Matcha Whole Wheat Cocoa Brownies – Recipe

Happy 2020, my lovelies! ??? May 2020 be better than your 2019! Here’s something sweet to get you started…

At the end of 2019, I started baking a lot more. Although I like sweets, I never baked very often since it’s just me and my husband at home (although that could be changing in 2020 ?), and I don’t want to eat the same cookie or cake for an entire week. I need variety, so a whole pan of something is a little too much. However, when I do bake, I make brownies. Why? Because brownies are the best dessert out there. Don’t argue with me. It’s the truth. Yes, red velvet cupcakes are nice, and so is coffee crumb cake, but c’mon, helloooo…. chocolate.

The best brownies are rich, fudgy, and moist with a chewy crust. For the longest time, my go-to recipe was the cocoa brownies recipe from Epicurious. It served me very well, and my friends always loved it.

Recently, I started playing around with a recipe based on this one from Broma Bakery. It uses whole wheat flour which makes it the tiniest bit healthier, although it uses a lot more butter, so I’m sure any health benefits are canceled out. But let’s pretend anyway…

Also, I’ve been looking to incorporate matcha in a brownie since I love matcha, and the fudginess of these brownies are a nice complement. The amount of matcha to add depends on your preference. For me, 2 tablespoons incorporated into the batter works nicely. I tried dusting matcha on top as well, but it was too strong and my husband said it tasted like seaweed. Also, in terms of aesthetics, green tea powder on top looks like fuzzy mold or fungus. NOT a good look. If you love matcha, I would mix with powdered sugar and dust very lightly. Don’t go overboard.

I reduced the sugar too, because I like desserts that aren’t too crazy sweet, so feel free to add more if you like. I like the amount I settled on.

As for eating brownies for days, these brownies freeze well and can be just thawed and eaten without reheating. Although, I have to admit, the 3 times I made it, the brownies didn’t sit in the freezer longer than a week. These brownies are extremely delicious.

Print Pin

Matcha Whole Wheat Cocoa Brownies

Fudgy cocoa brownies with an Asian matcha twist.

Course Dessert

Cuisine Asian-American

Keyword asian dessert, brownies, dessert, matcha

Prep Time 15 minutes

Cook Time 50 minutes

Servings 16

Calories 256kcal

Author Tia

Equipment

• 9″x9″ baking pan

Ingredients

• 1 1/4 cup unsalted butter
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 1/8 cup dark brown sugar
• 1 cup unsweetened natural cocoa powder*
• 2 tbsp matcha powder**
• 2/3 cup whole wheat flour
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 tsp salt
• 4 large eggs

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 350°F. Butter and line a 9″x9″ pan with parchment paper and set aside.
• In a large microwave-safe bowl, combine butter and sugar. Microwave for 30 seconds at a time until the butter has melted. Remove and stir with a whisk or use a hand blender. I use the latter. Mix until the batter has a glossy finish.
• Add eggs one at a time, whisking/mixing in between each addition.
• Add cocoa powder, matcha, salt, and vanilla extract. Fold in flour until just combined. Pour mixture into prepared baking pan and bake for roughly 50 minutes, testing for doneness by inserting a toothpick in the center of the brownies beginning at 40 minutes.
• Cool completely before cutting as these brownies are very fudgy and will fall apart if you try to cut while hot. Be patient, it's worth it!

Notes

* I've used both regular natural, unsweetened cocoa powder and dark cocoa powder in the past and both work well, although at the moment, I prefer dark cocoa. The last few times I've used Hershey's special dark cocoa.

** Matcha powder can be found a tad cheaper at a Japanese or Korean grocery, but for those without access, this matcha I found on Amazon works.