No.16 The 100 Most Popular Recipes Ever · October 2026

Cocoa brownies

Made famous by Alice Medrich

Photo: Infrogmation of New Orleans, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

From Bittersweet, 2003.

Brownies are America's favorite bar, and Medrich's cocoa brownies, made with cocoa instead of chocolate, are the most praised by bakers for their deep flavor and crackly top.

Written in our own words and tested in a home kitchen. Get the original in Bittersweet.

Ingredients

• 10 tbsp (140 g) unsalted butter
• 1 1/4 cups (250 g) sugar
• 3/4 cup plus 2 tbsp (75 g) unsweetened cocoa powder, natural or Dutch-process
• 1/4 tsp fine salt
• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
• 2 large eggs, cold
• 1/2 cup (65 g) all-purpose flour
• 2/3 cup (75 g) walnut or pecan pieces (optional)

Steps

1. Heat the oven to 325F (165C) with a rack in the lower third. Line an 8-inch square pan with foil or parchment, leaving overhang on two sides.
2. Put the butter, sugar, cocoa and salt in a heatproof bowl set over a pan of barely simmering water. Stir now and then until the butter melts and the mixture is smooth and hot to the touch, about 5 minutes. It will look gritty; that's right.
3. Take the bowl off the heat and let it cool until just warm, 5 minutes. Stir in the vanilla.
4. Add the eggs one at a time, stirring hard after each. When the batter looks thick, shiny and well blended, add the flour and stir until you can't see it, then beat vigorously with a wooden spoon for 40 strokes. This is what makes the shiny top.
5. Stir in the nuts and spread evenly in the pan.
6. Bake 20 to 25 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out slightly moist with batter. The edges will be set and the center just barely.
7. Cool completely in the pan on a rack, then lift out and cut into 16 squares.

Chef's tips

• Chill before cutting for clean edges.
• Natural cocoa gives a brighter, fruitier brownie; Dutch-process a darker, rounder one.

This is Chef Amazing's write-up of the dish, tested for a home kitchen. The original is in Bittersweet by Alice Medrich: get the book.

← No. 15Baked macaroni and cheese→ No. 17Chocolate layer cake