Hershey's Cocoa Brownies

These Hershey's cocoa brownies are rich, fudgy, and made with simple ingredients you probably already have in your kitchen. No melted chocolate, no fancy equipment, and no complicated steps. Just one bowl, a whisk, and about 30 minutes standing between you and the best homemade brownies you've ever had.

The Best Hershey's Cocoa Brownies

There's something about a from scratch brownie made with cocoa powder that just hits differently than a box mix. These are dense, fudgy, and deeply chocolatey with that classic crinkly top that makes a brownie look as good as it tastes. And the secret to all of that is Hershey's unsweetened cocoa powder, it gives these brownies a rich, bold chocolate flavor that you just can't get from a packet of Betty Crocker.

What I love most about this recipe is how simple it is. Butter, sugar, eggs, vanilla, flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, and salt. That's it. No melting chocolate over a double boiler, no multiple bowls, no complicated techniques. Everything comes together in one bowl and the batter is ready in about 10 minutes flat.

The key to getting these right is not overbaking them. They'll look slightly underdone in the center when you pull them out of the oven and that's exactly what you want. The brownies keep cooking as they cool and that's what gives you that perfect fudgy center instead of a dry, cakey brownie that crumbles when you cut it. Pull them out as soon as the toothpick comes out clean and let them do their thing on the counter.

Ingredients

This Hershey brownie recipe is made with basic baking ingredients that you probably have at home already! 

Check out what you need to make these homemade brownies:

• ½ cup room temperature butter 
• 1 cup sugar 
• 2 large eggs
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract
• ½ cup all purpose flour
• ⅓ cup Hershey's unsweetened cocoa powder
• ½ tsp. baking powder
• ½ tsp. salt

If you have these ingredients, then you almost have everything you need to make these double chocolate chocolate chip cookies. It's another classic fudgy recipe that's to die for.

How To Make Hershey Brownies

1. Prep: Preheat the oven to 350°F (180ºC), and either grease or line a 8x8 inch. brownie pan with parchment paper. Set the pan aside.

2. Mix wet ingredients: In a large bowl, cream the softened butter with the sugar and vanilla extract until combined. Add the eggs and mix well.

3. Mix the dry ingredients: Add the flour, baking powder, cocoa powder, and salt to the bowl. Whisk everything together, breaking up any small lumps.

4. Make the brownie batter: Pour the dry ingredients into the bowl of wet ingredients. Mix everything with a rubber spatula until all the ingreidents are well combined and a smooth batter forms.

5. Bake the brownies: Spread the brownie batter evenly in the prepared pan. Bake for 22-25 minutes. Remove from the oven and cool for 10 minutes. Cut the brownies and serve warm.

Tips To Make Fudgy Brownies

• Don't overbake them. This is the most important tip on the list. Fudgy brownies and cakey brownies are separated by just a few minutes in the oven. Pull them out as soon as a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean or with just a few moist crumbs. Wet batter means they need more time -- but dry and crumb free means you've gone too far.
• Use real butter, not margarine. Butter is what gives these brownies their rich, dense texture. Margarine has a higher water content which can throw off the texture and make the brownies less fudgy. Room temperature butter also creams better with the sugar which gives you a smoother batter.
• Don't skip creaming the butter and sugar. Creaming the softened butter with the sugar before adding anything else creates a base that gives these brownies structure without making them cakey. It only takes a minute or two and it makes a difference in the final texture.
• Use Hershey's unsweetened cocoa powder. This recipe is built around it and the results speak for themselves. Hershey's gives you that bold, classic chocolate flavor that makes these brownies taste like the real deal. Natural unsweetened cocoa powder works best here -- don't substitute dutch process cocoa without adjusting the recipe since it reacts differently with the baking powder.
• Don't overmix the batter. Once the dry ingredients go in, mix just until everything is combined and no dry streaks remain. Overmixing develops the gluten in the flour and can make your brownies tough and dense instead of soft and fudgy.
• Use an 8x8 pan, not a 9x13. The pan size matters more than people think. A smaller pan means thicker brownies with a higher ratio of fudgy center to crust. Spreading the same batter into a larger pan makes thinner brownies that bake faster and are much easier to overbake.
• Let them cool before cutting. I know it's hard to wait but give them at least 10 minutes before you slice in. The brownies are still setting up as they cool and cutting too early means they'll fall apart instead of giving you those clean, beautiful squares. If you can wait 20 minutes even better.
• Line your pan with parchment paper. Greasing works but parchment paper is the move for brownies. Leave a little overhang on the sides and you can lift the whole slab out of the pan in one piece, which makes cutting them so much easier and cleaner.

How To Store Leftover Brownies

At room temperature: Store the cut brownies in the baking tray with a lid on top, an airtight container, or wrapped in plastic wrap and kept in a zip-loc bag for up to 4 days.

In the fridge: Transfer the leftover brownies to the fridge and store them for up to a week.

In the freezer: Freeze the brownies wrapped individually in plastic wrap in a freezer-safe bag for up to 3 months.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is it better to use cocoa powder or melted chocolate in brownies?

Neither is better -- they just give you different results. Cocoa powder is easier to work with since it goes straight into the bowl with no melting required, and it gives brownies a deeper, more intense chocolate flavor. Melted chocolate makes brownies richer and sweeter with a slightly lighter chocolate taste. This recipe uses Hershey's cocoa powder and delivers a bold, fudgy brownie every time.

What's the secret to fudgy brownies?

Three things: don't overmix the batter, don't overbake them, and use enough fat. Overmixing develops gluten and makes brownies tough. Overbaking dries them out completely. The butter in this recipe gives you that rich, dense, fudgy texture -- and pulling them out of the oven while the center still looks slightly soft is the move. They finish setting up as they cool.

What's the difference between fudgy and cakey brownies?

It comes down to the ratio of fat to flour. More butter and less flour equals fudgy brownies. More flour and less fat equals cakey brownies. This recipe leans fudgy with a half cup of butter and only a half cup of flour. Cakey brownies also typically use more baking powder and have more air beaten into the eggs.

Can I use Dutch process cocoa instead of Hershey's cocoa powder?

This recipe is written for natural unsweetened cocoa powder like Hershey's, which reacts with the baking powder in the recipe to help the brownies rise. Dutch process cocoa has been treated to neutralize its acidity and doesn't react the same way. Swapping it in without adjusting the leavening can affect the texture and rise of the brownies so stick with natural cocoa powder for the best results.

Is it better to use butter or oil in brownies?

Butter gives you more flavor and a richer, denser texture which is why this recipe uses it. Oil makes brownies slightly more moist since it's pure fat with no water content, but you lose the flavor that butter brings. For the best of both worlds some bakers use a combination of both -- but for this recipe butter is the way to go.

Can I double this brownie recipe?

Yes, easily. Double all the ingredients and bake in a 9x13 inch pan instead of an 8x8. The bake time will be similar but start checking at 22 minutes since the thinner layer of batter in a larger pan can bake faster. Keep an eye on it and pull it out as soon as a toothpick comes out clean.

Can I add mix ins to this recipe?

Absolutely. Chocolate chips, chopped walnuts, pecans, peanut butter chips, or caramel bits all work great folded into the batter right before it goes into the pan. If you're adding chocolate chips use about half a cup. For nuts, roughly chopped pieces distribute better through the batter than finely chopped.

Why did my brownies turn out cakey?

Cakey brownies are almost always caused by one of three things -- overmixing the batter, too much flour, or overbaking. Make sure you're measuring the flour correctly by spooning it into the measuring cup and leveling it off rather than scooping directly from the bag, which can pack in way more flour than the recipe calls for. Mix just until combined and pull them from the oven as soon as the toothpick comes out clean.

How do you know when brownies are done?

Insert a toothpick into the center of the pan. If it comes out with wet batter they need more time. If it comes out clean or with just a few moist crumbs they're done. The center will still look slightly soft and underdone when you pull them out and that's exactly right -- they firm up as they cool. If the toothpick comes out completely dry and crumb free you've overbaked them.

Is it cheaper to make brownies from scratch or buy a box mix?

Making brownies from scratch is generally the better value because all the ingredients -- butter, sugar, eggs, flour, cocoa powder -- are pantry staples you can use across multiple batches and dozens of other recipes. A box mix costs about the same per batch but you get nothing leftover. Scratch brownies also taste significantly better, which makes the extra five minutes of measuring completely worth it.

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