My lazy cook’s recipe for the perfect one bowl chocolate brownies is a mess-free, fuss-free, one bowl formula for luxurious brownies that are soft and fudgy in the centre, and chewy and crispy at the edges.
A UK based recipe for chocolate brownies based on British weights and measures.
One bowl chocolate brownies
An indulgent upgrade on my everyday cocoa brownies, these one bowl chocolate brownies come with the addition of meltingly soft chocolate in that gorgeous gooey centre. I also call them my even better brownies.
See also
- Cocoa brownies – my original one bowl cocoa brownie recipe
- With a swirl of chocolate hazelnut spread these Nutella brownies are an indulgent treat
- All my easy brownie recipes in one place
They are still simple to make and still keep the kitchen clutter to a bare minimum, but the addition of chocolate in the batter and stirred in makes for a richer brownie that is a real treat.
The brownies are gooey in the centre but still easy to eat with your fingers, so they are great for passing round at parties.
This chocolate brownies recipe gives UK measurements first, so there is no worrying about cup conversions here. Just straightforward easy baking with the most delicious results.
Small batch one bowl brownies
Many recipes for brownies and blondies deal in huge quantities. Now, I know that chocolate brownies were originally intended for entertaining, but there are limits and I rarely have huge numbers of people round for coffee at once.
This one bowl chocolate brownies recipe uses one UK standard 8″ / 20 cm square pan. This produces 12–16 brownies that can be kept for up to a week.
I find that’s enough to serve a few guests or to keep us going for days. If you have more people to feed, you can double the recipe 9″ x 13″ pan.
Why make one bowl chocolate brownies
- Meltingly indulgent brownies
- Minimal equipment and hardly any mess
- One bowl brownie recipe with UK measurements
- Keep well in a tin, so you can make them in advance
- Scale the recipe for parties and fetes.
UK chocolate brownies – ingredients
- Flour – I use plain with a pinch of baking powder but it is fine to use self-raising is fine if that’s what you normally use. Just remember to leave the baking powder out.
Pro Tip – Why Bake with Plain Flour?
I’m often asked why I bake with plain flour and add a raising agent rather than use self-raising.
First – I don’t bake that often, and the raising agent in the flour can go off. If you use a separate baking powder it is really easy to check that it is still fresh.
Secondly – My kitchen is tiny! If I keep both types of flour, it takes up more space.
- Soft brown sugar – almost moist and full of flavour for that fudgy centre
- Butter – I use salted butter. If using unsalted, add a pinch of salt too, as it rounds out the flavour.
- Egg – One large free range egg
- Cocoa power – ordinary supermarket cocoa powder
- Vanilla extract – Vanilla extract is natural vanilla while vanilla essence is generally synthetic. Choose the good stuff. Brands vary in concentration so get to know what you have and use it sparingly. As always, you can add but not take away.
- Baking powder – Leave it out if using self-raising flour. If you don’t bake that often or if your powder is past its expiry date, check your baking powder is fresh. It is usually just fine for ages after the expiry, but check before you bake to avoid wasting good food.
- Espresso powder/microground instant coffee – helps with the depth of flavour and a balancing note of bitterness. The brownies will not taste of coffee, think of it as a flavour enhancer.
- Dark chocolate – Some for melting into the batter and some for stirring in as chips or chunks. You don’t need to worry about the shape of your chocolate, so you may find it more economical to chop up a bar rather than buying chips.
For the best brownies, you want chocolate that you would be happy to eat, rather than rock hard stuff with little flavour. The easy-melt stuff sold as cooking chocolate in the UK can also be disappointing and I prefer to use eating chocolate in my brownies.
Use dark chocolate for the batter but if you prefer, you could use milk for the chips.
How to make one bowl chocolate brownies – step by step
Before you start, read my step-by-step instructions, with photos, hints and tips so you can make this one bowl UK brownies recipe perfectly every time.
Scroll down for the recipe card with quantities and more tips at the bottom of the page.
Before you start, preheat your oven to 180°C / 160°C Fan / Gas 4. Prepare an 8″ / 20 cm square baking tin. Do this by lining it with baking parchment, and then greasing with butter, light flavourless oil, or a spritz of cake release spray.
I often use foil backed parchment. It is more expensive, but it is so much easier to use because it stays in place when you fold it.
If using baking parchment use a couple of fold back clips to hold it in place.
Step One – Put the butter in a microwave safe jug or bowl with 75 g chocolate. Melt in short bursts of about 15 seconds in the microwave, stirring in between heating until you can get rid of all the lumps by stirring thoroughly.
You want to melt the ingredients, not heat them, and they should be only just warmed. Overheating will cause the chocolate to seize and curdle, so be gentle.
Step Two – Next, add the sugar, vanilla and egg. Stir it in well.
Step Three – Sift the cocoa into the jug.
Step Four – Add the flour, baking powder and coffee powder. Again, stir in well to combine.
Step Five – Add the chocolate chips or chopped chocolate. Stir into the batter until evenly distributed. If you want to add other elements like nuts or fruit, you can do this at the same time.
Step Six – Transfer the batter to the prepared baking tray. Then smooth out with the back of the spatula, pushing the batter into the corners of the pan.
Step Seven – Bake for 25–28 minutes. When the bake is ready, a papery crust will have formed, with the edges risen and slightly wrinkled. The centre will still be a little soft, barely set, and will wobble slightly if you (gently) shake the pan.
If you don’t have a fan oven you may need to turn the pan halfway through cooking to compensate for any hot spots. Do this as quickly and as gently as you can.
Allow your one bowl chocolate brownies to cool and firm up for at least 20 minutes on a wire rack before you attempt to cut. The centre will carry on cooking as it cools.
Step Eight – Finally, when the bake is cool, you can cut your brownies into squares, ready to serve. I find a 4 x 4 grid of 16 pieces is just right.
Storage
Your one bowl chocolate brownies will keep well for up to 5 days. I wrap them in the baking parchment, before sealing them in an airtight tin. For a just baked taste, pop into the microwave for 10 seconds to warm up. This will restore that delicious soft centre.
You can also wrap your brownies well and freeze for up to 3 months.
Variations
- For a delicious chocolate brownie dessert, microwave for ten seconds and then top with ice cream and warm chocolate sauce.
- This one bowl UK chocolate brownies recipe is very adaptable. You can add nuts or dried fruit along with the chocolate chunks, but you could also use your favourite chocolate bars to make them. Try substituting a bar of fruit and nut chocolate for the dark chocolate in the recipe, or use a flavoured bar.
Hints and tips
- If you want to double the recipe use a 13 x 9″ baking pan. Your one bowl chocolate brownies will be a bit deeper and take slightly longer to cook.
- Like any brownie recipe, this contains proportionally more fat compared to many bakes. It is important to take time to stir the flour in well to prevent any separation.
- Use real butter! Butter is about flavour as well as fat, and the substitutes don’t have it!
- Good vanilla makes a huge difference. You don’t want a synthetic flavour so don’t buy synthetic vanilla.
FAQs
It’s all down to the butter, aided by those lovely chocolate chunks. The higher fat to flour ratio (compared to ordinary cakes) is essential to the classic brownie texture. It’s also important to take the bake out of the oven while you still have that slightly wobbly centre.
Brownies are brownies! Really, where recipes fall between two categories, there’s no point in agruing about it as long as the recipe works. Unless you are the taxman, who has apparently tried to argue that a brownie may also be a chocolate bar or a sports nutrition product. In the UK, brownies are legally cakes!
The coffee adds a little depth of flavour and balances the sweetness. You would need a lot more coffee than I have used here for a coffee flavour to come through.
More easy traybake recipes
- Mincemeat crumble bars – an easy alternative to mince pies with a beautiful buttery crumble topping
- Cookies and cream brownies – with Oreo biscuit crunch
- Peanut butter blondies – an easy classic
- Chocolate tiffin – a favourite British treat
- Explore all my beautiful brownie recipes
One Bowl Brownies
Ingredients
- 115 g (1 stick) butter
- 75 g (0.45 cups) dark chocolate (good quality)
- 210 g (1 cup) soft brown sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 egg (large)
- 45 g (0.5 cups) cocoa powder
- 55 g (0.45 cups) plain flour
- ½ tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp instant coffee powder
- 50 g (0.3 cup) chopped chocolate (and nuts/fruit if desired)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 180°C / 160°C Fan / Gas 4. Prepare an 8 inch /20 cm square baking tin, lining it with baking parchment and greasing lightly.
- Put the butter in a microwave safe jug or bowl with 75 g chocolate. Melt in short bursts of about 15 seconds in the microwave, stirring in between until you can get rid of all the lumps. Do not allow the mixture to get hot.115 g butter, 75 g dark chocolate
- Next, add the sugar, vanilla and egg. Stir it in well.210 g soft brown sugar, 1 tsp vanilla extract, 1 egg
- Sift the cocoa into the jug.45 g cocoa powder
- Add the flour, baking powder and coffee powder. Again, stir in well to combine.55 g plain flour, ½ tsp baking powder, 1 tsp instant coffee powder
- Add the chocolate chips or chopped chocolate. Stir into the batter until evenly distributed.50 g chopped chocolate (and nuts/fruit if desired)
- Transfer the batter to the prepared baking tray and spread it evenly into the corners.
- Bake for 25–28 minutes until the crust is papery and the edges slightly risen but the centre still wobbles slightly.
- Allow your one bowl chocolate brownies to cool and firm up for at least 20 minutes on a wire rack before you attempt to cut.
- Finally, when the bake is cool, you can cut your brownies into squares, ready to serve. I find a 4 x 4 grid of 16 pieces is just right.
Notes
- If you want to double the recipeuse a 13 x 9? baking pan. Your one bowl chocolate brownies will be a bit deeper and take slightly longer to cook.
- Like any brownie recipe, this contains proportionally more fat compared to many bakes. It is important to take time to stir the flour in well to prevent any separation.
- Use real butter! Butter is about flavour as well as fat, and the substitutes don’t have it!
- Good vanilla makes a huge difference. You don’t want a synthetic flavour so don’t buy synthetic vanilla.
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