These were really amazing brownies! I've been on the hunt for a truly exceptional cocoa brownie recipe because I always have cocoa on hand but never baking chocolate; I'd thought I'd found the perfect recipe before, and the only reason I tried this is because I didn't have cake flour and it was 10pm so I didn't want to go to the store. I'm very very glad I tried these, because they're honestly so much better than my go-to recipe! These are really not at all difficult to make, it's just a very specific process. If yours didn't turn out right, it was probably the melting together process. It's not difficult, but it takes time and patience. If it still looks kind of like a graham cracker crust consistency, you need to keep melting and stirring. That's all there is to it, and you'll be able to see the difference. And as soon as you add the eggs, it'll seem pretty much exactly like a normal brownie batter. As for the bake time, I personally got the perfect consistency at exactly 25 minutes. If it's not done entirely then, just keep adding a few minutes and checking and repeat till it's done; don't just automatically go to 45 minutes because that's what someone else had to do, otherwise you could end up with chocolate flavored charcoal. Every oven is different obviously; if it took you 45 minutes, maybe your oven runs cool and you should check the actual temperature (just a suggestion; maybe mine runs hot and I got lucky lol). All in all, great, rich brownies with pretty simple ingredients. Definitely worth the extra bit of effort (even for a late night craving lol). I added chunks of chopped Dove chocolates to the batter and sea salt on top which made it even greater!