{Baking} OLIVE OIL WALNUT BROWNIES … darned good bites!
“Other things are just food. But chocolate’s chocolate.”
Patrick Skene Catling
Can there ever be enough chocolate goodness in our lives? Not a chance, so as promised I’m back with another chocolate recipe. This time it’s Chef Darren Conole’s Olive Oil Brownie recipe that he created for us to sweetly wrap up lunch at the Borges Olive Oil Meet for Food Bloggers and Critics at the Shangri-La Eros Hotel, New Delhi.
The banter over lunch that day went from the poor pumpkin which is ever so neglected, to Michelin star chefs and food trends in the UK, and then to the chefs cute as a button toddler who turns his nose up on veggies, and can survive on yogurt every single day! Since the meet was over olive oil, Darren had the olive oil brownies served in style, beautifully plated, complete with vanilla ice cream etc. I tragically had to race off as they were served, as I had to pick the lad up after school. Managed to grab the recipe off Darren while at lunch, and he was good enough to pack a serving for me as I left.
About these brownies in the Chefs words, ‘This is an old fashioned brownie. Because of the air whipped into the first stage of this recipe, it comes out crunchy and chewy To make these brownies even more decadent, add half a cup of semi-sweet chocolate chips. I can’t eat a brownie without a nice scoop of vanilla ice cream, and you shouldn’t either.”
With more olive oil in a goodie bag from the good folk at Borges, I knew the brownies weren’t far from being made. These are the first bakes in my new kitchen, but electricity played spoilsport and did the number on me 15 minutes after I popped the tin in. They rose beautifully in the first 15 minutes, but then settled back once the power went. It was back in a while though, but they didn’t seem very ready in 25 minutes, so I ended giving them another 10-15 minutes, with a piece of foil slipped over to prevent extra browning.
The texture was fabulous, slightly different from the one that I had from the batch Darren made. Those were more even and fudgy all over. Mine has this light crisp, almost crunchy top, and the inside was dense and gooey. So delicious that I couldn’t resist nibbling off all the edges. BIG HIT with the kids too. I have a mocha version on my mind which I have to try soon.
Few changes as always … I added a heaped tbsp of Valrhona {yes, it’s still going strong, but have reached the bottom of the bag now}, and reduced the sugar by a 1/4 cup. Will probably try with just a cup of sugar the next time, with a sachet of vanilla sugar sprinkled on top. And yes, I added a few chopped toasted walnuts and they really added to the depth of flavour! All in all, it was a delicious, good looking brownie, which I’m going to be making once again, and soon.
Olive Oil Walnut Brownies
Minimally adapted from recipe by Darren Conole, Executive Chef Shangri-La-Eros Hotel, New Delhi4oz dark chocolate1/3 cup pure or light olive oil {I used Borges from here}3 large eggs1 1/4 cup vanilla sugar1 tsp vanilla extract3/4 cup flour1 heaped tbsp good quality cocoa {I used Valrhona}1/2 tsp salt1/2 cup toasted walnuts, choppedMethod:
Preheat the oven to 190C. Line a 11 x 7 x 2 or 8 x 8 x 2 pan with parchment {or spray with olive oil cooking spray. I lined mine with baking parchment.In a small bowl melt the dark chocolate and olive oil in the microwave for 1 minute, 30 seconds. Mix well with spoon. Set aside.
Sift the flour, cocoa and salt.Place eggs, sugar and vanilla in a mixing bowl and beat well for 5 minutes, until nice and fluffy.Blend in the chocolate mixture with a spatula. Fold in the sifted flour until just incorporated. Add walnuts and blend gently.Pour the batter into prepared pan. Sprinkle over with a few toasted walnuts and vanilla sugarBake for 20-25 minutes or until a knife inserted into the middle comes out clean. {mine took a lot longer, so make sure you test if it is ready}.Cool in pan, and then cut as desired.Serve with vanilla ice cream and berry sauce.♥ Thank you for stopping by ♥
I like to give a shout out to to Rob Hrytzak’s who wrote to me a few days ago about Sifted Recipes. Rob’s passion for food and cooking in general has been steadily growing over the past couple of years; one of the main reasons why he started sifted recipes. With this interest, he naturally went to the internet to find recipes and trends within the foodie community.Do stop by at Sifted Recipes, where Rob harnesses the power of the internet to let the user community and foodies of the world submit and vote on the latest recipes from around the world, from many different blogs and websites.
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Also find me on The Rabid Baker, The Times of India 
Deeba @ PAB
About me: I am a freelance food writer, recipe developer and photographer. Food is my passion - baking, cooking, developing recipes, making recipes healthier, using fresh seasonal produce and local products, keeping a check on my carbon footprint and being a responsible foodie! I enjoy food styling, food photography, recipe development and product reviews. I express this through my food photographs which I style and the recipes I blog. My strength lies in 'Doing Food From Scratch'; it must taste as good as it looks, and be healthy too. Baking in India, often my biggest challenge is the non-availability of baking ingredients, and this has now become a platform to get creative on. I enjoy cooking immensely as well.
53 Comments
zurin
I must try these Deeba. Olive Oil brownies sound so healthy. beautiful photos as always.
xoxo
zurin
Jessica @ How Sweet
These sound so delicious! Would love to bake some brownies with olive oil.
Honey @ honeyandsoy
Oh these look gorgeous. A mocha version sounds lovely. I absolutely love that first photo with the darling olive oil bottle 🙂
Sayantani
few weeks back saw this idea of olive oil in cakes. was hooked to it now your delectable healthy goodies will make me take this healthy change in cooking.
Barbara
Really interesting recipe, Deeba. I've never used olive oil with chocolate….and I've been meaning to try out an olive oil cake recipe as well. Guess I better get with it!
Barbara
Really interesting recipe, Deeba. I've never used olive oil with chocolate….and I've been meaning to try out an olive oil cake recipe as well. Guess I better get with it!
jose manuel
Estos brownies se ven fantásticos y las fotos son preciosas.
Saludos
Rosa's Yummy Yums
They look beautiful and so do your pictures!
Cheers,
Rosa
VeggieWiz
Its awesome that you made these….takes me back to the lunch n how yummy they were….now I need to make them soon!
Satya
browins looks awesome ..love the oilve oil version …thank q for sharing 🙂
happy vinayaka chathurthy to u n ur family
Satya
http://www.superyummyrecipes.com
Jurgita
I simply adore your pictures. Thanks for sharing.
Sarah, Maison Cupcake
Oh Deeba these look divine, I am a real sucker for a good brownie. I have about a dozen of your posts to catch up on after my August blog break and I'm going to savour them all!
Amanda
They look decadent and wonderful Deeba. I bet they were amazing! I just make a cake with olive oil and was pleasantly surprised!
Jess @ Bakericious
This sound must healthier brownie using olive oil and looks as delicious too, copied down. Thanks for sharing!
Marcellina
Olive oil brownies! Wonderful! I have been thinking I should be cutting down on my butter consumption…these will have to be baked very shortly so I can continue with my chocolate consumption!
Smita Srivastava
What a wonderful recipe … i have never had any sweet treats using olive oil , must try it out asap !!!
Joy
Deeba, you're giving me a heart attack at midnight over here in Vancouver. These brownies are gorgeous! And my first reaction was: Why didn't I think about olive oil brownies? They seem like the perfect match! Duh. From the looks the these bars, they look like they should be in every packed lunch or purse, in case hunger comes at unexpected times. 🙂
Miriam
Oh Deeba, how is it possible that I hadn't yet discovered your blog?? Shame on me! You have a follower… 😉
bellini valli
These brownies have a following now too Deeba!!
Patty
These look fantastic – thanks for sharing Deeba! I adore the combination of olive oil with chocolate – I've just started baking with the 2 together and love it. I would probably also only use 1c of sugar in these, as I'm a big fan of (healthier) not-too-sweet goods. I would maybe even lower the flour to 1/2c and bump the coco up to 1/3c since I love bittersweet chocolate so much!
Oh – and your new kitchen is looking amazing. 🙂
xo Patty
Kris Ngoei
A great healthier choice of brownie! Love the first photo, very unique composition and the clarity of olive oil in the bottle is just beautiful. As an overall, it is a lovely shot.
Sawadee from Bangkok,
Kris
Megan
You know I HAVE to try these, right?
Silence Sings
I always avoid olive oils in cake with a scaptical though of getting a different smell….but your brownies look so tempting that the recipe is inspiring me to ddelve in the challenge of using olive oil in cakes….Let me see how far I would be able to go thru..will let your know for sure…
The Urban Baker
gorgeous photos! looks delish. can't wait to make these!
Nalini Hebbar
these look so crispy…a little chocolate sauce and a dollop of vanilla ice-cream…promisingly heaven!
Xiaolu @ 6 Bittersweets
I love brownies of all varieties and the olive oil must add an interesting layer of flavor.
MaryMoh
Count me in….I just love brownies and any desserts with chocolate. This one looks really good using olive oil. I would love to try. I had just made brownie cookies the other day. I'll be in chocolate heaven again….a higher level…haha 😀
MeetaK
i adroe the flavor of olive oil in baked goods. it's the perfect flavor enhancer! what incredible looking brownies my friend!
Char
hi deeba…
lovely pics..yet again. and drool worthy food…AGAIN!!!!
can you pl tell me what brand of cooking chocolate do you use? and which is the dark choc you used here..
faithful follower
Elizabeth
I can't say I've ever even heard of olive oil brownies, though I have made coconut oil brownies. These sound heavenly! And of course I can't gush enough about the photos, always so gorgeous.
Eliana
I have never baked with olive oil but these beauties are making me want to do so right this second. too bad I'm at work. They look amazing.
The Cooking Ninja
Love your idea of an olive oil brownie. hmm…I might just make this for hub in our new home.
tigerfish
Walnut brownies never as exotic as these 🙂
ovenhaven
Ah, you've just taken fudgy brownies to a new level! I must definitely give this a try. With olive oil, I'll feel less guilty too! 😛
Heavenly Housewife
These sound positively sensational. I am a huge fan of baking with olive oil, it gives everything the most fabulous soft texture. Great recipe!
*kisses* HH
Barbara Bakes
So glad you're kitchen is done. Have there been pictures I missed? The brownies sound heavenly.
♥Sugar♥Plum♥Fairy♥
Delicious brownies and even better photos!!!
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Sanjeeta kk
Sure, there can't be enough chocolate goodness in our lives. More so when tempting blogs like your is around 🙂
Lovely recipe.
Indie.Tea
First of all, your photographs take my breath away. SO gorgeous!
Second, I love the sound of your brownies, I've really been wanting to use olive oil in baking something for a while.
Zita
Aww Deeba… I never tried baking with olive oil before, always afraid that result would be too dry… but looking at your picture it look pretty(ly) moist, and the combo with walnuts sound so delish 🙂
lisaiscooking
They look delicious! I love brownies with walnuts, and the olive oil in then sounds great too. I agree with Chef Darren, I love ice cream with a brownie!
Arwen from Hoglet K
I like the way you've added walnuts, and the gooey texture sounds superb. Must be exciting to have a new kitchen!
suma
Who can ever say 'No' or 'enough' to chocolate?? And when it comes in brownies as decadent as these, it is impossible to resist….
June in Ireland who loves to bake
Namaste Deeba –
Wonderful recipe, wonderful photos, wonderful blog.
I’ve been wanting to replace the butter I usually bake with for olive oil, and here’s the perfect incentive to try it out for the first time. Chocolate aur walnuts aur olive oil has got to result in pure, indulgent, delicious bliss. Bahut shukriya for sharing this recipe (can you tell I’m teaching myself Hindi?)
Latha
the title says it all, Deeba. i had many asking me for the recipe. really simple to make and gives gorgeous results.
Suma
Hi Deeba, we lo…ved these brownies!! They are very delicious without the overload of fat, the only danger being over-eating them as they are not very rich (the stick-to- the- palate way), but extremely good!
I used only a cup of sugar as you had mentioned you would the next time. They were just about sweet, just perfect for me. Am gonna be baking these regularly, the only change I will do next time is adding half a cup of chocolate chips into the batter. Extra yum!! Thanks for this fantastic recipe Deeba!
Anon
Hi,
Had been looking for some good Brownies recipe and I think I just got one. It has a perfect caramel layer on top and gooey inside.
If you don’t mind sharing, please tell me the original recipe that you got from the Chef without any adaptations.
Thanks.
P.S. I have been to several blogs but yours is most impressive… perhaps due to amazing pictures. One is actually tempted to try out recipes from here, whereas with other blogs I am full of apprehensions about the result, so I end up not trying them.
rose
Hi Deeba,
I made these today. I should say they were the best ever brownies I had made. The verdict came direct from my 7 and 3 year old kids. Thank you for sharing the recipe.
Deeba @ PAB
How wonderful that you took a moment to let me know Rose. Kids are the best {and worse critics}. So happy the verdict was good!