Black Cocoa Brownies
Soft chewy brownies made with all black cocoa. White chocolate chunks are added to contrast the smoky flavor of black cocoa.
I was several tests into developing this black cocoa brownie recipe, thinking I had already done black cocoa cookies (chewy and cut out) and a few cakes (and cupcakes) that I really should have a brownie recipe. Then as I nailed in on my perfect ratios, someone left a comment on this recipe and I remembered, I already have a black cocoa brownie recipe on the site!
I was momentarily deterred and then I thought well, these will not have a meringue (oreo meringue!) topping, the goal was to go full black cocoa (there is a mix of dutch cocoa and black in the meringue topped ones) and I could bring us a brownie that had a different texture, one that played to the strengths of black cocoa. And here we are!
Recipe Origins
Completely forgetting I already had a starting point in this recipe, I started working off my base brownie recipe “cocoa brownies” for these. The thing about black cocoa though is that it often has a higher fat content which softens brownies, bringing them a bit more to the cake like or soft/chewy rather than fudgy. This had me adjusting all the ingredients so that I could get something that was close to a fudgy/chewy brownie. We’re not completely there, these are a bit softer than my cocoa brownies, but I think that’s a strength black cocoa uniquely brings to the brownies and I decided to let it be.
Recipe Ingredients
Butter: unsalted or salted (if using salted, you may wish to reduce the added salt to the brownie batter so the brownies are not overly salty).
Sugar: fine granulated. Reducing the sugar will change the texture of the brownies.
Black cocoa: this is cocoa that has been heavily alkalized to remove most or all of its acidity. It is in contrast to natural cocoa which is acidic and non-alkalized. If you’d like to use dutch process cocoa, check out my cocoa brownies or shiny crinkle brownies. I use King Arthur’s brand.
Salt: fine sea salt. If using table salt, halve the amount.
Vanilla: pure extract. I use a little extra here so it sweetens the brownies in that soft way only vanilla can. It gives a lovely undertone to the earthy black cocoa.
Flour: all purpose flour of a medium protein content.
White chocolate: You can either use white chocolate chips (I like guittard’s brand), or chop up a good quality bar (check the label, it must include cocoa butter or it’s just milk/sugar/oils). For the brownies pictured here I used Wilbur’s white chocolate buds which are huge (and amazing!).
How to make Black Cocoa Brownies
Prep the pan: use two sheets of parchment paper to cover all sides of the pan. A little butter or grease helps the sheets stick to the pan.
Melt the butter:
Whisk in the sugar and heat the mixture:
Whisk again until it start to look cohesive:
Now add the cocoa, and whisk again just to combine:
Heat the mix one last time and then whisk until it starts to separate:
Let cool briefly (so we don’t cook the eggs!) then add the eggs and immediately whisk very well.
You’ll have a runny, black shiny batter. Whisk in the flour.
Pour the batter into the prepared pan and add the white chocolate on top.
Bury the chocolate so it doesn’t brown or burn:
Bake until puffed in the center and matte all over.
Black Cocoa Brownies Recipe
Black Cocoa Brownies
Ingredients
- 170g or ¾ cups unsalted butter cold is fine
- 250g or 1 ¼ cups fine granulated sugar
- 75g or ⅔ cup black cocoa
- ½ teaspoon fine sea salt
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- 2 large eggs at room temperature
- 85g all purpose flour
- White chocolate chips or a chopped up bar (check the package it should have cocoa butter listed in the ingredients)
Method
- Preheat the oven to 350 F. Line an 8x8 square pan (metal) with parchment paper - I use two small sheets and overlay them so all sides are covered.
- Set the butter in a microwave safe bowl and heat to melt (45-60 seconds should do it). Add in the sugar and whisk then return it to the microwave for another 30-45 seconds. Whisk really well until the mix looks almost smooth.
- Add the black cocoa and whisk to just combine, then heat again - this time for just 30 seconds. Whisk until the mix starts to look like it’s separating. Let cool briefly.
- Add the eggs and immediately whisk very well, the batter should turn runny, smooth and cohesive. Whisk in the flour.
- Pour the batter into the prepared pan. Add the white chocolate on top and then use a rubber spatula to gently bury it into the top half of the batter (we do this because white chocolate has a tendency to brown or caramelize if left uncovered while baking, and this batter is quite thin so the chips can sink to the bottom if we mix them in earlier).
- Bake the brownies until the center puffs up, about 25-30 minutes. Let cool on the counter before slicing.
- Store leftovers in an airtight container. For longer than 1-2 days of storage the brownies can be frozen and taken out to thaw before eating.
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