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    Home » Recipes » All Recipes

    Hot Chocolate Brownies (without Cocoa Powder)

    Published: Dec 18, 2022 · Modified: Jan 14, 2023 by Kathleen Hansen · This post may contain affiliate links · 15 Comments

    Jump to Recipe·Print Recipe

    Hot Chocolate Brownies are dense, fudgy, and easily mix up in one bowl. It uses melted butter so no electric mixer is needed. Use your favorite hot cocoa mix, no cocoa powder needed!

    stack of hot chocolate brownies

    Using hot chocolate mix is great when you're trying to make brownies without cocoa powder. Looking for another recipe to use hot cocoa mix? I love making this single serving Hot Chocolate Mug Cake!

    Jump to:
    • Why I Love It:
    • Ingredients
    • Step by Step Instructions
    • Substitutions and Variations
    • Equipment
    • Leftovers and Storage
    • Recipe Tips
    • Frequently Asked Questions
    • Serving Ideas
    • Other Chocolate Recipes
    • Related Recipes
    • Recipe
    • Reviews
    stack of brownies made with hot cocoa mix

    Why I Love It:

    • Fudgy - The texture of these brownies are fudgy, chewy, and moist.
    • Hot Chocolate Mix - It's a great recipe to use up some hot cocoa mix and it's perfect if you ran out of cocoa powder!
    • One Bowl - I love a low clean up, one-bowl recipe!
    • No Mixer Needed - The butter is melted, so no need to use an electric mixer to cream butter. You can mix it all up with a whisk/rubber spatula.
    fudgy brownies dusted in powdered sugar

    Ingredients

    • Unsalted Butter - You can also use salted butter and cut the amount of added salt in half.
    • White Granulated Sugar
    • All Purpose Flour
    • Hot Cocoa Mix - I used just a regular hot chocolate mix (the kind that can be added to water or milk).
    • Bittersweet or Dark Chocolate - I used a 4oz chocolate bar that I chopped up. But you could also use semisweet chocolate chips instead.
    • Eggs
    • Vanilla Extract
    • Kosher Salt
    • Parchment Paper - For lining the baking pan. This makes the brownies easy to lift out of the pan for cutting.
    chopped chocolate in a bowl and hot cocoa mix in a bowl

    Step by Step Instructions

    1. Melt Butter and Sugar - Start by melting the butter in the microwave and adding the sugar before microwaving for a few seconds more.
    2. Melt in Chocolate - Stir in the chopped chocolate. It should melt in the already warmed butter/sugar.
    3. Add Remaining Ingredients - Whisk in the eggs and vanilla before mixing in the remaining dry ingredients.
    4. Add Batter to Pan - Line a baking pan with parchment paper (for easy removal) and add the brownie batter.
    5. Bake Brownies - Bake in the preheated oven until they are no longer jiggly and a toothpick comes out with no wet batter. Don't over bake!
    melted butter and sugar in bowl
    chopped chocolate in melted butter
    hot cocoa mix and flour being added to batter
    brownie batter in bowl

    Substitutions and Variations

    • Chocolate - For the extra chocolate-y flavor, I recommend using a bittersweet or dark chocolate bar that you chop up. But you can also swap in semisweet chocolate chips.
    • Brownie Bites - You can use a (well greased) mini muffin pan to make brownie bites! Bake them for 10-13 minutes.
    • Mix-Ins - These are super fudge and amazing on their own, but you can also add in mix-ins to the brownie batter like mini chocolate chips or chopped nuts (walnuts).
    stack of brownies with tub of hot chocolate mix in background

    Equipment

    8x8 inch Baking Pan - I created this recipe using a metal baking pan. Be aware that using a a glass or ceramic baking dish may require you to decrease the baking time by a few minutes.

    Microwave Safe Mixing Bowl - Like a medium-large glass bowl. You'll melt the butter/sugar in the microwave and then add all ingredients to the same bowl.

    Whisk or Fork - For mixing in the eggs to the batter.

    Rubber Spatula or Spoon - For mixing the brownie batter and spreading in the pan.

    brownie batter in baking pan
    cooked brownies in parchment lined baking pan

    Leftovers and Storage

    Leftovers can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 4 days.

    Recipe Tips

    • Mix Until Just Combined - When you add in the flour and remaining ingredients, mix until just combined. Don't over mix the batter.
    • Line Pan in Parchment Paper - Although you can just grease your baking pan, I highly recommend lining the pan with parchment paper so you can just lift the brownies out of the pan to cut.
    stack of fudgy brownies made with hot chocolate mix

    Frequently Asked Questions

    What is the difference between hot chocolate mix and cocoa powder?

    Hot chocolate also usually has sugar and milk powder instead of just cocoa powder.

    What is the key to fudgy brownies?

    Using melted chocolate (vs only cocoa powder) helps give brownies a fudgy texture. It's also important to not overbake brownies.

    crinkle top brownies dusted with powdered sugar

    Serving Ideas

    • Powdered Sugar - I love to give brownies a dusting of powdered sugar using a fine mesh sieve.
    • Frosting - To make this super chocolate-y, you can top brownies with a chocolate frosting.
    • Ice-Cream - Nothing beats a warm brownie with a scoop of vanilla ice-cream!

    Other Chocolate Recipes

    • Easy Chocolate Truffles - Just pour warm cream over chopped chocolate, add some vanilla, and stir. Homemade chocolate truffles are seriously that simple!
    • Christmas Hot Chocolate - Easily made on the stovetop and is super rich, decadent, and creamy. Making homemade hot chocolate for Christmas is such a fun holiday tradition.
    fudgy brownie with a crinkle top

    Related Recipes

    • Single serve snickerdoodle cookie with cinnamon sugar.
      Single Serve Snickerdoodle Cookie (Small Batch)
    • Single serve M&M cookies on a small plate.
      Single Serve M&M Cookie (Small Batch)
    • Single serve apple pie in a mini 5 inch pie dish after baking.
      Single Serve Apple Pie (5-Inch Pie Dish)
    • Single serve apple crisp in a ramekin with an oat topping.
      Single Serve Apple Crisp (Oat Topping)

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    Print

    Recipe

    Hot Chocolate Brownies (without Cocoa Powder)

    stack of brownies made with hot cocoa mix
    Print Recipe

    5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star

    5 from 7 reviews

    Hot Chocolate Brownies are dense, fudgy, and easily mix up in one bowl. It uses melted butter so no electric mixer is needed. Use your favorite hot cocoa mix, no cocoa powder needed!

    • Author: Kathleen
    • Prep Time: 5 minutes
    • Cook Time: 25 minutes
    • Total Time: 30 minutes
    • Yield: 9 brownies
    • Category: Dessert
    • Method: Oven
    • Cuisine: American

    Ingredients

    • ½ cup unsalted butter
    • ¾ cup white granulated sugar
    • 4oz bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped
    • 2 eggs
    • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
    • ¾ cup all-purpose flour
    • 2.5 oz Hot Cocoa Mix, or 6.5 tablespoons
    • ½ teaspoon kosher salt

    Instructions

    1. Prep - Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F and line an 8x8 inch metal baking pan with parchment paper.
    2. Melt Butter and Sugar - Add the butter to a microwave safe mixing bowl. Melt in the microwave for 30-45 seconds. Add the sugar, stir into the melted butter, and microwave again for 30 seconds. Give one more stir and microwave for a final 30 seconds. The goal is for the mixture to start to bubble up.
    3. Melt in Chocolate - Stir in the chopped chocolate to the butter mixture.. It should melt in the already warmed butter/sugar.
    4. Whisk in Eggs - Whisk in the eggs and vanilla until combined.
    5. Add Remaining Ingredients - Stir in the flour, hot cocoa mix, and salt to the batter. Mix until just combined.
    6. Add Batter to Pan - Add the batter to the lined pan, spread out in an even layer.
    7. Bake Brownies - Bake in the preheated oven for 25-30 minutes until they are no longer jiggly and a toothpick comes out with no wet batter. Don't over bake!
    8. Cool and Serve - Allow to cool in the pan before lifting out of the pan and cutting into squares.

    Notes

    Leftovers can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 4 days.

    Nutrition

    • Serving Size: 1 brownie
    • Calories: 304
    • Sugar: 28.6 g
    • Sodium: 152.6 mg
    • Fat: 16.2 g
    • Carbohydrates: 38.7 g
    • Fiber: 1.5 g
    • Protein: 3.7 g
    • Cholesterol: 68.4 mg

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    Reader Interactions

    Comments

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      Recipe rating 5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star

    1. Lisa says

      April 12, 2025 at 1:49 pm

      These brownies are absolutely amazing, especially served with Häagen-Dazs coffee ice cream.

      Reply
      • Kathleen Hansen says

        April 14, 2025 at 12:14 pm

        So glad you loved! And I like your style pairing with coffee ice-cream - YUM!

        Reply
    2. Eegulleye says

      February 15, 2025 at 12:28 pm

      This was a great way to use up some Burdick's drinking chocolate that was gifted to me but I don't drink. Used 7 Tbs. Also added 1/2 cup lightly toasted pecans, and next time will add 1/2 cup chocolate chips. 28 minutes in the oven was perfect. I'll be making these again.

      Reply
      • Kathleen Hansen says

        February 17, 2025 at 5:42 pm

        Love the pecan addition! So glad you loved!

        Reply
    3. Sabrina says

      December 31, 2024 at 8:24 pm

      This was so delicious! So moist! Fudgy! My picky toddler loved it. My husband loved it. It’s perfect for a cozy night. I’ll never make regular brownies again haha! I bookmarked your recipe.

      Reply
      • Kathleen Hansen says

        January 01, 2025 at 3:09 pm

        This makes me so happy to hear! Thank you for your comment 🙂

        Reply
    4. Nicole says

      November 01, 2024 at 2:47 pm

      I made this recipe and everyone LOVED it! So simple and luxuriously chocolatey. I assess some milk chocolate chunks, and baked them in muffin tins. Out of this world good!

      Reply
      • Kathleen Hansen says

        November 01, 2024 at 5:08 pm

        I’m so glad it was a hit! Love the chocolate chunk addition! Thanks for your comment 🙂

        Reply
    5. Leeann Johnson says

      September 08, 2024 at 9:00 pm

      Added walnuts and Carmel sauce on top. OMG! Amazing fudgy recipe.

      Reply
      • Kathleen Hansen says

        September 16, 2024 at 8:01 pm

        OMG I LOVE those additions! Thanks for sharing 🙂

        Reply
    6. Laurie Lockard says

      April 23, 2023 at 7:03 pm

      Got the idea for brownies to find I did not have any coco powder either! So they are now in the oven! Smelling delicious

      Reply
      • Kathleen Hansen says

        April 27, 2023 at 7:29 am

        Yay! I hope you loved them!

        Reply
    7. Maddie Winslade says

      February 26, 2023 at 9:40 pm

      I made this tonight and it was really good!! I've never made brownies from scratch so of course I didn't have cocoa powder when I got the idea of making brownies.

      Reply
      • Kathleen Hansen says

        March 01, 2023 at 11:17 am

        I'm glad you liked them, Maddie! Thank you for your comment 🙂

        Reply
    8. Katie says

      February 22, 2023 at 5:54 pm

      I didn't have cocoa powder in the pantry so these were perfect!

      Reply

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    Hi! I'm Kathleen and welcome! My favorite place to be has always been in the kitchen and I love creating recipes that are easy and approachable. Simple ingredients and easy-to-follow instructions!

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