Olive Oil and Cocoa Brownies
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Fudgy, gooey brownies made with olive oil and cocoa powder — an easy recipe with deep chocolate flavor.
Brownies baked with olive oil (instead of butter) might seem strange, but trust me here. When you want chewy, fudgy brownies made without dairy and nothing else will do, these babies are the ones.
Brownies with olive oil instead of butter
If you’re into the sunny side of life, olive oil and cocoa happen to be two ingredients are the good stuff that helps the sugar go down.
I used my everyday extra-virgin olive oil and unsweetened cocoa powder for the brownies pictured here.
There’s a pleasant olive oil flavor that comes through. If you prefer, substitute olive oil with a roasted nut oil, such as hazelnut or walnut, which both pair beautifully with cocoa.
Cocoa powder for brownies
Using good quality cocoa is another key. For this brownie recipe, it doesn’t matter if you use Dutch-processed or natural cocoa (which is simply cocoa that isn’t treated with an alkalizing agent).
But using one with a high percentage of cacao will make these brownies taste even more like the deep, intense chocolate bomb you crave.
One of my favorite Dutch-processed cocoa powders for baking has a rich, ruddy color almost like terracotta, which by the way, also makes a gorgeous chocolate cake.
I couldn’t help thinking of Nigella Lawson when I made these brownies. Some of my all-time favorite food words come from Nigella, especially when it comes to her Chocolate Guinness Cake, which she describes as “magnificent in its black dampness”.
I suppose you could say these brownies are dark, moist and rich, but black dampness is so much more sensual and tempting, don’t you think?
Olive Oil and Cocoa Brownies
Ingredients
- ½ cup (70 g) unbleached all-purpose flour
- ¾ cup (80 g) unsweetened cocoa powder, *not cacao (see note)
- 1 teaspoon Diamond kosher salt, or ½ teaspoon sea salt or other brand of kosher salt
- 2 large eggs
- 1¼ cups (250 g) granulated sugar
- ½ cup (125 ml) extra virgin olive oil
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- ¼ cup (125 g) cacao nibs, optional
Equipment
Instructions
- Heat oven to 325 (160C) degrees with a rack positioned in the center.
- Coat an 8-inch square baking pan with olive oil. Cut a piece of parchment to fit just the bottom of the dish and oil that too.
- Sift the flour, cocoa and salt into a bowl (a mesh strainer is perfect for this job).
- Beat the eggs in the bowl of a heavy duty mixer fitted with the paddle attachment on medium speed for a minute. Increase speed to medium-high while adding the sugar ½ cup at at time. Beat until the eggs are pale, thick and creamy.
- Decrease mixer speed and slowly add the oil in a thin stream, as if you were making an emulsion like mayonnaise. Add the vanilla extract.
- Stir the flour mixture into the egg mixture in 3 or 4 additions until just incorporated, scraping down the bowl as needed.
- Scrape the batter into the prepared baking dish, using a stiff spatula (the batter is thick and sticky). Sprinkle the cacao nibs over the top, if using.
- Bake 30-33 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the brownies emerges with some moist crumbs.
- Cool the pan completely on a rack before cutting into serving pieces.
Notes
- The brownies will keep well 1-3 days at room temperature.
- If you don’t love the taste of olive oil, substitute with a roasted nut oil such as hazelnut or walnut, or a neutral oil like canola or avocado.
- Be sure your using unsweetened cocoa powder, not cacao powder. Cacao is made from unroasted cocoa beans and will add a bitter taste to the brownies.
- Note on salt: I bake with Diamond kosher salt, which is about half as salty as other brands of kosher salt. Reduce the amount of salt by half if you’re not using Diamond.
Nutrition per serving
Nutrition facts are calculated by third-party software. If you have specific dietary needs, please refer to your favorite calculator.
I will be making these again! So rich and decadent! I added unsweetened chocolate chips and the sugar from the batter and salt created the perfect flavor balance.
These are some of the best brownies i’ve ever had!! Who knew olive oil was the trick! amazing
Love these, have made them many times – sometimes decreasing the sugar by about 50g, sometimes full amount – with inclusions (raspberries! chocolate chips! other random sweet things!) and it works beautifully every time. So great to find a dairy free brownie recipe that still feels gooey, rich, and complex. 🙂
I don’t normally comment on recipes but this is aaaaamazing!
I used avocado oil instead and reduced sugar by 30g (120g white and 100g light brown). Baked them for about 29-30mins in a muffin tray and they turned out moist and chocolatey. My kids love them!
Very moist and fudgey, but a little too much salt. Would cut in half and then it would be perfect.
I’m wondering if I could use a flavored olive oil like blood orange olive oil?
Barb, I think that would be wonderfu!
Made first time today… they barely raised…is that normal….Wondered why no baking powder included…i like baking with olive oil. thank you
These brownies came out absolutely amazing! I have tried 5 brownie recipes and this is the best one 🙂
Look oily when first baked but once they cool down these cookies are gooey and delicious.
Doubled the recipe, followed mixing directions to the T. Batter was THICK, had to spread instead of pour. brownies came out sandy. Will not be using this recipe ever again. Way too much sugar.
Hi Lysa – I’m really sorry about how your brownies turned out. It’s usually not a good idea to double baking recipes. Instead of doubling the recipe, it best to make two single batches in separate pans. Because of ratios, details like oven temperature, pan size, and ingredient interactions can behave differently in larger quantities.
Is it possible to do half olive oil and half hazelnut oil? Just wondering before I attempt this delicious sounding recipe.
I think that would work! Let us know how they turn out. Hazelnut and chocolate are great together.
Best brownie recipe I be made, and I have tried quite a lot of recipes from around the web / cookbooks.
Fudgy, tasty, so sorry I didn’t make a double batch 😉
Took it to a small picnic gathering and it was a hit!
The recipe has way too much salt. I found it too salty as written. You can cut back to half or one quarter the amount. Also, I could taste the olive oil in the original. It wasn’t terrible, but I prefer making it with a roasted nut oil such as roasted almond or roasted hazelnut, or a flavorless oil like safflower. The addition of the nibs is sublime. It’s difficult to find a good oil-based brownie recipe, so thank you.
Thanks for your comment. I love the idea of using roasted nut oils in place of olive oil — they pair so well with cocoa! As for the salt, certainly use less next time. I bake with Diamond kosher salt, which is about as half as salty as Morton’s or other types of sea salt (recipe updated to note that)…
It’s my second time making this recipe.
I used xylitol instead of sugar. To reduce my sugar intake.
I think reading other comments i will try reducing sweetener in half — because xylitol is expensive! I think decreasing sweetener would also help malleability, it feels a bit “thick” and difficult to spread into the 8×8 pan.
But thank you for the recipe, it was difficult to find a recipe high in cacao and olive oil, and low in flour and chocolate chips.
I wanted to make the olive oil brownies, but discovered I was low on olive oil, so I used canola oil instead. They were still delicious! Very moist and chocolatey! On top I sprinkled mini semisweet chips which worked very well. How can I cut them so they end up looking smooth and nice? I used a hot knife, but is there an easier way? Thank you for the recipe, Now that I want to decrease butter and increase olive oil in my diet, this fits the bill!
Hi Marge – A hot knife is actually the best way to cut through any baked good that’s soft and gooey, and second to that a long piece of dental floss, held taut on both ends. Glad you enjoyed!