To substitute 1 tablespoon of cocoa powder, use about 1½ tablespoons of hot chocolate mix. That weird ratio accounts for the extra sugar and powder. Then—and this is key—cut 1 tablespoon of sugar from the rest of your recipe for every tablespoon of mix you add. You’re basically a chocolate chemist now. Wear a lab coat if you want.
If your mix has milk powder (most do), reduce any other milk or liquid in the recipe by a splash. Otherwise, your brownies might turn into a soft, squishy pillow—which isn’t always a bad thing, but it’s not a brownie anymore. It’s a “chocolate cloud,” and you can charge double for that.
