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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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
Did you make this recipe? Don’t forget to rate the recipe and leave a comment below. Hungry for more? Join me on Instagram, Facebook, Pinterest and Twitter for more amazing recipe ideas.
Let’s Bake
Olive Oil Brownies
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, sifted
- 70 grams (1/2 cup) plain flour or all purpose flour
- 75 grams (1/2 cup) chocolate chips*
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 180 C (350 F) standard / 160 C (320 F) fan-forced. Line an 8-inch square pan with baking or parchment paper.
- In a large mixing bowl, add olive oil, vanilla and sugars and mix briefly.
- In a separate bowl, add eggs and whisk with a fork for approximately 30 seconds or until combined.
- 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.
- 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 whipped cream.
Notes
*Chocolate chips: Use dairy free chocolate chips if you want to make this recipe dairy free.
Serving: To serve the next day, warm brownie in the microwave for 10-15 seconds.
Annie says
Hello Jess!
I love all your recipes! Literally this is my go to website for desserts!
From the traditional chocchip cookie to snickerdoodles, raspberry blondies and now these beautiful olive oil brownies! You’re awesome! Thanks for sharing your beautiful work
Jessica Holmes says
That made my day Annie! Thank you so much for your kind feedback. So glad you love my recipes!
Cathy says
I made these for a neighbor who needs dairy free items and he LOVED them!! Very easy and they turned out great!!
Jessica Holmes says
Yes! Love that Cathy!
Mary says
These were the best brownies ever! They never made it till the next day! Super moist and chocolatey.
Jessica Holmes says
LOVE hearing that Mary!
Helen taylor says
Hi if i wanted to make these gulten free do i just add the same amount of gulteen free flour, cheers
Jessica Holmes says
Hi Helen, I haven’t tried but if you have gluten free plain flour that suggests it can be swapped 1:1 it should be ok! Otherwise I have a good Gluten Free Brownie recipe you might like to try.
Guy says
Thanks so much for this recipe Jess!
These brownies are incredibly luscious; hit the spot perfectly to satisfy our sudden late–night sugar craving.
Unfortunately we didn’t have any chocolate chips on hand, but the brownies were totally delicious even without.
Super soft and moist on the inside, flaky and crackling on the outside.
Would absolutely make again.
Jessica Holmes says
So happy to hear that Guy!! Thank you for the kind feedback!
eva says
i have 9 inch tin .should i double it???
Jessica Holmes says
Hi Eva, you can make the recipe as is and it’ll just be a bit thinner. If you double it, it’ll be quite thick!
Jas says
Too sweet & not dodgy, also a little shallow in the tin.
Jessica Holmes says
Sorry you didn’t enjoy them.
Suzie says
Hi! We didn’t have any chocolate chips to hand so we left them out. Also dropped the white sugar to 1/2 cup, the brown sugar to 1/4 cup and added 3/4 tsp of salt. Delicious!
Jessica Holmes says
Love hearing that!
Manasa says
Hi,
I’m thinking about using this recipe to make brownies and was just wondering how long they would last at room-temperature/on the counter?
Jessica Holmes says
Hi Manasa, these brownies will keep well for 3-4 days but I’d store leftovers in the fridge.
Laura says
Myself, my 7yo and 5yo just want to say thank you! This is delicious. I forgot that I was going to add mini marshmallows to the mix and poked them in after I poured it in the tin, and confess to ‘marbling’ some Nutella on the top.. the marshmallows puffed up under the crispy top layer of brownie oh man, Devine.
Jessica Holmes says
Yes Laura! That sounds amazing! So glad you enjoyed them.
Katie says
This recipe was GREAT! I adjusted the sugar as needed (I was real low on white sugar so I used more brown sugar instead) and I even roughly halved it and it was still delicious! Easy to follow and hard to mess up! Thank you for posting!
Jessica Holmes says
Yay! Love hearing that Katie!
Electra says
These have become my go to brownies recipe. We never have butter in my house so I always search for recipes without butter. We also have a lot of olive oil! So this recipe is perfect for me. So tasty and moist!
Jessica Holmes says
Yes! Love that!
Elizabeth says
Salt?
Jessica Holmes says
Feel free to add a pinch of salt Elizabeth!
Harshal says
I tried these out today and they turned out to be too sweet for my liking. May reduce the sugar to 1/2 cup white sugar (instead of the current 3/4 cup). All I could taste was the sugar without any of the lovely dark cocoa flavour. Disappointed.
PS: I did measure the sugar correctly and didn’t overfill the cups.
Jessica Holmes says
Sorry you didn’t enjoy them.
Jane says
Thank you for this recipe. Do you think they will freeze successfully?
Jessica Holmes says
Yes absolutely!