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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.

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

Ingredients

  • ½ cup unsalted butter, 1 stick (113 g)
  • 2 tbsp vegetable oil
  • 1 cup granulated sugar, 200 g
  • ¼ cup brown sugar, packed (53 g)
  • ⅔ cup unsweetened cocoa powder, 57 g
  • ½ tsp kosher salt
  • 2 large eggs, cold is fine
  • 2 tsp vanilla extract
  • ½ cup all-purpose flour, spooned and leveled (63 g)
  • ½ cup semisweet chocolate chips (optional)

Steps

  1. Heat the oven to 350°F (175°C). Line an 8x8-inch pan with parchment, leaving the ends hanging over two sides as handles.
  2. Melt the butter in a medium saucepan over low heat. Take the pan off the heat.
  3. Whisk the oil, both sugars, cocoa and salt into the warm butter until it looks like thick, grainy fudge.
  4. Let the mixture cool so it will not cook the eggs.
  5. Whisk in the eggs one at a time, then the vanilla.
  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.
  7. Add the flour and fold it in with a spatula until no streaks remain. Fold in the chocolate chips, if using.
  8. Scrape the batter into the pan and spread it into the corners.
  9. Bake until a toothpick poked 1 inch from the center comes out with moist crumbs, not wet batter.
  10. Cool the brownies completely in the pan on a rack. They finish setting as they cool.
  11. Lift the brownies out by the parchment and cut them into 16 squares with a sharp knife, wiping it between cuts.

Tip: A toothpick in the very center will look wet even when they are done. Test 1 inch in from the middle.

Tip: Waiting until they are fully cool is the hardest part, but warm brownies are gooey and fall apart when cut.

Tip: 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.

Estimated nutrition per serving: 160 calories · protein 2 g · carbohydrates 21 g · fiber 1 g · sugars 16 g · fat 9 g (saturated 4.5 g) · sodium 65 mg. Estimate from USDA FoodData Central; not medical or dietary advice. Based on 9 of 9 ingredients.