Fudgy Cocoa Brownies

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An easy family-sized recipe for rich, fudgy homemade brownies that uses cocoa powder instead of melted chocolate.

Nothing beats a chewy, gooey, glorious brownie. And box mixes do a great job (better than some of the homemade recipes I've tried)!

Box mixes are easy and yield excellent results.

But every time I get a craving for brownies, I never have a box mix in the pantry! And when it's 7:30 on a Tuesday night and I'm craving brownies, I want what I want!

The problem with homemade brownies on such occasions is that most recipes are super fussy AND they make a small batch.

Most homemade brownie recipes call for melted chocolate. Which is delicious. I have a recipe for those too - see Homemade Crackle-Top Fudge Brownies. 

But it's 7:30 on a Tuesday night and I'm not channeling Ina Garten here. I just want to throw some stuff in a bowl and get it in the oven.

As for the small batch size... I'm just not turning my oven on and cleaning up the kitchen for an 8x8 pan of anything.

If I'm putting in the effort (even as easy as this recipe is), I want a full 13x9 pan that will satisfy my sweet tooth for a few days!

Plus, brownies are always better the next day!

So, I crafted this recipe. It's easy and it makes a big batch. And even though there's only cocoa powder in these instead of melted chocolate, they are still super fudgy and rich!

The best part is that you probably have all of the ingredients in your kitchen right now. Like, you could literally go to your kitchen and make these. Right now.

Go check to see. You got everything? Then go make you some brownies then!

WHAT MAKES THIS RECIPE WORK

VEGETABLE OIL AND BUTTER - The butter makes them taste better but the oil is what makes and keeps them so moist and fudgy!

BLOOMING THE COCOA - You can read more about the science behind it in my recipe for Chocolate Pound Cake, but essentially we need to hit the cocoa powder with HOT liquid to wake and open it up. I use hot coffee because it makes the flavor more intense but you can use hot water too (I promise these don't taste like coffee though!).

Recipe for Fudgy Cocoa Brownies

Fudgy Cocoa Brownies

Yield: 15 Brownies

Author: Mandy Rivers | South Your Mouth

Prep time: 10 MinCook time: 30 MinTotal time: 40 Min

An easy family-sized recipe for rich, fudgy homemade brownies that uses cocoa powder instead of melted chocolate.

Ingredients

• 3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1/2 cup HOT black coffee (can sub hot water)
• 2 eggs
• 1/3 cup vegetable oil
• 1/3 cup butter, melted
• 2 cups sugar
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1 1/3 cups all purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips (optional)

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 13x9 baking pan with cooking spray or line with parchment paper.
2. Combine hot coffee and cocoa powder in a small bowl then mix until smooth (mixture will be thick). Set aside. 3/4 c. cocoa powder, 1/2 c. hot coffee
3. In a large mixing bowl combine eggs, vegetable oil, melted butter, sugar and vanilla then mix on low speed with an electric mixer until well combined. Once combined, increase speed to medium then continue mixing for 1 minute. 2 eggs, 1/3 c. each oil and butter, 2 c. sugar, 2 tsp vanilla
4. Add coffee/cocoa mixture then mix until thoroughly incorporated.
5. Add flour, salt and baking soda then mix on low until ingredients are well combined (but don't overmix). 1-1/3 c. flour, 1 tsp salt, 1/2 tsp baking soda
6. If adding chocolate chips or chopped nuts (1 cup each is great), stir them into the batter with a rubber spatula or sturdy spoon.
7. Spread brownie batter evenly into pan. Bake at 350 degrees 30-35 minutes or until brownies are mostly firm (a little jiggle in the middle is normal).

Notes

• Baking time will vary with dark or non-stick metal (approx 25-30 minutes) and glass or ceramic pans (approx 40-45 minutes).
• Use regular, dark or Dutch processed cocoa powder.

https://www.southyourmouth.com/2014/09/fudgy-cocoa-brownies.html

Images and text © South Your Mouth LLC 2014

homemade brownies, cocoa powder brownies, moist, fudgy, without, no melted chocolate, best, how to, 13x9, easy, recipe, coffee

dessert

American

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Korean Spicy Pork

A super simple stir-fry recipe with thinly sliced pork tenderloin, sriracha, soy sauce and other common ingredients perfect over rice or in lettuce wraps.

JUMP TO RECIPE

There used to be a funky little Asian fusion restaurant downtown just on the outskirts of the university campus that had one dish that I absolutely LOVED… Korean Spicy Pork!

It was made with thin slivers of pork, sauteed or fried with a spicy sauce that just skirted the border of being too hot. It was spicy enough to make your scalp a little tingly but not so much that it distracted from the flavor. 

When it closed I was devastated because I couldn’t imagine never having that spicey stir-fry again! So I HAD to figure out how to make it.

I’ve tweaked this recipe here and there over the years and finally nailed it down to what I think is THE BEST version of Korean Spicy Pork.

I’m sure the restaurant used a more authentic recipe but I wanted to create something I could make with common ingredients so that’s what you’ll find here.

We typically have this with white rice and steamed broccoli but it's also DECICIOUS in lettuce wraps. I use bibb lettuce when I can find it otherwise, I use romaine (cutting each long piece into two "tacos").

Don't pass over this recipe if you:

1. Don’t usually cook Asian food because of the typical 947 ingredients required
2. Have never heard of this so you’re not sure if you’ll like it
3. Have never tried Korean food, or 
4. You think you can’t recreate amazing takeout favorites

Erase ALL of those thoughts from your mind because:

1. This only has a handful of ingredients, most of which you probably already have
2. YOU WILL LOVE THIS
3. YOU WILL LOVE THIS, and
4. Oh, yes you can! If I can, so can you!

NOTES ON COOKING SPICY PORK

• As the name implies, this is spicy. My kids have never batted an eye at the heat but if you’d like to make this milder, reduce the sriracha to 3 tablespoons and omit the black pepper.
• This cooks quickly so make sure your rice is done or almost done before you start cooking the pork (if, that is, you're serving rice).
• Consider doubling the sauce recipe if you like a lot of sauce or plan on having this over rice.
• This is amazing in lettuce wraps!
• You can use other cuts of pork but tenderloin is definitely my favorite. 

Recipe for Korean Spicy Pork

Recipe Updated February 2024: I updated the recipe from one tenderloin to two because they're usually packaged that way (more or less doubling the sauce). I also removed the wet ingredients (soy sauce and sriracha) from the initial seasoning of the pork because the added moisture made it harder to get a crispy sear on the meat. If you're looking for the old version, the "marinade" ingredients for ONE tenderloin were: 1 Tbsp each sriracha and soy sauce, 1/4 tsp each salt and pepper.

Korean Spicy Pork

Yield: 8 Servings

Author: Mandy Rivers | South Your Mouth

Prep time: 15 MinCook time: 15 MinTotal time: 30 Min

A super simple stir-fry recipe for Korean-style spicy pork with spicy strips of pork tenderloin, sriracha, sesame oil, ginger and garlic.

Ingredients

Pork

• 2 pork tenderloins (2.5 - 3 lbs total)
• 2 tablespoons sesame oil
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon black pepper
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 5-6 green onions
• Vegetable oil

Sauce

• 1/3 cup sriracha
• 1/4 cup low-sodium soy sauce
• 2 tablespoons barbeque sauce
• 2 tablespoons brown sugar
• 2 tablespoons minced garlic
• 2 teaspoons sesame oil
• 1 teaspoon ground ginger

Instructions

Pork:

1. Cut each tenderloin in half lengthwise. Cut each long strip as thinly as you can so that you end up with thin little medallions of pork. Add pork to a medium bowl; set aside.
2. Toss pork pieces with sesame oil, salt, pepper and garlic powder until thoroughly combined.
3. Chop green onions into 2-inch pieces, reserving ends to be chopped as garnish later.

Sauce:

1. Combine sauce ingredients then stir well; set aside.

Cook & Assemble:

1. Add just enough vegetable oil to coat the bottom of a very large skillet or wok then heat over high heat.
2. Once skillet is very hot, add 1/4 of the pork in a single layer (cook in batches to ensure the pork cooks correctly). Cook for 2 minutes without disturbing (to get a good sear), then stir and continue cooking until pork is nicely browned.
3. Remove to a bowl or plate then continue cooking the rest of the pork, adding more vegetable oil as needed.
4. Once all the pork is browned, add onion pieces to the skillet then sauté for 1 minute. Reduce heat to medium-low then add the sauce. Cook sauce with onions for 3 minutes then add the seared pork and stir to coat.
5. Serve with white rice and garnish with fresh chopped green onions.

Notes

• As the name implies, this is spicy. My kids have never batted an eye at the heat but if you’d like to make this milder, reduce the sriracha to 3 tablespoons and omit the black pepper.
• This cooks quickly so make sure your rice is done or almost done before you start cooking the pork (if, that is, you're serving rice).
• Consider doubling the sauce recipe if you like a lot of sauce or plan on having this over rice.
• This is amazing in lettuce wraps!
• You can use other cuts of pork but tenderloin is definitely my favorite.

https://www.southyourmouth.com/2014/09/spicy-pork.html

Images and text © South Your Mouth LLC 2014

korean, spicy, pork, tenderloin, stir-fry, stirfry, asian, rice, easy, best, recipe, sriracha, lettuce wrap, restaurant

Main Dish, Stir-Fry

Korean, Asian

Keep up with my latest shenanigans by following South Your Mouth!

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Atlantic Beach Pie

A unique lemon pie recipe from the North Carolina coast that's creamy, sweet and tart with a signature saltine crust sprinkled with sea salt.

JUMP TO RECIPE

This pie captivated me from the moment I first heard about it! A creamy, tart lemon filling in a crunchy, thick saltine cracker crust topped with whipped cream and sea salt? YES, PLEASE!

I’m a big nerd. I read every chance I get. And I listen to NPR every time I’m alone in the car. So when I came across an article on NPR’s website about this pie it was a double-whammy. Two of my favorite things in one… a nerdy website and a unique recipe! 

I’d never heard of it but evidently, Atlantic Beach Pie is a North Carolina coast specialty. And just the thought of it had my mouth watering.

Once I put the crust together I didn't think it would ever fit in a little 8-inch pie plate. I thought surely that was a mistake. But I kept smooshing and mashing and, sure enough, it fit. And I wanted to add more butter because it’s awfully crumbly but I was already at the max end of the butter range (recipe reads 1/3 to 1/2 cup and I used 1/2 cup) so I didn't. 

And then I thought it would be too much crust – that the filling wouldn't stand up to it. Wrong. I was wrong. Again. It’s perfect. It’s the perfect sturdy, crunchy, salty balance to the sweet, tangy, creamy filling.

I have a feeling the original pie had meringue on it. Because let me tell you something about country folk… we ain't wasting nothing. If a pie has four egg yolks in it, that sucker’s going to get topped with meringue.

I was going to make meringue for this one (as a matter of fact, those four egg whites are still in my fridge) but we had plans and I was running out of time so I just shot some canned whip cream on here to snap a few photos for y'all. Side note on canned whipped cream: did you know they actually have real whipped cream in cans now? I had no idea! 

This pie is like a taste of the beach. Seriously. If you could put salt and sun in a pie, it would taste like this.

My only regret is that I didn't make two.

Recipe for Atlantic Beach Pie

Atlantic Beach Pie

Yield: 8 Servings

Author: Mandy Rivers | South Your Mouth

Prep time: 10 MinCook time: 30 MinTotal time: 40 Min

A unique lemon pie recipe from the North Carolina coast that's creamy, sweet and tart with a signature saltine crust sprinkled with sea salt.

Ingredients

Atlantic Beach Pie

• 1 1/2 sleeves saltine crackers
• 1/2 cup butter, at room temperature
• 3 tablespoons sugar
• 1 14-oz. can sweetened condensed milk
• 4 egg yolks
• 1/2 cup fresh lemon juice
• Whipped cream (or meringue - recipe below)
• Coarse-grain sea salt

Meringue

• 4 egg whites
• 1/8 teaspoon cream of tartar
• 2 tablespoons sugar

Instructions

Atlantic Beach Pie

1. In a large bowl, crush crackers with your hands just until all crumbs are pea-sized or smaller (you want a chunky meal, not a fine crumb). Add sugar and butter then knead with your hands until crumbs begin to stick together. Things will be crumbly. It’s OK.
2. Press crust on the bottom, up the sides and onto the rim of an 8-inch pie plate. Carefully place the crust in the refrigerator and chill for 15 minutes then immediately bake at 350 degrees for 15 minutes. Remove crust from oven.
3. Once the crust is out of the oven, make the filling (not sooner as it will begin to set once you mix it up).
4. To make the filling, combine egg yolks, sweetened condensed milk and lemon juice and mix until well combined and smooth. You can do this by hand with a large whisk or use an electric mixer on medium speed. Don’t mix more than two minutes total or the filling will be too thick to pour.
5. Spread filling into crust (crust does not have to be cooled) then top with meringue (if using) and bake at 350 degrees for 15-17 minutes or until set.
6. Cool for 30 minutes at room temperature then refrigerate for 4-6 hours or until pie is completely cold. Serve with whipped cream or meringue sprinkled with coarse-grain sea salt.

Meringue

1. Beat egg whites and cream of tartar on medium-high speed with an electric mixer (whisk attachment preferred) for 1-2 minutes or until soft peaks form. Gradually beat in sugar, 1/2 tablespoon at a time, until stiff glossy peaks form and sugar is dissolved. Spoon meringue onto filling and spread to edge of crust to seal well and prevent meringue from shrinking. Bake at 350 degrees for 15-17 minutes or until meringue is set and peaks are golden brown.
2. Cool for 30 minutes at room temperature then refrigerate for 4-6 hours or until pie is completely cold. Sprinkle with coarse-grain sea salt to serve.

https://www.southyourmouth.com/2014/09/atlantic-beach-pie.html

Images and text © South Your Mouth LLC 2014

atlantic beach pie, north carolina, lemon pie, how to make, saltine crackers, saltines, saltine crust, meringue, whipped cream, salt, sweetened condensed milk, unique, original, southern, recipe

dessert

american, southern

Keep up with my latest shenanigans by following South Your Mouth!

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