Homemade Brownies With Cocoa Powder (From Scratch Recipe)
Easy vegan brownies that are ultra moist and loaded with rich chocolate flavor. You will love this simple and delicious brownie recipe.
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Homemade Brownies with Cocoa Powder
Good morning everyone! Today I am sharing a super exciting dessert recipe for homemade brownies. While I do have a few brownie recipes on the blog already, I haven’t shared one quite like the one I’m posting today. And let me tell you, this homemade chocolate chip brownies recipe is simply too delicious not to share. The recipe sneaks in some protein and packs in a ton of moisture. Plus, these brownies are loaded with rich chocolate flavor.
I love to end the night with a sweet treat, and brownies are one of my go to options. These brownies in particular taste absolutely incredible paired with vegan vanilla ice cream or coco whip.
Plus, the recipe is simple, quick, and it requires very little prep time. Now, let’s take a look at some quick things to note for this recipe. Then, we will take a look at the list of ingredients you will need to make these delicious, moist, and rich chocolate chip brownies.
Do Brownies Need Baking Powder or Baking Soda?
In my opinion, brownies do need at least one leavening agent. Both baking powder and baking soda are great options to use in brownies. The leavening agent ensures that your brownies don’t turn out too thick and dense. It helps the brownies achieve a lighter, fluffier texture overall. Obviously, the amount of fluff you aim to achieve depends on whether you want to make chewier, fudgier brownies, or cakey brownies. With this recipe specifically, I wanted to make a moist and sweet brownie that was a bit denser than cake brownies.
Even so, I used a combination of both baking powder and baking soda to achieve the perfect brownie texture. In general, some sort of leavening agent should be used to help your brownies rise and achieve the right consistency.
Now that we have covered that question, let’s dive into the list of ingredients you will need to make these homemade chocolate chip protein brownies.
Brownies With Cocoa Powder – Ingredients
- Chocolate Protein Powder – The first essential ingredient you will need for this recipe is the chocolate protein powder. The protein powder adds a ton of flavor and a bit of extra sweetness to this recipe. I used the Orgain Simple protein powder in the chocolate peanut butter cup flavor. It is one of my all-time favorite vegan protein powders and I think that it bakes very well.
- Cocoa Powder – The cocoa powder adds rich chocolate flavor to this recipe. I used Hershey’s special dark cocoa powder for an extra dark color and super rich flavor.
- Coconut Sugar – The coconut sugar adds a ton of sweetness to these moist and chocolatey brownies. It is one of my favorite sweetners to use in vegan baked goods like these brownies.
- Oat Flour – The oat flour combines perfectly with the protein powder and cocoa powder to form the bulk of the dry base for these brownies. It also helps absorb some of the liquid ingredients.
- Baking Powder – The baking powder acts as the first key leavening agent which helps the brownies rise.
- Baking Soda – The baking soda also helps the brownies rise to achieve a fluffier texture.
- Canned Pumpkin – The canned pumpkin adds a ton of moisture to this recipe. It also packs in some extra nutrients.
- Nut Milk – The nut milk helps turn the dry mixture into a smooth brownie batter. It also adds a ton of creaminess to the recipe. I used unsweetened vanilla almond milk, but you can use whichever kind you prefer or enjoy most.
- Creamy Peanut Butter – The peanut butter serves as a source of creaminess and flavor for these brownies. It also adds a ton of richness to the batter.
- Chocolate Chips – The chocolate chips add sweetness and rich chocolate flavor to these brownies. They serve as the perfect brownie topping. You could also fold some extra chocolate chips into the brownie batter before baking if desired. This will give the brownies even more chocolate flavor and sweetness.
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Homemade Brownies With Cocoa Powder (From Scratch Recipe)
Ingredients
- 2 scoops (38 grams) vegan chocolate protein powder (I used Orgain simple protein powder in the chocolate peanut butter cup flavor)
- 3 tbsp cocoa powder (I used Hershey's special dark)
- 3 tbsp coconut sugar
- 3 tbsp quick oats (blended into a fine oat flour)
- 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1/4 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 cup + 2 tbsp nut milk
- 1/3 cup canned pumpkin
- 3 tbsp creamy natural peanut butter
- 2 tbsp semi-sweet chocolate chips (more as desired)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350° F.
- In a large bowl, mix together the protein powder, cocoa powder, coconut sugar, oat flour, baking powder, and baking soda.
- Make a well in the center of the bowl, then add the canned pumpkin, peanut butter, and nut milk.
- Mix the wet ingredients together, then slowly mix the wet into the dry to form a smooth brownie batter.
- Pour the brownie batter into a lined or greased rectangular baking pan.
- Evenly distribute the chocolate chips on top of the brownie batter.
- Bake the brownies for about 22 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean.
- Let the brownies cool completely before cutting them into eight rectangles.
- Dig in and enjoy!
Notes
I hope you all enjoy this homemade chocolate protein brownies recipe just as much as I do. It is sweet, moist, and delicious. It is one of my favorite treats to end the night with, especially when I’m craving a chocolate treat. Anyway, that’s it for this recipe. As per usual, I will be back with another blog post very soon.
-Alyssa 🙂
