I’m generally someone who bakes things from scratch (and I'm all about accuracy in baked goods), but happened to find myself with a hankering for brownies (almost always the case) and I was all out of cocoa powder. As luck would have it though, deep in the back of the pantry just the thing to serve as a stand-in (and save the day): hot cocoa mix!

These aren’t airy, light, cakey brownies though - so be forewarned. If you’re looking for rich, gooey, fudgy brownies - almost headed down the road to molten chocolate cake (oozy center and all) these are the brownies for you!

* NOTE *
Brownies and other baked goods are usually made with unsweetened cocoa powder, not something you would want to eat on its own! Hot cocoa mix, however, contains some sugar, and often milk powder, etc. and is a lovely treat heated with milk or water (whatever you prefer), but isn’t usually used in baking

Supplies

Software:

1 cup flour (all purpose)
1 cup hot cocoa mix (probably 5-6 packets if you have that type (you’d want to measure the contents; I would use only plain, not with marshmallows or fun things, but feel free to experiment!))
3/4 cup sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
Large pinch salt
2 eggs
6 tablespoons butter, melted
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
6oz (3/4 cup) chocolate chips (I’m using mini ones)
Cooking spray/oil/a bit more butter (to grease your pan)
Optional add-ins (I didn’t add any of these, but they’re all fun options!) - 1/4 teaspoon of:
- instant coffee or espresso powder
- cinnamon
- cayenne
- chocolate extract
- peppermint extract

Hardware:

Large mixing bowl
Measuring cups and spoons
Whisk/spoon/something to mix with
8” x 8” baking dish

Step 1: Getting Ready

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit
2. Lightly grease your pan with cooking/spray/oil/butter and set aside

Step 2: Batter Up

1. Add flour, cocoa mix, sugar, salt, and baking powder (and espresso powder/cinnamon/etc. if using) to mixing bowl
2. Stir with whisk/spoon until fully combined
3. Add melted butter, eggs, and vanilla extract (and chocolate extract if using) and stir to combine (if using a whisk, you’ll want to switch to a spoon here as the batter is very thick)
4. Add chocolate chips and stir until just mixed through/distributed

Step 3: Makin’ Bake-in’

1. Add batter to your prepared pan and spread it gently into the corners of the pan, smoothing the top
2. Bake for 30 minutes, or until the top no longer appears wet/glossy, it will appear more solid and matte
3. Cool in the pan for at least 20 minutes (or as long as you can stand it) - the fridge helps speed up this process and encourages the brownies to firm up a bit more (it can take up to an hour for them to fully cool/firm up, they will be nice and soft still though, particularly the center ones)
4. Cut into brownies, top with ice cream (if you’d like), and enjoy!