The craving for brownies can hit you anytime. Some people like chewy brownies, some just love the fudgy kind and others prefer the cakey ones. Most days I prefer the one that is chewy but not too fudgy. Today I am going to share a very simple recipe of the kind of brownies I like and the best part is that it doesn’t involve too many complicated steps, nor does it require you to use chocolate.

These cocoa brownies are so very chewy and soft that they sure are going to be finished in minutes! And if there are some still leftover, you can easily store them in an airtight container, but not in the refrigerator, for a couple of days.

Ingredients

3 large eggs

2/3 cup all-purpose flour

1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

2/3 cup vegetable oil

1/4 teaspoon baking powder

1 1/3 cups powdered sugar

2/3 cup brown sugar

Oil for greasing the pan

Method

Preheat the oven at 200 degree Centigrade. Arrange a rack in the middle of the oven. Grease a nine-inch square baking pan with oil and set aside.

Whisk the eggs with a hand beater or an electric one. I did all the mixing by hand and the result was perfect, though most recipes recommend using an electric hand beater.

Add half the sugar and mix, and then add the remaining amount. Add baking powder. I am adding the baking powder at this stage so that it mixes well, but you can also add it to the flour and sift together.

Add the brown sugar and mix well, as the brown sugar I used was not in the fine powdered form, it remained grainy but that is fine as it will blend well while baking.

Add a few tablespoons of flour at a time and mix. Then add the cocoa powder. Remember to always sift the flour and cocoa powder when baking a cake of any kind. Using a spatula, scrap the sides and bottom of the bowl a few times while mixing so that no ingredient remains dry and sticking to the bowl. When there are no lumps, transfer the batter to the greased pan, tap gently a couple of times on a hard surface to remove air bubbles and bake in the middle rack of the oven for 30 minutes.

After about 20-25 minutes, turn the heat lower to 180 or 150 degree Centigrade. When a knife comes out clean after inserting in the middle and the brownies start to leave the sides of the pan, take it out and leave to cool for 10 minutes before taking it out of the pan.

Your brownies are now ready to eat!

Published in Dawn, Young World, February 2nd, 2019