Coconut Oil and Cocoa Brownie Recipe

by jessyratfink

237K14218

Intro: Coconut Oil and Cocoa Brownie Recipe

This brownie recipe is so so so easy, and the results are amazing. This is definitely my favorite brownie recipe now, if only because I can use things I keep on hand, throw it together quickly, and have fantastic, fudge-y, gooey and rich brownies in less than an hour.

I have other brownie recipes I use quite a bit, but this one wins hands down. None of the others work as well when I use cocoa powder - these come out tasting like I used dark chocolate. Most other brownie recipes I've used that call for cocoa just don't taste chocolate-y enough and kinda blah. I might need to retire the others.

In this recipe, I use coconut oil and canola oil in place of the butter, and it could even be made vegan by using egg replacer! They turn out perfect every time, chewy on the sides and bottom, and like a rich fudge in the middle. :D

STEP 1: Ingredients

  • 5 tablespoons canola/veg oil
  • 5 tablespoons melted coconut oil (unrefined - melt then measure for best results!)
  • 1 1/4 cups sugar
  • 3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 2 large eggs
  • 1/2 cup all-purpose flour

You can also add 1/2 cup nuts if you like! And as far as cocoa powder, I've used both Hershey's and a nicer Ghirardelli cocoa - the Hershey's makes great brownies, but the nicer cocoa powders make the brownies so much more fantastic!

You'll need an 8x8 baking pan to make these in, and aluminum foil or parchment paper to line it. :) And an oven preheated to 325 F.

I originally found this recipe on smitten kitchen - but modified it so I can eat it! Butter and I don't play well, and adding coconut oil keeps the brownies nice and rich.

STEP 2: Melt the Oils, Sugar, Salt and Cocoa Powder Together

I do this by combining them all in a bowl and throwing it in the microwave for a minute. Once it's nice and hot, mix it together until it's very well combined - you don't want to see any lumps. It'll be pretty grainy at this point!

STEP 3: Line Your Pan, Preheat the Oven

Lay one sheet of parchment paper/aluminum foil down in the pan, so it goes up two sides just a little, and then lay another over the top of it going in the opposite direction.

Preheat your oven to 325 F. :)

STEP 4: Mix in the Vanilla, Eggs, and Flour

Add the vanilla extract, and mix well.

Then, add the eggs one at a time, mixing until each is entirely absorbed - you don't want to see any bits of yolk. Once both eggs are mixed in, the batter will be nice and glossy.

Now, add the flour and mix well. You will want to mix until you can't see any flour, and then continue mixing for 30 seconds or so.

When it is properly mixed, it will be nice and thick, almost like a fudge. It will be glossy as well - see the last photo to see what you're aiming for. :D

STEP 5: Pour Into a Pan and Bake!

You will need to spread it with a spatula - it's too thick to do anything else. :P

Spread it nice and flat, and then pop it in the oven. You'll be baking it at 325 F for 30 minutes.

STEP 6: Let Cool, Then Cut!

After 30 minutes is up, pull it out of the oven, and check the doneness with a toothpick. You should see a little crumb on the toothpick, and the top should be matte and starting to crackle a little.

Let the brownies cool on a wire rack until the pan is cool enough to handle, and then use the foil/parchment paper to pull them out and let them cool for a little longer. (You really do want to cool there for a long time if you want them to cut nicely... otherwise, just go for it. Eat them with your hands if you must!)

Once they're cool, cut them into small squares and serve!

STEP 7: Enjoy!

And prepare yourself to make them over and over again. These are the perfect brownies for midnight chocolate cravings. :D

18 Comments

EbonyC5 7 years ago

I have mine in the oven now, and we slightly modified the recipe by using eight tablespoons of Coconut oil and eight tablespoons of butter as well as a full cup of dark cocoa. The batter was AMAZING, and we added choc chips and pecans. Then we decided to make chocolate chip cookie dough and made a cookie brownie... Of course bake time was extended but I'm sure it will be worth the extra wait. Everyone wins!

Techghost 7 years ago

I made this...but it went too fast with my gaming group to take a photo...

That might mean it is a success...

MadiG2 8 years ago

I would recommend adding a full cup of cocoa powder (I used Ghiradelli) and a teaspoon of raw organic honey to balance out the bitterness of the chocolate. I also put in about 1/3 cup of creamy peanut butter which gave the brownies a lot of depth of flavor. I might try adding almond butter or nutella next time!

JillyanR 8 years ago

Hands down, the best brownies I have ever made! Here's the trick: use 8 tbsp of coconut oil, rather than 5 of each. Also, add the eggs after the batter is complete ( gives a richer texture, in my opinion). Cook at 350°F for 18 minutes. Cool, and serve in 2x2 slices. Everyone loves them!

daisypom 9 years ago

Hi, I followed the ladys advice to add 3/4 of flour because she said they were too squishy? I also took her advice and used all coconut oil and I added 1/4 t of Via, ( in another recipe I tried subbing a teaspoon of Via for a teas of intsant espresso and it made the batter taste extremely bitter, no fun licking the bowl : ( so I only added a 1/4 t this time. I add the Via because i think the coffee intensifies the chocolate flavor. And this was the right amount this time. The problem with this version was the batter came out like cooke dough and I had to press it in the pan. I baked them 25 min. Im sorry I also didnt see your links for instructions so i followed the usuall kinda steps. But these came out crumbly, 3/4 of flour was way too much flour for me : ( But I must say the coconut chocolate flavour is outstanding. I would make these again and follow the original directions, except I would still use all coconut oil, actual I take that back because from the pics the vegatable oil seemed to add the glossyness and might make them more chewy. So I am sorry I took her advice, but apparently they worked for her. Actually the dough tasted amazing but the finished product is kinda dry and very crumbly, I wish I would of just ate the dough!

Icooktoo 9 years ago

Thanks for the recipe. The taste was awesome however, I found it to be very oily. Should we use either or on the coconut and veg oil or just 2-3 tablespoons. Maybe it was meant to say teaspoons?

lynettefoxen 9 years ago

My comment didn't post for some reason. I'll try again. I had made the original recipe this was taken from a few days ago and found them to be too squishy for my liking so I upped the flour to 3/4 C. I also used 10 T of coconut oil rather than 5 vegetable oil. The brownies are absolutely perfect!! They are chewy and moist with a delicious chocolaty-coconut flavor that I just can't get enough of! Thank you for posting your version, Jessy! It gave me the confidence to create my own and they are exactly what I wanted!

stephanie.degolierlittlefield 9 years ago

So good! I skipped the foil and didn't grease my baking dish, so they are a little difficult to cut, but totally worth all the effort. I also added Reese's peanut butter chips to half. Yum! :)

lynettefoxen 9 years ago

Great idea! I have some mint chocolate chips I was considering using but I didn't want to risk the batch. Next time I'll do half!

lynettefoxen 9 years ago

I coincidentally made the original recipe a few days ago when I was trying to use up some frozen rotten bananas. That recipe came out too moist but was delicious nonetheless. I just put these in the oven and had to reserve a spoon full of yummy coconut chocolate batter for snacking on while I wait. Eggs be damned. I upped the flour to just under 3/4 cup. I will let you know how it turns out.

par64guy 9 years ago

I MUST try these. I am lactose intolerant, so dairy-free baking recipes are a welcomed find!

nanreally 10 years ago

I made these today. Upon mixing, decided to add about 1/2 cup vanilla yogurt, and 1/4 cup toasted chopped almonds. De-Lish!

criminalmadman 10 years ago

I have added a secret ingredient mwaaaahuhauhauhauha!

loikkonen 11 years ago

Mine are just in the oven. I didn't have coconut oil, so I used the same amount (5tbsp) of vegetable oil instead. It became a bit too "hard" and I couldn't spread it on the pan evenly, but I think it'll still become good :)

bajablue 11 years ago

I'm a huge fan of coconut oil and it's health benefits so I buy EVCO by the bucketful.

Beautiful work, Jessy. These look delicious!!!