Fudgy cocoa brownies

I think I have found THE one! The hunt for the perfect brownie recipe has been long and hard people. But my research has come to a satisfactory conclusion. I like my brownies to have that crisp, crackly crust with thick, fudgy, chocolate-y centers. And these brownies tick both those boxes.

Many thanks to Karina at Cafe Delites for this absolutely divine recipe. I have made it thrice with various modifications and each time it has been extremely well received. You know you have a winner on your hands when people unfailingly ask you for the recipe.

This is an extremely quick and scrumptious bake with the added draw that it can be made by just tossing all the ingredients into one bowl! So what are you waiting for? Get into those kitchens and whip up a batch. You can thank me later 😉

Ingredients

113g unsalted butter, melted and cooled
1 tablespoon cooking oil (any odorless, flavorless oil will do)
225g white sugar
2 large eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/2 cup all purpose flour
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1/4 teaspoon salt

Method

Preheat oven to 175°C (350°F).
Lightly grease an 8-inch square baking pan.
Mix together the melted butter, oil and sugar in a mixing bowl. Whisk well until color lightens.
Add the eggs and vanilla. Whisk the mixture well until lighter in color. Beat it well as this will ensure a crackly top.
Sift in the flour, cocoa powder and salt. Gently fold the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients. Make sure not to over beat at this stage but rather mix until just combined.
Pour the batter into the prepared pan, smoothing the top out evenly.
Bake for around 20 minutes, or until the center of the brownies no longer jiggles and is just set to the touch. If testing with a toothpick, the toothpick should come out dirty for fudge-textured brownies.
Remove and allow to cool to room temperature before slicing into 16 brownies.

Notes

I’ve tried these with a topping of crushed walnuts and I loved the crunch that they gave. It also foils the sweetness of the brownies perfectly.
I’ve substituted the white sugar with brown and it also worked really well.
My oven runs a little on the hot side so I started checking my brownies at the 15 minute mark. Watch them closely as over-baking will ruin them completely.