If you like your brownies cakey in texture, easy to make, and with only a single bowl to clean afterwards, this recipe is for you. And everyone else who feels the same way about the qualities they value in a brownie. Trust us on that. And trust everyone who’s tried these and reported back to us with comments like, “A very moist, somewhat cakey brownie.” “A one-pot wonder!” “Not overly sweet, fudgy, or dense.” “The recipe could not have been easier.” “Perfect in those instances when you don’t have a lot of space, equipment, and time.” “A great recipe that you’ll come back to again and again.” The author of the recipe even boldly proclaimed them a perfect “breakfast brownie.” Sorta makes you want to try them, eh?–Renee Schettler Rossi

A white cake stand of a pile of one-pot cocoa brownies, a glass of milk, on a white table

One-Pot Cocoa Brownies

4.80 / 5 votes
These one-pot cocoa brownies are incredibly easy and come together with just flour, cocoa, sugar, and other pantry ingredients in a 9-by-13-inch pan. A cakey brownie that’s close to perfect and the easiest we’ve found to make (and clean up after!). Kids love ’em.
David Leite
CourseDessert
CuisineAmerican
Servings24 brownies
Calories130 kcal
Prep Time15 minutes
Cook Time40 minutes
Total Time55 minutes

Ingredients 

  • 3 sticks (12 oz) unsalted butter, plus more for the pan
  • 2 1/2 cups granulated sugar
  • 1 1/4 cups Dutch-processed cocoa powder
  • 6 large eggs, at room temperature
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
  • 1 cup all-purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1 teaspoon kosher or coarse salt

Instructions 

  • Preheat the oven to 350°F (177°C). Generously butter a 9-by-13-inch baking pan.
  • Melt the butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the sugar and cocoa powder. Add the eggs, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition. Stir in the vanilla. Stir in the flour, baking powder, and salt, mixing until the batter is completely smooth.
  • Pour the batter into the baking pan, smoothing the top. Bake until a toothpick or a skewer inserted into the middle of the pan comes out almost clean, 35 to 40 minutes.
  • Let the brownies cool completely in the pan on a rack before cutting them into 24 squares. (The brownies will keep in a tightly sealed container for up to 5 days if you can resist them that long. They can also be frozen.)

Adapted From

Dinner Solved!

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Nutrition

Serving: 1 brownieCalories: 130 kcalCarbohydrates: 28 gProtein: 3 gFat: 2 gSaturated Fat: 1 gMonounsaturated Fat: 1 gTrans Fat: 1 gCholesterol: 47 mgSodium: 116 mgFiber: 2 gSugar: 21 g

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

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Recipe © 2015 Katie Workman. Photo © 2015 Stacey. All rights reserved.

Recipe Testers’ Reviews

These cocoa brownies are a one-pot wonder and come together quickly and easily. So easy and so delicious! Very straightforward recipe. The finished texture has a cakey height but a definite fudgy flavor. Definitely a keeper.

I was concerned about the texture when I read that the recipe called for 6 eggs, but the end result was pleasantly fudgy. I would definitely make these again. They’re perfect in those instances when you don’t have a lot of space, equipment, and time. Packing the dry ingredients in two resealable plastic bags, you could easily whip these up anywhere that has a burner and an oven.

The first thing that attracted me to this recipe was that it was a one-pot brownie recipe. The second thing was that it only used cocoa powder because that’s an ingredient I always have on hand. The third thing that attracted me was the author pronounced “an excellent morning brownie.” How could I resist? After all, I have been known to have a brownie for breakfast once or twice.

I followed the recipe as is. This is a brownie recipe that is very easy and comes together quite well. A great beginner recipe with delicious results. The brownies turned out very moist and somewhat cakey and weren’t overly sweet, fudgy, or dense. And the batter itself was quite delicious. Licking the spoon was a sweet prelude to what was to come!

Brownies are an absolute favorite of mine. Dense, chewy, full of chocolate—how could anyone not love a good brownie? I had never made a brownie recipe using just cocoa powder, so I was intrigued by this one-pot cocoa brownies recipe.

The recipe could not have been easier. Instead of waiting for the butter to soften to room temperature, you simply melt it. I ran my eggs under warm water for a few minutes to get them to room temperature. It took a bit of elbow grease to beat in the eggs one by one, and the mixture thickened substantially with the addition of each egg. All the ingredients came together into a beautiful, chocolatey, rich-looking batter. I poured it into the buttered baking dish, but since the batter was on the thinner side, I didn’t need to smooth it out. I baked the brownies for 35 minutes. The toothpick was just moist on the very bottom, so I felt this was enough time.

I cooled the brownies in the pan for about 90 minutes and cut them into squares. My favorite secret to a perfectly cut brownie is to use a plastic knife. Nothing sticks to it, and it’s sharp enough to make a perfect cut without damaging the pan. The brownies had a nice crust on the top and were dense and rich. I would definitely say these brownies are in between cakey and fudgey. They would be perfect for a warm brownie sundae, as they would be delicious slightly warm and could stand up to a big scoop of vanilla ice cream. Really delicious and so simple to make!

This is a simple and easy brownie recipe to add to one’s brownie recipe repertoire. They are delicious. They are not a special-occasion dessert, but when dessert calls for brownies, this could be a great selection.

I have an entire collection of brownie recipes that vary in ingredients, temperature of ingredients, and technique, but in the end when you need a simple chocolate crowd-pleaser, any of them would work. This will go into my collection.

The recipe didn’t specify the type of cocoa—I used a natural cocoa. The brownies were simple to put together and required a bare minimum of pots and utensils. I thought the timing was a bit off and was sorry I didn’t check my brownies at 30 minutes. At 35 minutes the toothpick came out completely clean, and the brownies were a bit drier than I would have liked. But the flavor was great and would be hard for anyone to resist.

It wouldn’t wow the crowd like a s’mores brownie, but it would be a welcome addition to a picnic and a respectable base for some vanilla ice cream and fudge sauce. They are more cake-like than fudge-like. I think the yield of 24 brownies is a bit low—I prefer to serve smaller portions and could easily get 32 small pieces out of this.

Do you like cakey brownies? If yes, this is your easy-to-make cakey one-pot cocoa brownies recipe. They are so cakey that my friend who tested these with me commented that she’d prefer them frosted like cake. Similarly, I would like them much better with a big scoop or two of a nice rich vanilla ice cream—like cake and ice cream and not like brownies à la mode.

Start with a saucepan larger than it looks like you will need, since it’s ultimately going to need to house the entire batter. (We didn’t start with a big one, and it ended up being more than a one-pot brownie!)

We baked these for 28 minutes and felt afterwards that it was too long. Start testing at 20 minutes, and they will likely be at their best between 20 and 25 minutes of baking time.

Although I didn’t try it, I would recommend against freezing these, as I think the texture would deteriorate and become drier in the freezer, which even for cake-loving brownie-eaters would not be a plus.

This one-pot cocoa brownies recipe tasted good and was incredibly easy to make with quick cleanup. The texture was more cake-like.

I would make this again if I didn’t have any bars of chocolate around. The yield was 24 very large brownies or 32 smaller ones.

This one-pot cocoa brownies recipe was certainly simple enough to put together.

The pan I used was 9 by 12 inches rather than the 9 by 13 inches called for in the recipe, but I don’t think that made a difference. Other than that, I made the recipe exactly as written. The brownies were about 2 inches high, which is rather tall for a brownie. I cut them into 24 pieces but, if I were to make them again, I would cut them into smaller pieces. My tasters and I thought they were more chocolate cake-like than cakey brownie-like but still tasty.

This one-pot cocoa brownies recipe is for you if you 1. like cakey brownies; 2. need go-to recipes that come together quickly and easily with ingredients you already have on hand; and 3. like recipes that don’t make a mess when you’re already in a hurry! Seriously, this is a great recipe that you’ll come back to again and again.

The directions were very straightforward and easy to follow. I baked the brownies for 35 minutes and tested them with a skewer and found quite a bit of batter on them, so I let them go for another 5 minutes. The second test produced less batter on the skewer, and it was more like dry crumbs at that point and not wet batter. I brought them to a party, and the plate was clean almost immediately.

The recipe yielded 24 brownies. Normally, I have a hard time following a recipe’s recommendation on brownie serving size, but these were considerably thicker than the brownies I usually make, so cutting them into 24 squares still produced a satisfying serving.

I will make these again, but I do prefer fudgy brownies, so next time I’ll bake them for only 35 minutes and see if they turn out any fudgier. I might throw some chocolate chips in, too, which I think my kids will love—not that they needed any convincing to try these! They gobbled down more than their fair share of the original recipe!




About David Leite

I count myself lucky to have received three James Beard Awards for my writing as well as for Leite’s Culinaria. My work has also appeared in The New York Times, Martha Stewart Living, Saveur, Bon Appétit, Gourmet, Food & Wine, Yankee, Los Angeles Times, Chicago Tribune, The Washington Post, and more.


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