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One Bowl Brownies

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When you want to bake something easy to satisfy a chocolate craving, try these one bowl brownies. This easy brownie recipe can be customized many ways, and goes from inspiration to oven in minutes, with minimal mess!

one bowl brownies on a plate with milk in the background

Hello darlings, today’s recipe is a real treat – simple and delicious! Something fun and easy for stay-at-home days in. These One-Bowl Brownies are made with ingredients you already have the in pantry. Plus, as the name may have given away, they are all mixed together in one bowl! These easy brownies are made with ingredients you already have, mixed together in a single bowl. It’s a great treat anyone can make, and a perfect recipe for new bakers, or parents who want to bake with their kids.

Trust me, these brownies are amazing! Not only is the recipe designed for pantry baking, but the results are delicious. You can use a stand mixer, hand mixer, or bowl! The super-rich batter turns out yummy and moist every time, even with the substitutions!  

One Bowl Brownies Ingredient Substitutions

One of the best parts about this easy brownie recipe is how flexible it can be to fit the availability of what you have in your pantry with your flavor preferences and dietary needs. For example, you can swap out the oil to cut calories or to use what you have available. I recommend apple sauce or pumpkin puree.

cut brownies with one tilted to show texture

Another great feature of the one bowl brownies is that they can be made vegan brownies by removing the eggs. The substitution for eggs is 1/4 cup unsweetened applesauce per egg. When I want to make these egg free, I use 3/4 cup applesauce and 1/2 cup oil. They turn out just as rich, moist, and tasty as the egg version. But without the eggs, they’re allergy-friendly too! To make them dairy-free and ensure they are vegan, make sure you use an allergy-friendly dairy-free brand of chocolate chips.

cut brownies on a white cutting board

Don’t have unsweetened cocoa powder? You can substitute hot cocoa mix to make it work. Just cut down on the sugar by 2-4 tablespoons depending on the sweetness level of your hot cocoa mix. Or just try my hot chocolate brownies recipe! No one should have to go without brownies! 

close up of the one bowl brownies

If you need these brownies to be gluten free, substitute your favorite 1:1 gluten free baking flour. Also, if I ever need to make dessert for someone who is gluten and dairy free (but okay eating from a neither gluten nor dairy free kitchen), and I need it to be simple, this is one of my go-to recipes.

Customization – Make them Your Style!

Brownies come in all sorts of flavors, and a blank-canvas recipe like this one is a perfect starting point for some serious creativity! Add nuts, different kinds of chocolate chips, or maybe one of the following: 

  • For cinnamon brownies, add 1/2 teaspoon of ground cinnamon to the batter
  • Caramel brownies – swirl caramel sauce over the batter before baking. If you want salted caramel brownies, don’t forget a sprinkle of sea salt!
  • Toasted coconut brownies – add 1/3 cup of toasted coconut to the batter, then top the brownies with an additional 1/4 cup of shredded coconut.
  • Almond butter or peanut butter brownies – soften your nut butter of choice in the microwave for 5-10 seconds and then drizzle over the brownies for baking.
The Godfather grabbing a brownie from my shoot!

I hope these suggestions help you get your creative juices flowing! Happy baking, darlings!

close up of the one bowl brownies

One Bowl Brownies

Yield: 16 brownies
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 30 minutes
Total Time: 35 minutes

When you want to bake something easy to satisfy a chocolate craving, try these one bowl brownies. This easy brownie recipe can be customized many ways, and goes from inspiration to oven in minutes, with minimal mess!

Ingredients

  • 3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
  • 3/4 cup neutral-flavored oil (applesauce or pumpkin purée can be used as substitutes for all or part of the oil)
  • 3 eggs (see notes for making an egg-free version)
  • 1 1/4 cups granulated sugar
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1/4 tsp salt
  • 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
  • 1 cup chocolate chips
  • Optional: instant espresso powder, cinnamon, caramel sauce, sprinkles

Instructions

  1. Preheat your oven to 350 F. Spray or butter an 8x8-inch baking dish and line with parchment paper, leaving "handles" for easily lifting the brownies out of the pan later.
  2. In a large mixing bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, stir together the sugar, cocoa powder, salt, oil, eggs, and vanilla. Stir until just combined.
  3. Sprinkle the flour over the top of the batter and stir until just combined. When you still have a few white streaks, stir in the chocolate chips.
  4. Once the streaks disappear, pour the batter into the prepared pan and spread it out to make sure it gets into the corners and is somewhat even. Add any toppings or sprinkle with extra chocolate chips (why not?)
  5. Bake for 25-30 minutes until a tester inserted into the center only comes out with a few moist crumbs. The egg-free version may take 2-3 minutes longer.
  6. Allow the brownies to cool in the pan for 10-15 minutes before removing to a wire rack to cool completely. Completely cooled brownies can be stored in an airtight container 3-4 days on the counter, up to a week in the refrigerator, or wrapped individually and frozen up to 2 months.

Notes

  • To make egg-free brownies: use only 1/2 a cup of oil and 3/4 cup of applesauce instead of the eggs.

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