Black Cocoa Double Nutty Brownies (Ode to National Chocolate Week)
Here’s what I’d like to tell you. I’d like to tell you I have a beautifully curated calendar with all the national food holidays meticulously noted and planned. I’d like to tell you I have recipes in mind for each said holiday and that I’m on top of creating those recipes the week before the holiday arrives.
Here’s what I can only really tell you. I don’t have a beautifully curated calendar. In fact, I usually see a post on Instagram by another talented food photographer mentioning the national holiday and instantly think, “Crap! How did I miss that?”. It’s a rather constant reminder I need a curated content calendar with all the national food holidays, and yet I somehow manage to never make one.
But here’s the exciting thing. I found out about National Chocolate Week in my typical fashion. But this time – because it’s a whole week – I have time to participate! Yay! Which means…you get my recipe for these super delicious, delightfully fudgy black cocoa double nutty brownies. So yay for me and yay for you!
You’ll notice in my photos how darkly colored the brownies are. This is the result of using black cocoa. I bought black cocoa at a bulk pantry store I always visit when at my parents’ home but hadn’t yet tried it in a recipe. It differs from “traditional” cocoa in that it’s processed with an alkaline solution to neutralize its natural acidity. The result is an extremely dark cocoa with an intense chocolate flavor (and, fun fact, what’s used to give Oreos their dark color!). You can read more about it in this interesting article by Kitchn.
Due to the intense flavor of the black cocoa, I added 2 tbsp of strong coffee to my recipe. The coffee flavor is definitely noticeable which I particularly love with the flavor of the cocoa. You can leave it out if java flavor is not to your taste or simply reduce the quantity. I also adore nuts in my brownies. Since I can never decide if pecans or walnuts are my favorite, I decided to add both. And guest what? I loved them equally. This must be how it is when you have two children. Good thing I’m getting in some practice now before our second little nut arrives this spring. Haha!
A last little note, these brownies are actually better when left in the fridge for a day. I’m partial to a fudgy brownie myself, and while still delicious warm out of the oven, I particularly loved these the second day after an evening in the cool temps. Your choice, of course, but it’s always good to know what you can make on a given day and still have just as delicious the second day around. Let’s not delay any further though. Recipes details below!
Black Cocoa Double Nutty Brownies
Ingredients
- 1 cup melted butter
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 cup raw sugar or turbinado sugar
- 1 cup packed light brown sugar
- 4 eggs, room temperature
- 1 tbsp pure vanilla extract
- 2 tbsp coffee
- 1 1/4 cup all purpose flour
- 1 cup black cocoa powder
- 3/4 tsp salt
- 4 oz roughly chopped dark chocolate
- 1/2 cup chopped walnuts
- 1/2 cup chopped pecans
Instructions
- 1) Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease an 8×12 inch square baking pan with cooking oil spray and line with parchment paper. Set aside. 2) In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the melted butter, oil and sugars until well combined. Add the eggs, vanilla and coffee and continue whisking for another minute or until slightly light in color. Note that if you need to quickly bring eggs to room temperature, place them in a bowl of warm water for 5-10 minutes. 3) Sift in the flour, cocoa and salt. Fold into the wet ingredients until combined. Do not overmix. Gently fold in the chocolate pieces, walnuts and pecans. 4) Pour the batter into prepared pan and spready evenly to the edges. Bake for 30-40 minutes until the center of brownies no longer jiggles. Note that the brownies may still look "wet". 5) Let the brownies fully cool then dust with powdered sugar. For brownies to taste especially fudgy, cool overnight in the refrigerator then let come to room temperature before serving.
Need more autumn recipe inspiration? See my other posts below:
