Recipe: Extra Virgin Olive Oil Brownies

I recently got the chance to savor some brownies made from our Arbequina extra virgin olive oil. They were as rich and chocolate-laden as any brownie I’ve ever had. And without the stick of butter the typical recipe requires. They’d be a great way to top off a picnic or any meal.

As I’ve noted here, we’re always interested in ways to use extra virgin olive oil in baking instead of butter. Brownies are perfect candidates. And the Arbequina brownies we’re featuring are moist and flavorful.

Here’s how these brownies came about. California Olive Ranch sponsors what we call a “mini” Harvest Retreat once or twice a year for our customers, typically chefs and distributors. In May, we took such a group on a tour of our mill and olive trees in Artois, in the Sacramento Valley. We showed these folks the ins and outs of the mill and brought them into the orchards to learn more about our trees.

We also served a sit-down lunch featuring a salad of organic field greens and hearts of romaine, as well as a rice salad. Both were dressed with a vinaigrette made from our Arbequina. Asparagus was served, finished with our Miller’s Blend EVOO and topped with crushed pistachios, cracked pepper and sea salt. Roast chicken Marbella was the main course.

And for desert: the Arbequina brownies with walnuts. The brownies, developed for the lunch by Bacio Catering Co. in Chico, were served on platters and surrounded with bright red fresh strawberries.

The story doesn’t end there. The director of our informal test kitchen, my relative Joanne, got hold of the recipe. She did a little tinkering, as she always does.

For example, Joanne experimented with the amount of Arbequina in the recipe and substituted instant coffee granules for ground espresso beans to make the ingredients more accessible when you walk into the supermarket. She also oiled the pan with olive oil instead of butter.

Needless to say, Joanne’s tinkering produced excellent results.

One more item: I want to mention that California Olive Ranch extra virgin olive oil was featured on NBC’s Today Show today, July 5th. Food guru Jack Bishop of Cook’s Illustrated magazine was on hand to talk about how to taste and select olive oil.

Bon appétit,

Claude S. Weiller
Vice President of Sales & Marketing
California Olive Ranch