Best Cocoa Brownies

I made these because I had to improvise; I had planned to use a different brownie recipe but had forgotten to get chocolate squares. I did have good quality cocoa, though, and picked this recipe instead. A happy accident! Everyone loved these. I swapped in whole wheat flour for about half of the all-purpose flour and they were still rich and fudgy. I used chocolate chips instead of nuts for my stir-in.

This is a simple recipe that folks seem to enjoy. Richer than any chocolate cake and certainly not dry, these have a slightly fudgy texture without being gooey. I'm no Brownie expert, (more of a "Blondie" girl myself) but I thought these were plenty chocolatey with terrific texture. I did add walnuts.

I love this recipe- but they definitely make cake-like brownies, rather than fudgy ones. It is great to have an option that uses only cocoa powder.

These did not end my search for the perfect brownie. I'm not ashamed to admit I'm looking for brownies with that nice shiny top that crackles and a fudgy interior - basically brownies just like those from a box.

These brownies did not satisfy. They are much too thin - about 3/4 inch. They are not nearly chocolatey enough. They just don't have the right taste.

They are decent tasting but they don't end my search and they're not even close to the best cocoa brownies I've ever made.

A tad too sweet (and I cut sugar by 1 T). But wow - the perfect balance of very chocolaty, an excellent butter flavor, and perceptible vanilla. A clean perfect fudgey brownie and so easy to make with ingredients that are probably in your pantry. Why aren't you making them right now?

For me, a 25 minute cooking time worked well. I cannot wait to try again with walnuts.

Note that initially I rated these a 4, but after they cooled properly, they definitely were a five. Yummm.

Too sweet for me and not chocolatey enough, but I think some of the fault belongs with my oven.

I don't know about 'the best'. as this is the only cocoa brownie I've tried so far, but it certainly is good: moist and chocolatey. A tad too sweet, maybe, but that was easily remedied by taking less sugar (240 grams instead of 280). And it's good it can be made completely from store-cupboard ingredients - I can't be the only one who has some trouble keeping chocolate in the pantry for long.

25 minutes baking was plenty for me.

ETA: Even better with 200 g of sugar and 20 mins baking.