Cocoa Brownies
Servings 16 brownies
Ingredients
- butter soft, for greasing the pan
- all-purpose flour for dusting the buttered pan
- 4 large eggs
- 1 cup sugar sifted
- 1 cup brown sugar sifted
- 8 oz butter melted
- 1 1/4 cup cocoa sifted
- 2 tsp vanilla
- 1/2 cup all-purpose flour sifted
- 1/2 tsp kosher salt
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 300 degrees F. Butter and flour an 8-inch square pan.
- In a mixer fitted with a whisk attachment, beat the eggs at medium speed until fluffy and light yellow. Add both sugars. Add remaining ingredients, and mix to combine.
- Pour the batter into a greased and floured 8-inch square pan and bake for 45 minutes. Check for doneness with the tried-and-true toothpick method: a toothpick inserted into the center of the pan should come out clean. When it's done, remove to a rack to cool. Resist the temptation to cut into it until it's mostly cool.
Notes
Cocoa Brownies
Brown’s brownie recipe is fairly straightforward but uses one unique technique to upgrade them: whipping the eggs. This adds air to the eggs and helps fully emulsify the whites with the yolks to create a smoother batter.
He also ditches the chocolate altogether and relies solely on cocoa powder to give the brownies their flavor. Both approaches are a slight departure from my usual brownie-making method, but I trusted Brown and knew it was for a good reason.
This brownie recipe was the most unassuming of all. It calls for only 10 ingredients and relies entirely on cocoa powder to give them their flavor — no actual chocolate required. The only real effort this recipe requires is schlepping out a stand mixer to whip the eggs until they’re ribbony but other than that it’s super simple and can be made in about 15 minutes and all in one bowl. There’s no secret ingredient, no unexpected technique, and no messing with a double boiler to melt butter and chocolate. Not only were these brownies the easiest to make, but they were also the most delicious.
