan.

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