Black Cocoa Brownies

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These decadent Black Cocoa Brownies are super fudgy, contain zero food coloring and are decorated with spiderwebs for Halloween!

These spooky Black Cocoa Brownies are super rich, fudgy and have a unique chocolate taste similar to Oreos. They’re filled with chocolate chips, topped with little vanilla icing spiderwebs and use zero food coloring thanks to the black cocoa powder! They’re such a cute and decadent Halloween treat.

Looking for more black cocoa powder recipes? Try my Black Cocoa Crinkle Cookies, Black Cocoa Sugar Cookies or Black Cocoa Cupcakes!

Ingredient Breakdown

Granulated sugar and brown sugar – both sugars are necessary for sweetness and texture.

Vegetable oil – provides texture and moisture.

Butter – provides flavor and texture. I always recommend using unsalted butter but salted butter works if that’s all you have on hand, just be sure to omit the 1/4 teaspoon of salt.

Black cocoa powder – flavors the brownies and turns them black without the need for any food coloring. My go to black cocoa powder is made by Wincrest but any brand should work fine!

Eggs – binds the ingredients and provides structure.

Vanilla extract and salt – enhances flavor. Always use pure vanilla extract instead of imitation for best flavor.

All-purpose flour – just a bit of flour gives the brownies structure while still keeping them fudgy.

Chocolate chips – you can use whatever chocolate chips you prefer but I usually use semi-sweet or milk chocolate chips. You can also use chocolate chunks or chopped chocolate.

How To Make Black Cocoa Brownies

1. Make the Black Cocoa Brownies: Whisk the granulated sugar, vegetable oil, butter, brown sugar and black cocoa powder in a small pot over low heat. Remove from heat once the butter is melted and the mixture is smooth.

2. Whisk in the eggs, vanilla extract and salt until well combined.

3. Fold in the all-purpose flour until almost combined (there should still be streaks of flour). Then fold in the chocolate chips until just combined. Pour the batter into the prepared pan.

4. Bake at 350°F for 20-25 minutes or until the center is just set. Cool to room temperature or chill before slicing for cleanest cuts.

5. Make the Vanilla Icing: in a small bowl mix the confectioners’ sugar, water and vanilla extract. The icing is thick but you can add a little bit of water at a time until you reach your desired consistency. Decorate brownies with spiderwebs or as desired. Store Black Cocoa Brownies in an airtight container for up to 3 days at room temperature or up to a week in the fridge.

Pro Tips For Black Cocoa Brownies

• Weigh your ingredients using a kitchen scale! Measuring ingredients by volume is not accurate; baking is a science after all!
• Don’t overmix the batter after adding the flour. There should still be streaks of flour when you add the chocolate chips.
• Don’t be tempted to over bake these. They will still be a little gooey when you remove them from the oven but they’ll continue to bake as they cool.
• Use a metal pan! Glass pans retain heat for longer resulting in unevenly baked brownies.
• Make sure your parchment paper hangs over the sides of the pan for easy removal after baking!

Frequently Asked Questions

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What Is Black Cocoa Powder?

Black cocoa powder is cocoa powder that has been super Dutch processed which just means that it has been treated with an alkaline solution to reduce its acidity. This results in a mellower flavor and darker color. It’s actually the ingredient in Oreos that give them their unique flavor and color!

Thanks to the magic of black cocoa powder, these brownies use zero food coloring but if by some chance your batter doesn’t turn out dark enough then I recommend using a few drops of black gel food coloring. Gel food coloring is the best because it yields a deeper color without using a ton of dye and throwing off the consistency and taste of the brownies the way liquid food coloring does.

My go to black cocoa powder is made by Wincrest but any brand should work fine!

What Makes A Brownie Fudgy?

• Use melted butter instead of softened butter – creaming softened butter incorporates too much air into the batter which makes brownies cakey.
• Brown sugar – brown sugar adds extra moisture.
• No leavening agents – the lack of baking powder/soda prevents them from rising and keeps them dense.
• Small amount of flour – using too much flour results in brownies with a cakey texture.
• Shorter baking time – brownies should still be a little gooey when you take them out of the oven.

If you try this recipe then please leave a rating/comment below to let me know how you liked it and feel free to ask any recipe questions you may have! 🙂