Fudgy Olive Oil Brownies
These brownies are always a huge hit whenever I bake them! They’re supremely rich and decadent, and they practically taste like big squares of fudge. The chocolate chips make them taste even more chocolaty and irresistible! They’ll keep for at least five days if stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator.
Ingredients
- ¾ cup (90g) white whole wheat flour or gluten-free* flour (measured like this)
- ¾ cup (60g) unsweetened cocoa powder (measured like this)
- ¼ tsp baking powder
- ¼ tsp salt
- 1 tbsp (15mL) olive oil
- 2 large egg whites, room temperature
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- ¼ cup (60g) plain nonfat Greek yogurt
- ½ cup (96g) coconut sugar
- 6 tbsp (90mL) nonfat milk
- 3 tbsp (42g) miniature chocolate chips, divided
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 300°F, and lightly coat an 8”-square baking pan with nonstick cooking spray.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, and salt. In a separate bowl, whisk together the olive oil, egg whites, and vanilla. Stir in the Greek yogurt, mixing until no large lumps remain. Stir in the coconut sugar. Stir in the milk. Add in the flour mixture, stirring until just incorporated. Gently fold in 2 ½ tablespoons of miniature chocolate chips.
- Spread the batter into the prepared pan, and gently press the remaining chocolate chips into the top. Bake at 300°F for 15-19 minutes (15 minutes yields the fudgiest brownies; 19 minutes yields slightly cakier brownies). Cool completely to room temperature in the pan, and let the brownies sit for at least 6 hours at room temperature for the fudgiest texture before serving.
Notes
IMPORTANT MEASURING NOTE – READ BEFORE BEGINNING: It's very important to measure the flour and cocoa powder correctly, using this method or a kitchen scale. (← That’s the one I own!) Too much flour and cocoa powder in the brownie batter will make your brownies dry and crumbly, rather than chewy and fudgy. Too much cocoa powder will also make your brownies taste bitter, rather than rich and chocolaty.
IMPORTANT MIXING NOTES – READ BEFORE BEGINNING: Do not use a stand mixer or hand-held electric mixer! Use a whisk where explicitly instructed, and use a fork for everything else.
IMPORTANT BAKING NOTES – READ BEFORE BEGINNING: The brownies are ready to come out of the oven when the edges look firm but the center still looks glossy and underdone! The heat from the pan continues to cook the center while they cool. If the edges of the brownies pull away from the edges of your baking pan within 10 minutes of pulling them out of the oven, then you’ve baked them for long enough!
If you’re too impatient to wait for 8 hours once your brownies are at room temperature, then you can stick the pan in the refrigerator for 1-2 hours after they’ve reached room temperature to speed up the process. (The brownies turn fudgier the longer they're allowed to rest. If you cut into them sooner, they'll be more cakey than fugdy.)
FLOUR ALTERNATIVES: Regular whole wheat flour, whole wheat pastry flour, or all-purpose flour may be substituted for the white whole wheat flour. Oat flour (gluten-free, if necessary!) may be substituted as well, but be extremely careful when measuring it!
COCOA POWDER NOTES: I do not recommend substituting Dutched or special dark cocoa powder for the regular unsweetened cocoa powder. Both Dutched and special dark cocoa powder have a different acidity level, which can affect the taste and texture of your brownies. They also taste more bland and muted in this recipe compared to the rich chocolate flavor of regular unsweetened cocoa powder.
If your cocoa powder is very bumpy and/or clumpy, then sift it into the mixing bowl.
OLIVE OIL ALTERNATIVES: Unsalted butter (14g, then melted), coconut oil (14g, then melted), or any other neutral-tasting oil may be substituted for the olive oil. Stick-style vegan butter (14g, then melted – I like this one and this one) may also be substituted.
EGG WHITES ALTERNATIVE: If you prefer to use whole eggs, then use 2 large eggs AND reduce the milk by 1 tablespoon to compensate for the added volume from the yolks.
COCONUT SUGAR ALTERNATIVES: Brown sugar or granulated sugar may be substituted for the coconut sugar, but the brownies will no longer be clean eating friendly.
If you’d prefer, ½ cup (120mL) of pure maple syrup, honey, or agave may be substituted for the coconut sugar AND 4 tablespoons of the milk. (You still need to add those 2 final tablespoons of milk!)
MILK ALTERNATIVES: Any milk may be substituted for the nonfat milk.
GLUTEN-FREE OPTION: For the gluten-free flour, use as follows: ½ cup (60g) millet flour, 2 tablespoons (15g) brown rice flour, 2 tablespoons (15g) tapioca flour, and ½ teaspoon xanthan gum. Many store-bought gluten-free flour blends (I like this one from Bob's Red Mill) will also work, if measured like this.
HOW TO STORE: Store leftover brownies in an airtight container in the refrigerator. They should keep for at least five days, if not longer. They freeze and thaw well too!
{gluten-free, clean eating, low fat}
DID YOU MAKE THIS RECIPE?I'd love to hear what you think of it in a comment below! If you take a picture, tag @amys.healthy.baking on Instagram or use the hashtag #amyshealthybaking.