These Chocolate Walnut Brownies with Cocoa Powder are done in 35 minutes with super simple prep and sure to satisfy all your chocolate cravings. Sweet & salty, crunchy & chewy, with a fudgy center - no wonder I've made them for 30 years!
The Exact Brownies I've Made for 30 Years
When I say this walnut brownie recipe is a good one - trust me, I've made it since I was 10. I made this recipe so often when I lived with my parents that we had the yellowed and faded recipe pasted to the inside of one of our cupboards.
Needless to say - this recipe for Walnut Brownies has been tested. Over and over. And over. It has been made in countless different ovens, with different types of nuts and multiple brands of cocoa powder. It just works.
Just keep an eye on it in the oven the first time - cooking time does differ a bit from oven to oven but 20-25 minutes seems to be the general sweet spot.
The result is always great - chewy & crispy, with a nice fudgy center. These are not cakey brownies, and not overly gooey brownies, they're just perfect.
And the finishing touch? Salt, to balance the sweetness and bring out all that incredible chocolate flavor.
"These are very good!! I had never used bread crumbs to line the pan for anything so learned something new! Delicious, simple recipe I will use again." -Sheri
Just Classic Brownie Ingredients
Salted or Unsalted Butter
I recommend unsalted butter for this recipe, so you can manage the salt level exactly. If you do use salted butter, reduce the amount of added salt to 1 teaspoon.
Should You Really Add That Much Salt?
This recipe has a distinct salty finish. If you prefer them less salty, just reduce the amount of salt and/or use unsalted butter. I recommend adding at least 1 teaspon of salt if using unsalted butter, and ¾ teaspoon of salt if using salted butter. If not, the sweetness can be a bit too much. But that's for me, if you enjoy really sweet treats then you can make do with less salt as well.
How to Make Them Without Walnuts
If you can't or don't want to add walnuts, you can swap them for a different type of nut: I've tested macadamias, pecans, hazelnuts and almonds and they all work great, my favorites being macademias and hazelnuts.
You can also make them entirely without nuts! I did this for multiple years in my teens when I had decided nuts were disgusting. I have since, thanksfully, changed my mind.
Follow This Simple Process
1. Eggs + Sugar + Butter
Start by mixing together the egg and sugar - mix well, but not too much, as you don't want too much air in the batter. Then mix in melted butter.
2. Dry Ingredients + Nuts
Combine all the dry ingredients in a separate bowl, then add them to the batter and mix until just well combined - not more! Then fold in the chopped nuts.
3. Bake
Grease a baking dish with butter, then coat with breadcrumbs. Pour in the batter and spread out evenly. Bake 20-25 minutes until a cake tester inserted into the middle comes out with just a little bit of batter on it.
Top Tips for the Best Brownies
Don't mix the batter too much. Everything should be well combined, but not more. If you mix too much you will incorporate too much air and this can cause the brownie to come out sunken in the middle.
Coat the pan with breadcrumbs. This is how we do it for almost all cakes in Sweden, and it serves two purposes: it keeps the brownie from sticking to the pan, and it adds a bit of extra crunch.
Keep an eye on it in the oven. Cook time will vary depending on your oven but will be around 20-30 minutes. Start checking at 20 minutes, then check every few minutes until done. Make a note and the next time you know just how much time it needs!
Let them cool down. For easiest cutting and serving, allow the brownie to cool down for 30 minutes before cutting into it.
Can't wait? Then don't! If you're in a hurry (or just have serious cravings!) feel free to skip the cool-down but know that the brownies might come out a bit misshapen.
Serve with ice cream. They are delicious on their own, but the saltiness makes them perfect to serve with a nice scoop of ice cream as well. Or serve them with Strawberry Whipped Cream or Peppermint Whipped Cream!
What to Do with Leftovers
Make ahead: These brownies are best on the first and second day, so plan accordingly.
Storing: Store leftovers in room temperature, covered in plastic, for up to 4 days.
Freezing: Store leftovers in the freezer in an airtight container, they are good for at least 1 month.
More Quick & Easy Chocolate Treats
- S'mores Casserole20 Minutes
- No Bake Cookies without Peanut Butter45 Minutes
- Cranberry White Chocolate Muffins40 Minutes
- Chocolate Chip Cookies without Brown Sugar1 Hours 5 Minutes
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- Strawberry Filled Cupcakes1 Hours
- Puff Pastry Apple Pie1 Hours 10 Minutes
- Butterball Cookies (Snowball Cookies / Russian Tea Cakes)1 Hours 40 Minutes
- 35 Best Desserts for Two
Recipe
Fudgy Walnut Brownies with Cocoa Powder
Print Pin RateIngredients
- ½ cup all-purpose flour
- 5 tablespoon unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1 teaspoon vanilla sugar or vanilla extract
- ¾ teaspoon baking powder
- 1½ teaspoon fine table salt or less, according to taste; see notes
- 3 eggs use 4 eggs if they are very small
- 1⅓ cup sugar
- ⅓ cup unsalted butter melted; see notes for using salted butter
- ½ cup walnuts roughly chopped; see notes for options
To grease your baking pan
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 2 tablespoon fine bread crumbs
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375°F (190 C).
- In small bowl, sift in flour, cocoa powder, vanilla sugar (if using vanilla extract: add it with the butter instead), baking powder, and salt. Set aside for now.½ cup all-purpose flour, 5 tablespoon unsweetened cocoa powder, 1 teaspoon vanilla sugar, ¾ teaspoon baking powder, 1½ teaspoon fine table salt
- In another, large, bowl, whisk together eggs and sugar. Mix well, but don't overdo it. You don't want too much air in your batter. Some bubbles on the top of the batter is OK, just not too much.3 eggs, 1⅓ cup sugar
- Add the melted butter to your batter and mix until combined.⅓ cup unsalted butter
- Add the dry ingredients and mix until well combined, but not more than that.
- Add the nuts and mix gently.½ cup walnuts
- Grease a 8x11'' (20 x 30 cm) pan with the 1 tablespoon of butter. Then pour in the breadcrumbs and hold the pan over the sink while you tilt it to ensure the bread crumbs cover all sides. Shake out the remaining bread crumbs.1 tablespoon butter, 2 tablespoon fine bread crumbs
- Bake in the middle of the oven for 20-25 minutes. Test for doneness using a cake tester or a toothpick - it's done when the toothpick comes out with just a little bit of batter on it.
- Let the brownies cool down for at least 30 minutes before cutting into squares.
Equipment (may contain affiliate links)
- 8 x 11'' (20 x 30 cm) pan
- 2 mixing bowls
- Measuring cups
Video
Notes
Make ahead: These brownies are best on the first and second day, so plan accordingly. Storing: Store leftovers in room temperature, covered in plastic, for up to 4 days. Freezing: Store leftovers in the freezer in an airtight container, they are good for at least 1 month.
Nutrition
Nutritional information is approximate and automatically calculated, and should only be viewed as an indication.
Recipe FAQ
This is a common problem when making brownies, and it's most often because you've mixed in too much air when mixing together the eggs and sugar.
For many types of cakes you want to mix eggs and sugar fluffy, but for denser cakes like brownies this will instead cause them to sink.
Just mix the eggs and sugar until well combined, and no more.
Sophia Damasceno
Ohhhhh my goodness these look amazing! Your photos make me feel like I can even smell them through the screen. Nice job! I can't wait to try to make these.
Emmeline
Haha thank you so much Sophia!
Geraline Batarra
Oh my.. This recipe is so great. I love the consistency of this brownies. It's so delicious and addictive.
Emmeline
Thank you so much Geraline!
GAICA
I love finding a new recipe to try. I’m always so scared I am going to mess it up somehow. This looks easy enough for me though. Thanks!
Emmeline
Thank you for commenting!
Rebecca Sanchez
Wow, so delicious and easy recipe to make for the kids. I am sure my kids will love it like and will make their favorite.
Emmeline
Thank you so much Rebecca!
Alexandra Cook
OMG Can I just say, I can’t help but drool over the picture! Who would not love to taste this! I’ll be printing out your recipe so I can try making this out over the weekends.
Emmeline
Sooo happy you like them! Thanks for commenting!
Maartje van Sandwijk
I love brownies and these would be so easy to make vegan! <3 Definitely trying this out...
Emmeline
Oh such a great idea! Thanks for commenting!
Gervin Khan
Oh my goodness, your brownies recipe looks really delicious and its drooling me to go to the kitchen and do this brownies for my kids. So yummy!
Emmeline
Thank you so much Gervin!
Jasmine M
These brownies look absolutely delicious. I am going to have to try the recipe soon!
Emmeline
Thank you so much Jasmine!
Jo
The best brownie according to me is the one that has walnut. Love how simple and easy these brownies are to make. And they look absolutely perfect
Emmeline
Same here! Walnuts and lots of salt! Thanks for commenting!
Lisa Rios
In my humble opinion brownies are always better with nuts! Walnuts are delish, but I really love pecans!
Emmeline
Same here Lisa! Oh pecans I’ll have tot du in this one!! Thanks for commenting!
Nicole Anderson | Camping for Women
These just look superb...something that both my partner and I would love. I love how you have laid out the whole process so well, including photos all the way through and a video also. This makes it so straight forward for a terrible cook like me and I feel that I should be able to make this with what you have published here. Looking forward to seeing how it turns out.
Emmeline
Thank you so much for commenting Nicole’ happy you like the process shots & video!
Lydia Smith
It looks delicious and I just love the fact that is easy to make.
Emmeline
Thank you so much Lydia!
Michael
Totally my taste. Thanks for sharing. I will try to make one soon haha!
Emmeline
Thank you so much Michael!
Jenni LeBaron
I love childhood recipes that have stood the test of time. We had a few of those taped to the inside of our cupboards also! These brownies look perfectly scrumptious and I love the bit of salt to bring out the flavor of the chocolate.
Emmeline
Same here! Thank you so much for commenting Jenni!
SincerelySnide
The Brownies look delicious, I would love to make this for my family since they're obsessed with brownies. Thanks for sharing the recipe.
Emmeline
Thank you so much!
Sonal
Omg! I was literally drooling looking at the pictures. I am saving his recipe to try with my kids.
Emmeline
Thank you so much for your comment Sonal! I think you'll love them 😀
Bee
These are the best brownies ever. I have made them a dozen times. Every time these brownies get rave reviews from my family.
Emmeline
Thank you soo much for your comment! Happy you like them! 😀
Mahy Elamin
These are so easy, and all ingredients are in most pantries. They are the best brownies I've ever had!
Emmeline
Thank you so much Mahy! So glad you liked them!
Sofia
Once I have tasted this cake in Italy and I just loved it! Your video is amazing!
Emmeline
Thank you so much Sofia!
Ironside
I love brownies ❤️ I will surely try this recipe!! Thanks for sharing
Emmeline
Thank you so much for commenting!
Catherine Santiago Jose
I love this recipe, it is so easy and definitely a delicious afternoon snacks to make for the whole family.
Emmeline
Thank you so much Catherine!
Clare Minall
This looks delightful and tastym i have never tried making browinies. And if ever this is my first time to try. Hope it will goes well.
Emmeline
Then I definitely think this is the one to try Clare! Thank you so much for commenting!
Alexandra Cook
I love brownies and I found this recipe so easy to prepare. My kids would probably dig this.
Emmeline
Thank you so much Alexandra!
Christa
I love brownies so much. They’re the perfect treat. I can’t wait to try this recipe, with hazelnuts to feel fancy. Lol.
Emmeline
Thank you so much for commenting Christa!
brie
Oh man these brownies look so good. it makes me want some so bad rn. haha great recipe.
Emmeline
Haha that's what I was going for! 😉 Thank you so much for commenting, Brie!
brie
You are so welcome. I bought some brownie ingredients at the store recently so yay!!
Emmeline
Yey!
Shelby
I love brownies! They are one of my favorite desserts! They are so easy and you can switch them up in so many different ways!
Emmeline
Thank you so much for commenting, Shelby!
Natalie
Wow these look so delicious! I’m always looking for different baking recipes and these look so delicious!!! Making them today!
Emmeline
Thank you so much, Natalie!
Czjai Reyes-Ocampo
Brownies the way I like 'em! Yum! 🙂
Emmeline
Thank you so much for commenting!
Stephanie Stebbins
YUM! I can't wait to try these!
Emmeline
Thank you so much commenting Stephanie!
Adriana
Oh my goodness. these look so delicious. I have to try and make these.
Emmeline
Hope you do, Adriana! Thank you for commenting!