Double Chocolate Olive Oil Brownies

My current favourite brownies! These chewy olive oil brownies have a little more (coconut) sugar than a typical OE recipe, but it’s well worth it here.

A hint of hazelnut flavour from hazelnut flour, cocoa and dark chocolate, and a touch of olive oil make for some very interesting brownies. These are no bland white flour brownies, with only sugar to make them tasty – there’s a lot going on here, in a good way.

If you want to add to your brownies, consider trying these amazing strawberry brownies, made with rye flour instead of spelt. For a healthier option with less sugar, try these fruit-sweetened breakfast brownies.

Why You Should Try This Recipe

These are as close as I’ve gotten to flour and sugar brownies while still using spelt flour and more flavourful coconut sugar. They have a bit of the crackled top, they’re not cakey, and the taste is perfect.

• It’s a one-bowl recipe: everything is mixed in the same bowl, and the chocolate can be melted in it as long as it’s a heat safe glass.
• They have loads of flavour: with hazelnut flour, fruity olive oil, and coconut sugar, these aren’t plain brownies.
• Just ten ingredients: including salt, these brownies only need ten total ingredients. Easy!

Ingredients

Ingredient Notes and Substitutions

• Dark Chocolate: use 70% or higher chocolate. Sweeter chocolate results in a less desirable texture, and makes the brownies far too sweet.
• Eggs: I haven’t tried to make this recipe vegan. Presumably a flax or other egg substitute would work, but I can’t speak on it.
• Hazelnut Flour: if you can’t buy this, make your own by grinding raw hazelnuts into a fine meal in a food processor. Alternatively sub almond flour.
• Cocoa: I haven’t tested this recipe with Dutch process cocoa powder, just natural cocoa, and I am a bit concerned with how it might react. It’s a concern when using baking soda. In this case, I would recommend using natural cocoa to be sure.

Step by Step

1. Melt: melt the chocolate over a double boiler and whisk in the olive oil (this cools the chocolate).
2. Add eggs: whisk the eggs into the cooled melted chocolate and oil mixture.

3. Add coconut sugar: whisk the coconut sugar into the chocolate mixture.
4. Add dry ingredients: add the remaining ingredients and mix to combine. The batter will be stiff.
5. Press into tin: because it’s quite stiff, use your hands to press it into an even layer.
6. Bake: for about 20 minutes, or until the edges are set.

Recipe Notes

If you don’t have a 20×20 cm tin, a 15×20 or another that is slightly larger or smaller will work fine. The baking time will change slightly so keep an eye on your brownies.

This is a thick batter and must be pressed into the tin. It’s normal, you haven’t made a mistake.

If you need a gluten-free option, I recommend just going with my almond flour brownies instead. The texture is obviously different, but they were developed as GF, so it’s a safer option than trying to change this recipe.

How to Store

Storage: keep in a sealed container at room temperature for up to a week in a cool location. Refrigerate if needed.

Freezing: freeze cooled brownies in an airtight container for up to three months. Thaw in the refrigerator for best results.

Expert Tips

• Don’t make unlisted substitutions: almond flour, for example. It doesn’t contain any gluten and doesn’t absorb much liquid like other flours do, so it can’t be subbed 1:1 for spelt flour. Make the almond flour brownies instead.
• Check oven temperature: this is a common problem. Home ovens often run 10-20°C off from what they’re set at (I’ve had an oven that was often 50°C too hot!) so a small oven thermometer works wonders. If you find that your bakes are often failing despite following the recipe exactly, you may need to check this.
• Mix quickly: you don’t want the chocolate to solidify before getting the brownie batter all mixed. Make sure you have everything on hand so that once the chocolate is melted, it can come together quickly.

More Olive Oil Desserts

Apple Hazelnut Cake (vegan)
Chocolate Chip Coconut Banana Bread (vegan)
Pain d’epices (dairy/egg free)
Chocolate Snack Cake (vegan)

If you make these Olive Oil Brownies or any other vegetarian dessert recipes on Occasionally Eggs, please take a moment to rate the recipe and leave a comment below. It’s such a help to others who want to try the recipe. For more OE, follow along on Instagram, Facebook, and Pinterest, purchase the Occasionally Eggs cookbook, or subscribe for new posts via email.