Dark Chocolate Brownies prove that sometimes the simplest desserts are the best. Rich and fudgy with a bold cocoa flavor, these one-bowl brownies are a dark chocolate lover’s dream.
Love brownies? Be sure to try our delicious Oreo Brownies! Or give our Brookies a try next, the sweet combo of brownie and cookie.
Why These Brownies Work
Do you like your brownies light and airy or dense and fudgy?
I’m firmly in the fudgy brownies camp. My idea of the perfect brownie is one that’s tiniest bit underdone with a gooey chocolatey center and a few cracks on top.
- DARK chocolate for a bolder, richer flavor.
- 7 ingredient brownie recipe!
- Moist center with crackly tops.
- Dusted with powdered sugar.
This brownie recipe takes hardly any effort to make. The batter comes together in one bowl with no special equipment needed.
Bonus: your kitchen will smell like chocolate paradise when these brownies are in the oven!
If you prefer a THICKER brownie, try our fudgy brownie recipe. Truly one of the best!
Ingredient Notes
- Dark unsweetened cocoa powder. Use a good quality cocoa powder for best brownies. Hershey’s Special Dark and Ghirardelli dark cocoa are both good choices. I find the cheaper brands, including Nestle, negatively affect the taste of the brownies by giving them a bitter aftertaste.
- Melted butter. Using melted butter produces a chewier brownie with that soft moist center I love.
- Chocolate chips – I fold these into the batter before baking to make the brownies even more fudgy and chocolatey. Semi-sweet or dark chocolate morsels are perfect.
Easy Instructions
Melt the butter in a microwave safe mixing bowl. Combine the melted butter with all the remaining brownie ingredients.
Pour the batter into a square baking dish. Bake for about 25 minutes. Let them cool completely.
Sprinkle powdered sugar over the tops of cooled brownies before cutting and serving.
Tips and Tricks
- Spread your favorite chocolate frosting over these brownies instead of powdered sugar if you prefer.
- The dark chocolate brownies will look a little underdone when they come out of the oven. I like them that way! They’ll continue setting up a bit as they cool.
- For a more well done brownie, add an additional 3 to 5 minutes to the baking time.
- Line your baking pan with parchment paper. When the brownies are done cooling, you can grab the ends of the parchment paper to slide them out of the pan easily.
- Take it a step further. Add marshmallows and icing like we did with these marshmallow brownies!
Recipe FAQs
Yes, this recipe will work with any unsweetened cocoa powder. The darker varieties have a more robust flavor which I especially love in brownies.
Brownies can be tricky to cut without tearing. That’s especially true for soft brownies like these! I recommend using a plastic knife to cut brownies. Use medium pressure and a smooth stroke to give the brownies clean edges. Wipe brownie crumbs from the knife between each cut.
Nuts are a delicious crunchy addition to these dark chocolate brownies! Add 1 cup of chopped walnuts or pecans to the batter before baking if you like nuts in your brownies.
These do not need to be refrigerated but they can be! They’ll firm up a bit more as they chill–and I love the flavor of these cold. If you like them as they are, store the brownies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to a week.
More Easy Dessert Recipes
- Best Peanut Butter Cookies
- Bread Pudding
- Chocolate Banana Cake
- Cake Mix Brownies
- Pecan Pie Brownies
- Hummingbird Cake
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Dark Chocolate Brownie Recipe
Ingredients
- ¾ cup unsalted butter melted
- 1 ½ cups granulated sugar
- ¾ cup all-purpose flour
- ¾ cup dark chocolate unsweetened cocoa powder
- 3 large eggs
- 1 cup semi-sweet morsels
- 2 Tablespoons powdered sugar optional garnish
Instructions
- In a glass bowl, melt butter in microwave for 30 seconds to one minute. Add sugar, flour, cocoa and eggs. Stir with a spoon until well combined. Fold in morsels
- Line a 9-inch square baking dish with parchment paper. Pour batter into dish, spreading evenly. Bake in a 350 degree oven for 25-28 minutes. I like my brownies a little under done and fudgy. You can add about 3-5 minutes for more well done, if desired.
- Cool completely. Top with powdered sugar or your favorite frosting recipe. ENJOY.
Notes
- For even more dark chocolate flavor, swap out the semi-sweet morsels for dark chocolate chips.
- Spread your favorite chocolate frosting over these brownies instead of powdered sugar if you prefer.
- The dark chocolate brownies will look a little underdone when they come out of the oven. I like them that way! They’ll continue setting up a bit as they cool.
- For a more well done brownie, add an additional 3 to 5 minutes to the baking time.
- Line your baking pan with parchment paper. When the brownies are done cooling, you can grab the ends of the parchment paper to slide them out of the pan easily.
- Store brownies in airtight container at room temperature or freeze for up to 3 months.
Nutrition
If you love chocolate, this Dark Chocolate Brownies recipe is the only brownie recipe you’ll ever need! Gooey, fudgy and decadent brownies are easy to make with simple ingredients.
OMG!! These brownies taste amazing!! Not too sweet too! the dark chocolate is so perfect in them! Def my go to brownie recipe!
Thats okay i am just about to make some more!
Delicious and fudgy my family ate them all in one night !!!!!!!
thanks for the recipe Aimee 🙂
I’m so glad you all enjoyed the brownies Georgia! Thanks for stopping back and giving feedback!
Hi Aimee, may I know if the 3/4 cup unsalted butter refers to 3/4 cup butter before it is melted? Or does this mean 3/4 cup melted unsalted butter?
These are delicious, I made them last week and have been craving them. So I’m about to make them again. 🙂
I’m almost on sugar overload just from the drool-worthy photos. Really look tempting.
Are you serious? Put me in a room with these and I’m a gonner!
You have been holding out! So much rich, gooey chocolate and so few ingredients! Perfection!
can you use coconut oil instead of butter?
I’m not sure, I’ve never tried it! Sorry.
Oh my, these look so decadent! I must try this recipe in the future 🙂
Thanks! It’s a keeper in our house!
I love how decadent and dark chocolate these are!!! And I love one bowl recipes 😉
I’m baking these up tomorrow night!! Can’t wait!
Let me know what you think! You can always send them to me if you don’t like them 🙂
Your brownies look so good! I really love the pics with the caramel frosting and caramel sauce too – definitely looks like best way to eat them!
These are too chocolatey for me to handle.
Oh, wait. That’s not even possible.
I usually prefer to make brownies with melted chocolate if I’m going to make them from scratch, but I’m curious about trying this recipe, since you love it so much. Plus, there’s really no such thing as too many brownies.
I love that these don’t require a ridiculous amount of ingredients. Simple & yet decadent. YUM! Thanks so much.
oh my gooey deliciousness. Can we just go ahead and order a box full?
Whoa! These brownies look divine!!!
I love how simple and easy these are and how gorgeous and fudgy they look! YUM!
Yep, it’s the perfect dark chocolate brownie all right. And because it’s dark it’s healthier right? So I can eat as much as I want, at least thats what I’ll tell myself!