Olive Oil and Cocoa Brownies
Rich, fudgy and intense dairy-free Olive Oil and Cocoa Brownies are easy to make and loaded with chocolate flavor.
Equipment
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
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
Calories: 211kcalCarbohydrates: 34gProtein: 2gFat: 9gSodium: 155mgFiber: 2gSugar: 28g
