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Olive Oil Brownies

You’ll fall head over heels for these deliciously easy Olive Oil Brownies. Filled to the brim with chocolate, these dairy free brownies have a crispy, crinkly top and a super fudgy centre. 

A stack of Olive Oil Brownies on a white plate

Best. Brownies. Ever.

You are going to LOVE these epic Olive Oil Brownies. Not only are they dairy free, but they’re delicious, with a seriously fudgy centre that’s packed with chocolate chips and a crispy, crackly top.

They’re chewy, gooey and all too sweet.

A close up of a stack of Olive Oil Brownies

Sometime late last year I wrote on my recipe list, Olive Oil Brownies. And this week I decided to dive headfirst into the wonderful world of recipe testing brownies. So where do you start?

Well I knew I was looking for a brownie that had all the key elements of a regular brownie – a crispy top, chewy edges and perfectly fudgy centre. I also knew swapping out butter for olive oil would change things a bit but I wasn’t exactly sure how. So I started by making my tried and true One Bowl Cocoa Brownies, but subbed in olive oil for the butter.

The result (brownie 1) was ok but not quite right. While it had the signature crinkly top, it was all too fudgy (who knew that was a thing?). It tasted good but the texture was too wet and oily. So next, I reduced the sugar and eggs slightly and subbed in more cocoa to create a drier brownie.

Recipe testing a batch of Olive Oil Brownies

The result (brownie 2) was delicious and super chocolatey but it had moved over into the cake category. I lost my crinkly top and the fudgy centre was much more like a thick, rich cake, than a brownie. I realised I had reduced the sugar too much, so for trial number 3, I added 1/4 cup of sugar back in (but still 1/4 cup less than brownie 1). I reduced the cocoa back to what it was for brownie 1 but kept the same amount of eggs.

Brownie 3 was very close to the Olive Oil Brownie I had dreamt about. It was fudgy, sweet, with a moist (but not too wet) texture. However, there was one problem. I had lost my signature crinkly brownie top. To me, that’s a key element of a brownie. It was then I realised I didn’t need to change the ingredients – they were on point – but rather the method.

Did you know that the crinkly top of a brownie is actually a thin layer of meringue made from the eggs? So instead of adding all the ingredients into one bowl and mixing them together. I whisked the eggs briefly separately before adding them to the batter. And that’s when we landed on brownie 4. The Winner.

A single brownie of a white plate

They say that the best things in life are worth fighting for and sometimes when a recipe doesn’t work the first time, or the second time or the third time, it becomes a frustrating experience. But at the same time, when you finally land on that winning combination, it’s incredibly rewarding.

And that’s why I’m so excited to share these Olive Oil Brownies with you. They were worth fighting for because they’re an easy recipe to have on hand, you can make them for your dairy-free friends, and they’re seriously fudgy-licious.

A stack of Olive Oil Brownies

Even if you can eat butter and have no reason to try these, I urge you to give them a go. I had my friend taste test them for me and she couldn’t even tell they had no butter. They boast a soft and sweet texture and the olive oil adds moisture. They honestly rival any of my regular butter-laden brownie recipes.

Made with only a handful of ingredients (all of which you probably have sitting in your pantry – go look) they’re the perfect go-to brownie when you neeeeeeeed something sweet or you have friends just ‘popping in’. #winwin

Top view of a stack of Olive Oil Brownies

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Olive Oil Brownies

★★★★★ 5 from 9 reviews
  • Author: Jessica Holmes
  • Prep Time: 20 minutes
  • Cook Time: 30 minutes
  • Total Time: 50 minutes
  • Yield: Makes 16 brownies
  • Category: Dessert
  • Cuisine: American
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Description

Fudgy Olive Oil Brownies that are also dairy free.

Ingredients

  • 120 ml (1/2 cup) olive oil
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
  • 150 grams (3/4 cup) caster sugar or granulated sugar
  • 90 grams (1/2 cup) brown sugar
  • 3 large eggs
  • 40 grams (1/2 cup) cocoa powder
  • 70 grams (1/2 cup) plain flour
  • 75 grams (1/2 cup) chocolate chips*

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 180 C (360 F). Line an 8 inch square baking tin with baking or parchment paper.
  2. In a large mixing bowl, add olive oil, vanilla and sugars and mix briefly.
  3. In a separate bowl, add eggs and whisk with a fork for approximately 30 seconds or until combined.
  4. Add eggs to sugar mixture, along with cocoa powder, flour and chocolate chips. Gently mix with a spoon or spatula to combine. Pour into prepared tin.
  5. Bake for approximately 28-30 minutes or until a knife inserted in the middle comes out clean. Leave to cool slightly before removing from pan. They will firm up as they cool. Serve with ice cream or cream.

Notes

*Use dairy free chocolate chips if you want to make this recipe dairy free.

To serve the next day, warm brownie in the microwave for 10-15 seconds.

Nutrition

  • Serving Size: 1 brownie
  • Calories: 168

Keywords: Olive Oil Brownies, Dairy free brownies, Easy brownies

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An Olive Oil Brownie with a bite taken out of it

Reader Interactions

Comments

  2. These are absolutely amazing!! Made them to share with a friend and we loved them. Easy to make, baked well (I didn’t have an 8×8 square pan and used a round pan instead, which was absolutely fine) and worked very well with the King Arthur brand Gluten Free flour blend, for those with multiple allergies.
    Tasting note: using a nice quality Spanish olive oil with a high quality dutch processed cocoa powder really brought out the fruity elements of the chocolate’s flavor profile. Winning flavor combo!

    ★★★★★

    Reply

  7. I hate melting butter/chocolate so this was a great recipe for me. Whipped the eggs pretty vigorously – not only did I get the shiny top, the texture at the sides was a mousse-y consistently which was very nice! I’ve struggled with brownies in the past but this was a breeze. Will definitely make again.

    ★★★★★

    Reply

  8. Hi i made this and brought it to my neighbour’s cuz she invited me for dinner, wasnt sure if it was gonna turn out okay.. apparently IT WAS A BIG HIT!! BEST BROWNIE RECIEPE EVER! thank you!

    ★★★★★

    Reply

  10. I just made this recipe and they are seriously the best brownies I’ve ever had! The recipe was so so easy too.. Thanks!

    Reply

  11. Your brownies is the one i always dream about! Crackly top, fudgy inside.. I tried to follow your recipe, but i fail. I didn’t get the crackly top. Help me…

    Reply

    • Hi Shay, so glad you liked them! The crinkly top comes from the eggs – it’s actually a thin layer of meringue from the eggs and sugar. Next time, you could try whisking the eggs for a bit longer to help get that crinkly top before adding them to the chocolate brownie batter.

      Reply

  12. Can you make the brownies without the 1/2 dairy free chocolate chips and just increase the cocoa power and oil? The chocolate chips are something I don’t normally have on hand.

    Reply

    • Hi Michael, you can just leave out the chocolate chips – that’s fine! I don’t recommend altering the other ingredients. Hope you enjoy them!

      Reply

  13. I just made this Brownie is heaven!!!!! So good and the texture wow thank you for your experiences aha!!

    ★★★★★

    Reply

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