BROWNIES, DESSERT

Cocoa Brownies

by Tiffany May 26, 2018

My standards for brownies are pretty high. I like them just the right amount of gooey and they must balance deliciousness with ease of preparation.

I like them dark. I mean, they have to be dark – like reeeaally dark. I don’t waste my time on anything lighter than 60% chocolate and I expect my baked goods to be the same way. Thankfully, my husband is mostly onboard with my dark chocolate only rule and as my kids are being raised that way, they know nothing different. Don’t be turned off though if you don’t like it dark. These aren’t overbearing at all. Maybe pour yourself a glass of milk or have a scoop of Ice Cream with them. Trust me, both options are delicious.

But perhaps even more importantly than that, I like to be able to have a brownie craving, make said brownies, and eat them all in the span of nap time. As it turns out, I’m the mom that isn’t great at sharing delicious sweets with my children. Sorry, not sorry? Blame it on trying to make them be healthy. Nearly all sweets are consumed while they are sleeping. I’m not quire sure I’m ready to admit just how many sweets are consumed. I have 3 minutes left on my timer currently and both kids are still asleep. Well, the 4 year old likely won’t be sleeping today it seems and has been singing Paw Patrol and I Am A Child Of God intermittently for the last hour. But! He’s still in his room so I’m taking it as a win. I fear my days of him napping may be coming to a close. We’ve held onto them so dearly for the last 4 1/2 years. But, I digress.

These brownies meet all of those requirements. They are ridiculously easy, nice and dark, nearly a perfect consistency – that I have yet to screw up despite making them many, many times, and they taste better than most other brownie recipes I have tried. We are winning on all fronts here.

It keeps getting better though, as these are made all in one dish. ONE DISH. Well, I guess two if you count the pan to bake them in. Guys, there are so many reasons these are my favorite brownies. If you line the 8×8 baking pan with parchment paper, you even minimize that dish. Or is that just me?? I totally line almost all my pans with either parchment paper or aluminum foil. Save the water, do less dishes. My husband, and master dish-washer, appreciates that. My dad says I’m cheating, buuuut he still enjoys my cooking most of the time.

Another perk to these brownies is that they are cocoa based which means you don’t have to have bakers chocolate lying around. While I do typically have at least 6-10 oz of it on hand, I am much more likely to have cocoa in my pantry for when I decide on a whim to whip up something sweet.

This recipe is originally from Smitten Kitchen and can be found here. Most of the changes I made to it were in the name of simplification. I appreciate being complicated and I’m sure that turns out an amazing product, buuuut let’s make life easier I say. And not that I’ve counted strokes or microwaved anything as recommended, but I don’t think my version is lacking in quality at all. It is interesting to note that while this is my FAVORITE brownie recipe, she also posts her favorite brownie recipe which was my go to until I discovered this one. In her favorite recipe, she uses actual chocolate that you melt and those brownies are also delicious, and just as simple as these. I prefer the cocoa version because it seems to cook more evenly and set better for me. I am not even sure I know how I stumbled upon it this cocoa version though because I haven’t been following her blog as far back as this recipe dates, but I am sooooo happy that I found it and I am forever grateful for the amazing brownies that come out of Smitten Kitchen.

Brownies – Cocoa Based

Life changing, rich, and delicious brownies you can make and eat during nap time.

• Author: Tiffany
• Prep Time: 15 minutes
• Cook Time: 35 minutes
• Total Time: 50 minutes
• Yield: 16 Brownies

Ingredients

• 10 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1 1/4 cups granulated sugar
• 3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• Heaping 1/4 teaspoon flaky sea salt
• 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 2 large eggs
• 1/2 cup flour

Instructions

• Preheat the oven to 325 degrees.
• Put the butter, sugar, cocoa, and salt in a small pot and melt together on low heat. Once it is all melted with no chunks remaining (it will still be a bit grainy) remove from the heat and let sit for a couple minutes.
• Add the vanilla and then the eggs, one at a time, mixing completely between each one.
• Finally, stir in the flour.
• Line an 8×8 pan with parchment paper and put your brownie batter in it.
• Bake for 30-35 minutes or until set.
• Remove from the oven and let cool for 15 minutes or so.
• Remove parchment paper from the pan and slice brownies using a pizza cutter.

Notes

Try not to eat the entire pan by yourself! Or do. I won’t tell anyone
.