You mean without leavening of any sort?
I think you are looking for a recipe for fudge.
Linda C

What an interesting question. Will you come back and say why it is you don't want either of these in your brownies?

Anyway, I did some hunting and came up with this (linked below). It's a reliable site, and the brownies certainly look good. I may just try them myself over the weekend.

The intro note says they used 60% bittersweet chocolate. Ghirardelli's is pretty widely available, I think.

* 6 ounces bittersweet chocolate (not unsweetened)
* 8 tablespoons unsalted butter (1 stick), at room temperature
* 2 large eggs, at room temperature
* 1 cup granulated sugar
* 1 tablespoon unsweetened cocoa powder
* 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
* 1 teaspoon brewed espresso
* 3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
* 1 cup all-purpose flour

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Heat oven to 350°F and arrange rack in the middle. Line an 8-by-8-inch glass baking dish with aluminum foil.

2. Combine chocolate and butter in a medium saucepan and cook, stirring frequently, over medium-low heat until evenly melted. Remove from heat and let cool to room temperature.

3. Combine eggs, sugar, cocoa powder, vanilla extract, espresso, and salt in a large bowl and briefly stir until just evenly incorporated. Add cooled chocolate and mix until uniform in color. Add flour and stir until just incorporated (no white streaks should remain).

4. Transfer batter to prepared baking dish and bake until a tester inserted in center of the brownies comes out clean, about 25 to 30 minutes. Remove from oven and cool completely before cutting.

Here is a link that might be useful: No-BP, No-BS Brownies

I just noticed that you wanted to use baking cocoa. You can usually make the substitution from one form of chocolate to another pretty easily. Info on how to do that abounds. I'd do the substitution for semisweet and then use less sugar to get something that approximates bittersweet.

But I guess you have to proceed at your own risk here. Good luck!

Here is a link that might be useful: Like powder for chocolate

Good, basic brownies, from the Ohio State Grange cookbook. Been making these for about 45 years now. I make others, too, but if I need brownies fast, these are the ones. I always have these ingredients on hand, too, and add nuts or chocolate chips sometimes.

Brownies

1/2 cup butter, melted
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
1/2 cup cocoa
1/2 cup flour
salt, to taste
1 teaspoon or so of vanilla

The only directions given are "Bake in shallow pan in slow oven for about one-half hour. Cut in squares while yet warm."

I use a 2-quart Pyrex measuring cup to nuke the butter. Add sugar, cocoa, vanilla and eggs and beat a little with a spoon. Add flour. Bake at 350 till done.

My most used brownie recipe, which I've been baking for over 30 years, contains no baking powder or soda. Never occurred to me to question it! LOL It calls for baking chocolate, but you can use cocoa. It gives the substitution on the cocoa package, which I think is something like 3T cocoa = 1 square chocolate, and I think you add a little bit of cooking oil, water or some such thing.

Brownies 13x9 pan

2 cups sugar
4 eggs
1 cup flour
2 tsp. vanilla

4 squares unsweetened baking chocolate
2 sticks (1 cup) butter or margarine

Blend the first four ingredients with your mixer; melt the chocolate and butter together, add to the first mixture and blend thoroughly. If I use cocoa, that goes in with the flour.

Pour into prepared pan and bake approx 30 minutes at 325.

Virginia, looks like you and I posted at the same time! LOL That recipe sounds pretty much identical to mine, save you have the measurements there for the cocoa. Yours is for the 8" pan, right? I can't tell you the last time I did an 8" pan because just too darn many people love these brownies!

Here is the recipe I have been using for years which is almost identical to Scott's! It came from the back of a baking chocolate box. Once I tried these I threw out all my old brownie recipes!

Fudgey Brownies

1c butter
4oz unsweetened baking chocolate
2c sugar
4 eggs
1c all purpose flour
1tsp vanilla extract
1/4 tsp salt
1/2c chopped nuts (optional)

Heat oven to 350F. Grease 9X13 baking pan. In large microwave safe bowl, microwave butter and chocolate 1 to 1-1/2 minutes on high or until chocolate is melted and mixture is smooth when stirred. Add eggs, one at a time, beating with wooden spoon until blended. Stir in flour, vanilla and salt until blended. Stir in nuts if desired. Spread mixture evenly in prepared pan and bake 30-35 minutes or until wooden toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool completely in pan, then cut into squares. Yield: 3dozen brownies

Linda

I never put baking powder or baking soda in my brownies either because I like them fudgy!

When subsituting cocoa for chocolate, use 3 tablespoons of cocoa and 1 tablespoon of butter for every ounce (1 oz square) of UNSWEETENED chocolate. I've done this before with great results.

Yep, Scott - I put that amount into an 8-incher. If I double it, I usually put it into this 'tweener size pan that used to be my mom's. I think it's about 7 x 10.5. That makes them gooey in the center. Plus, if I eat the whole pan, it's less than eating a 9 x 13 pan, right? LOL!

I'm a bit of a brownie snob (is there such a thing?) Anyway, I'm of the opinion that you cannot make a good brownie without real chocolate - I've tried in desperate attempts and it can't be done - not if you like a fudgy brownie. IMO, the best brownie recipe (if ya like 'em really fudgy) is Julia Child's. Mmmmmmmm....

Where's her recipe?

Baking with Julia. I'm not near my cookbooks now, but I'll try to post later...

Thank you!

Khandi - Here's the recipe: I love them & I hope you do too. (A friend just made them last night and really enjoyed them - she agreed they are the "standard"!) They are a little time consuming, for brownies - but worth it to me!

Julia Child's brownies

1 1/4 cups sifted all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
8 ounces unsalted butter
4 ounces unsweetened chocolate, coarsely chopped
2 ounces bittersweet chocolate, coarsely chopped
2 cups sugar
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
4 large eggs

Center a rack in the oven and preheat the oven to 350°.
Sift the flour and salt together and set aside.
Melt the butter and chocolate together in a medium saucepan over low heat, stirring frequently and keeping a watchful eye on the pot to make certain the chocolate doesnÂt scorch (Alternatively, you can melt the ingredients in the top of a double boiler over, not touching, simmering water.) Add 1 cup of the sugar to the mixture and stir for half a minute, then remove the pan from the heat and stir in the vanilla.
Pour the mixture into a large bowl.
Put the remaining 1 cup sugar and the eggs into a bowl and mix or whisk by hand just to combine.
Little by little, pour half of the sugar and eggs into the chocolate mixture, stirring gently but constantly with a rubber spatula so that the eggs donÂt set from the heat.
Fit the whisk attachment to the mixer and whip the remaining sugar and eggs until they are thick, pale, and doubled in volume, about 3 minutes.
Using the rubber spatula, delicately fold the whipped eggs into the chocolate mixture.
When the eggs are almost completely incorporated, gently fold in the dry ingredients.
Pour and scrape the batter in to an unbuttered 9-inch square pan.
Bake the brownies for 25-28 minutes, during which time they will rise a little and the top will turn dark and dry.
Cut into the center at about the 23-minute mark to see how the brownies are progressing: theyÂll be perfect if theyÂre just barely set and still pretty gooey.
TheyÂre still awfully good on the other side of set, so donÂt worry if you miss the moment on your first try.
Cool the brownies in the pan on a rack.

Sounds good! Thanks!