Chocolate brownies with hersheys cocoa powder (one bowl recipe)

These fudgy, moist with light crackly top brownies are made with hersheys cocoa powder along with easily available pantry ingredients like eggs, sugar, butter, flour.

Did I mention that these brownies made with hersheys cocoa powder can be made in just one bowl. Isn't it great and mess free?

I am making these brownies from many years and will continue to do so. These homemade brownies are so easy to make and I am sure all of the ingredients are available in your pantry right now.

These cocoa powder brownies are very easy to make and can be ready in just 1 hour. And guess what, you will not need any special equipment to make these brownies. Microwave safe glass bowl and a whisk is all you need.

Easy one bowl brownies with hersheys cocoa powder

These brownies are made with hersheys cocoa powder which is easily available in any grocery store. You get two varieties of hersheys cocoa powder. First one is regular cocoa powder and second is dark cocoa powder.

Chocolate brownies will have the flavor from the cocoa powder you use. As the name suggests, dark cocoa gives intense chocolate flavor compare to regular cocoa. Use it based on your likings.

Whichever you use, it is going to be delicious😋.

Why this is the best cocoa powder brownie?

1. One bowl brownie recipe.
2. Come out perfect every single time.
3. These cocoa powder brownies are unbelievably fudgy, chocolatey and rich in flavors.
4. Tastes way better than box brownies mixes.
5. Beautiful light and crackly top.

Chocolate brownies with Hershey's cocoa powder - Overview

I have mentioned step by step recipe with pictures below along with all the details. Let's quickly understand the overall steps before you start.

Cocoa powder brownies Ingredients

• Unsalted Butter –  Use your favorite brand’s unsalted butter. I am using great value's unsalted butter here. If you don’t have unsalted butter it is ok to use salted one but skip out the salt mentioned in the recipe.

• Hershey’s Cocoa Powder – This ingredient is the hero of the recipe. You can get regular cocoa powder or dark cocoa powder from Hershey’s. I have tried with both and dark cocoa powder gives little more intense chocolate flavor. So, I would recommend to use based on how you like your brownies.

• Sugar – Use regular caster sugar or granulated sugar. Sugar is what makes the beautiful crackly top on brownies. Do Not replace it with brown sugar. It will change the consistency, texture and taste of brownies. If you want to use brown sugar, I have a chocolate brownie recipe which uses brown sugar.

• Instant Coffee – I use any instant coffee available in pantry. No particular choice here. You may feel that 1 teaspoon of coffee is too much but believe me, you will not taste coffee at all. As I always say, coffee enhances the chocolate flavor. I use instant coffee in all my chocolate recipes.

• Eggs – I have used large eggs here. I would recommend to use room temperature eggs. Cold eggs will not ruin the brownie but room temperature eggs will get mixed easily with rest of the brownie batter. You can remove eggs an hour before you make the brownies. If you forget to take out the eggs, don’t worry. I have a tip for you 😊 Just keep them in hot tap water for just 5 minutes and you are good to go.

• Vanilla Extract – You can use artificial vanilla extract or pure vanilla extract. Completely your choice! You can also use vanilla bean paste for strong vanilla flavor.

• Salt – This is the regular table salt. DO NOT skip salt unless you have used salted butter. As I always say, salt enhances the taste of any dessert.

• All-purpose Flour – I have used regular all-purpose flour in this recipe. I have not tried by substituting with any other flour. Please leave a comment below if you give it a try.

• Semi Sweet Chocolate Chips – Any brownie recipe is incomplete without chocolate chips 😊. You can also use pure chocolate bar, just cut the chocolate bar in small pieces and add in place of chocolate chips.

Tools to make this fudgy cocoa powder brownie

1. Microwave safe glass bowl
2. Sifter
3. 8X8 inch square pan
4. Whisk
5. Parchment Paper
6. Weighing scale

Step-by-step cocoa brownies recipe from scratch (with pictures)

1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease an 8x8 square pan or line with parchment paper and set aside.
2. In a medium bowl, add unsalted butter.

3. Microwave the butter until it is melted.
4. Add in cocoa powder, instant coffee powder and sugar until fully dissolved.

5. Add eggs, vanilla and stir until well combined.
6. Take some batter in pinch and check if sugar is dissolved completely.

7. Fold in 1 cup of chocolate chips or anything (nuts, white chocolate chips) you like.
8. Stir in flour, salt until the flour is fully combine. Be careful not to overmix mix as we don't want to form gluten.

9. Spread in prepared pan and bake for approximately 25-28 minutes or until the center is slightly set. Be careful not to over-bake!
10. Toothpick Test:
    Fudgy Brownies - Toothpick should come with lots of crumbs
    Cakey Brownies - Toothpick should come with few crumbs
    I would suggest to keep checking after 25 minutes as each oven is different.

11. Cool the hersheys cocoa powder brownies completely.
12. Cut them using clean knife into 9 large squares or 16 small squares.

How to tell when these brownies are done.

Every oven is different and so is the time required to bake the brownies. This recipe tells to bake the brownies for 28 minutes.

If you are making the brownies for the first time, I would recommend to keep a close watch on your brownies after 25 minutes.

You don't have to do it every time once you know the baking time.

Here are few tips to understand when brownies are done.

• Use Toothpick to test - Put the stick in center of the pan and take it out. If it has lot of wet batter then it needs more time. Just put it back and check after 2-3 minutes. If toothpick has very small amount of wet batter along with crumbs, brownies are done and it is time to take them out. If toothpick comes out clean then brownies are overbaked, take them out immediately.

• Use Timer - These brownies are baked in 25-28 minutes. So, set the timer for 25 minutes and check as I mentioned above.

Cocoa Brownies - Storing and Freezing Instructions

You can keep the brownies at room temperature in air tight container or zip lock bag for 2-3 days. You can also store them in refrigerator for almost 2 weeks or in freezer for couple of months.

If you are storing in freezer, I would recommend to wrap each brownie individually so that whenever you want to relish some, you can just remove those number of brownies instead of removing all.

To thaw them, remove from freezer and keep it overnight in refrigerator or bring them to room temperature.

Sr. No.	Storing Place	Days / Weeks/ Months
1	Room Temperature	2-3 Days
2	Refrigerator	2 Weeks
3	Freezer	3 Months

My Secret tips to make best cocoa powder brownies ever

Here are few secret tips to make the delicious fudgy brownies every single time

Read your recipe: I always recommend to read the recipe in detail to understand number of required ingredients. You do not want to miss any important ingredient in middle of mixing.

Weigh your ingredients - To make the perfect brownies every single time, I highly recommend to weigh the ingredients. It is ok to use measuring spoons as it there would be hardly any difference but for other dry and wet ingredients, use weighing scale, After all, baking is a science.

Preheat oven: To ensure the oven is at right temperature, make sure to turn it on before starting to mix the ingredients. Any baking recipe should not sit out once it is combined. It should go straight into the oven.

High Quality Ingredients: Always use good quality chocolate, cocoa powder to make the brownies. It makes a big difference when it comes to taste.

Do not overmix - Overmixing is the main cause of dense brownies. After adding all-purpose flour, just mix until you see last streak of flour. Again, DO NOT OVERMIX.

Use Room Temperature Ingredients - This is especially true for eggs in the recipe. Cold eggs won't create a big issue but if you use room temperature eggs, it will get mixed properly.

Prepare your baking pan - I would highly highly recommend to use parchment paper so that it will easy for you to remove your brownies from pan. No spray or butter-flour method here.

Perform Toothpick test - To check brownies doneness, insert a toothpick in the center. It should come out with very little wet batter and few crumbs in it. If it comes out clean, brownies are overly baked. Take it out immediately.

Cool Brownies - NEVER cut the fudgy brownies when they are just out of oven. Remember, brownies still gets cooked even after that. Make sure to cool them completely before you cut them.

Try with optional ingredients: You can always add walnuts or 1-2 tsp of peanut butter or some caramel on top. Do not add much as it may ruin the texture of brownies. Try with little quantity and go from there.

Watch us to make the recipe

https://youtu.be/bvbM_2EhML8

Cocoa Powder Brownies - FAQ's

• Why did my brownies take longer to bake?

Every oven is different and so is the tie required to bake the brownies. As per this recipe, it takes 28minutes to make the fudgy brownies. Just keep a watch after 24-25 minutes. Check after couple of minutes with toothpick test.

• How to store brownies?

You can store them in air tight container or freezer-friendly zip lock bag. Please refer my storing and freezing instructions.

• Can I freeze these hersheys cocoa powder brownies?

Absolutely, I have mentioned all the details here.

• Can I reheat the cocoa powder brownies?

Yes, you can. If you are reheating the brownies from refrigerator, reheat for 10-15 seconds. Increase the time if you are reheating them from freezer. Although, I recommend to thaw them in refrigerator overnight.

• What makes brownies fudgy or cakey?

Baking time and mixing method decides if brownies is going to tun fudgy or cakey. Please make sure do not overmix and perform toothpick test to check doneness of brownies.