Olive oil, bitter chocolate and a scatter of sea salt — these one-bowl brownies are quietly intense and dangerously easy to love.
I did not intend to disappear for so long. In early October I was finishing a cake that used 2.5 pounds of apples (a hazard of orchard overbuying), and then the world went sideways. By the time I resurfaced it was November and I spent much of the month on a mini book tour with barely enough time to breathe. I need my sofa, quiet, and a window to stare through at the last golden leaves — and that brings me back here. Life gets busy, my schedule derails, but I always return to this space; after 17 years I still like being here and hanging out with you. The longer I’m away the richer the backlog — December’s going to be fantastic.
It wasn’t all grim: I also became an aunt to the sweetest little sunbeam. Between visits I’ve been prepping family-sized one-pot meals for freezer stock — pot roast heavy with vegetables counts as arm day when hauling it inside. There’s a chicken-and-barley stew coming soon because it’s supremely cozy. And with dairy temporarily sidelined at home, I’ve been developing an olive oil brownie that I’m excited to share.
If you love “My Favorite Brownies,” you’ll spot similarities. This brownie begins with unsweetened chocolate for deep chocolate flavor, uses granulated sugar, can be mixed in one bowl, is whisked by hand, and bakes in an 8-inch square pan. But there are differences: this version uses a 4-ounce chocolate bar (a common bar size, and the author dislikes leftover odd chocolate squares), olive oil as the fat (which has a deeper flavor and benefits from added cocoa, double vanilla, and a sprinkle of sea salt). The author anticipates objections to the sugar amount but insists the brownie is only moderately sweet — the sugar is needed to balance the extra-bitter chocolate and cocoa in a roughly 1-inch-thick brownie. Reducing sugar will dry the brownie and make it more cookie-like, which she warns against. She wants you to fall in love with these.
Field | Info |
|---|---|
Type | One-bowl olive oil brownie (recipe text present; full ingredient quantities not all specified in article excerpt) |
Pan | 8-inch square pan mentioned |
Chocolate | 4 ounces unsweetened chocolate called out |
Makes | Not specified |
Time | Not specified (bake time not included in excerpt) |
Notes | Whisk by hand; uses granulated sugar; finish with sea salt flakes; author cautions against reducing sugar or brownies will dry |
Ingredient | Quantity |
|---|---|
Unsweetened chocolate | 4 ounces (explicit) |
Granulated sugar | Amount mentioned but not specified in excerpt |
Olive oil | Used as fat (quantity not specified) |
Cocoa powder | Added to complement olive oil (quantity not specified) |
Vanilla extract | “Double the vanilla” recommended (exact amount not specified) |
Sea salt flakes | For sprinkling on top (amount not specified) |
(Other typical brownie ingredients implied: eggs, perhaps flour) | Not specified in article excerpt |
Tip |
|---|
Use unsweetened chocolate for the best depth of chocolate flavor — the recipe is scaled to a 4-ounce bar. |
Olive oil brings a deeper flavor; complement it with added cocoa powder and extra vanilla. |
Whisk the batter by hand in one bowl — no mixer required. |
Don’t reduce the sugar too much: with bitter chocolate and cocoa, sugar preserves moisture; cutting it risks a dry, cookie-like brownie. |
Finish with a few flecks of sea salt on top to lift the chocolate and olive oil flavors. |
