These irresistibly decadent black cocoa miso brownies are easy to make and hard to resist. Black cocoa powder gives these brownies their jet black color and oreo-like flavor. The rich chocolate flavor is combined with white miso paste which balances out the rich and sweet flavor with a bit of savory and umami. This triple chocolate brownie recipe is a modern twist on a classic brownie, and boy are they devilishly good!
What is Black Cocoa Powder?
Black cocoa has a very strong non-bitter flavor and has a jet black color. It is usually used in addition to regular cocoa powder and not just on its own because it doesn't have a strong chocolate flavor and has little to no fat content. Black cocoa powder is mainly used just for the strong coloring it brings!
If you've ever wondered what makes Oreo cookies dark black in color, that is coming from black cocoa powder!
Where to buy black cocoa powder
A quick google search will give you a ton of different options, although it is rare to find it in grocery stores, I found a bag from King Arthur Flour on Amazon which I highly recommend. Here are some other options:
- King Arthur Flour Black Cocoa Powder (top choice and best quality!)
- Modern Mountain Black Cocoa Powder on Amazon
- Black Cocoa from Walmart
bowls of the ingredients adding the chips to the butter whipping the eggs and sugar
Substitute for black cocoa powder
Although these brownies are meant to be black cocoa flavored, you can substitute the black cocoa with all regular cocoa powder.
How to Make Easy Brownies From Scratch
This simple chewy brownie recipe is so easy to make, is made in just one bowl and is ready in under an hour!
These chewy brownies are made with butter, regular cocoa powder, black cocoa powder, semi-sweet chocolate chips, eggs, sugar, and flour. That's right, they're even triple chocolate brownies with chocolate from three different sources!
adding the melted chocolate and butter adding the miso paste
The secret to making good brownies
There are two different characteristics you can aim for when making brownies: fudgy/gooey or cakey. If you're team fudgy/gooey, you are in the right spot!
For the absolute best brownies ever follow these tips:
- Don't over bake your brownies!
- It's better to under bake them slightly to make sure they stay extra fudgy with gooey centers.
- Don't over mix the batter
- Over-mixing the batter will result in tough and dense brownies, so stop mixing as soon as all the flour is incorporated!
- Make sure the butter is melted and the chocolate chips are melted into the butter
- The butter should always be melted for brownies. Melting the chocolate chips into the butter is what makes brownies fudgy.
add the dry ingredients batter ready to be baked
Why miso and what is it?
Miso is essentially a fermented soybean paste. On its own, it tastes salty, tangy, and savory. It's a smooth paste and can bought in a few different varieties, but for this recipe we used white miso paste.
Why add miso to brownies?
The miso paste adds depth and an umami flavor to balance out the richness and sweetness of the chocolate brownie.
Where to buy miso paste
Miso can be found at most health stores in the refrigerated section. It's typically near the vegan, tempeh, and tofu section near the produce.
FAQ + Expert Tips
- Do the brownies taste only like miso?
- Nope! You actually can't really pick out the miso flavor in the brownies. It more brings a really nice balance of sweet and savory!
- Are brownies better with oil or butter?
- Butter. Butter is needed to help give some aeration to the batter which helps it rise in the oven!
- Can I substitute the black cocoa powder if I can't find it?
- You can substitute the black cocoa with regular cocoa powder, although know that it will completely change the taste of the brownies!
Expert tips
- Under bake, never over bake your brownies!
- To make sure your brownies are nicely fudgy and chewy, check them at the minimum baking time for doneness.
- Whip the eggs and sugar well together
- Whipping the eggs and sugar together will give you a nice crackly top!
- Whisk the miso in well before adding the dry ingredients
- You want to whisk the miso in really well before adding anything else to make sure it's completely incorporated.
More Decadent Chocolate Recipes
- Malted Dark Chocolate Macarons
- Mini Cookies and Cream Cupcakes
- Brown Butter Espresso Brownies
- Eggless Dark Chocolate Mousse Cups
Black Cocoa Miso Brownies
Ingredients
- 12 tbsp unsalted butter, melted
- ¼ cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
- 2 eggs
- 1 ⅓ cup sugar
- 1 tbsp white miso paste
- ¼ cup black cocoa powder
- 1 ½ tbsp cocoa powder
- ½ tsp salt
- 1 ¼ cup all purpose flour
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350. Prepare a 8x8 inch square baking pan with parchment paper. Set aside.
- In a small bowl, melt the butter in the microwave. Add the chocolate chips and stir to combine.
- In a medium bowl, add the sugar and eggs and use a whisk to whisk them together until they get lighter in color.
- Slowly pour in the melted butter and chocolate mixture, whisking to combine it into the eggs and sugar. When all of the butter is combined, add the miso paste and whisk well to combine.
- Add the black cocoa powder, regular cocoa powder and salt and whisk to combine.
- Then sift in ½ of the flour mixture and fold with a spatula to combine it into the batter. When almost all the flour is gone, sift in the other half and continue folding until there the flour is completely combined.
- Pour the batter into the prepared baking dish and bake for 28-35 minutes, or until a tooth pick inserted comes out with just a small smear of chocolate crumbs.
- Let cool before cutting and serving!
I have never in my life bought miso before but i found it just so i could make these and they were totally worth it!!! they were rich and fudgy but nicely balanced with the umami flavor. Also baking with black cocoa was so fun i never knew about it until now!
😍 these look so rich and tasty! Definitely going to have to give the black cocoa + miso pairing a try.
Thank you so much!! I hope you give them a try! 🙂