Olive Oil and Juniper Brownies : World Spice Merchants

Olive Oil and Juniper Brownies

Juniper is a lovely spice, and capable of so much more than it is often given credit for. These aromatic berries are layered with flavor: piney at first, but then giving way to a sweet citrus taste that lingers. It deserves to love in something besides gin. With this in mind, we set out to make a desert that placed this underappreciated spice in center stage.
Dark chocolate is a perfect vehicle to showcase juniper's unique flavor profile, and so we decided to feature them in rich, moist brownies. Through trial and error, however, we learned juniper gets much stronger as it cooks. Another addition was needed to balance the spice. We found our answer in olive oil. It's rich and earthy, and will heighten the bitterness of the dark chocolate. The resulting brownies are fabulously out of the ordinary, yet still deeply satisfying.

Ingredients

1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil, plus more for greasing pan
1 cup brown sugar
1 egg
3 egg yolks
12

Juniper

Juniper

The taste of juniper berries is fresh and tangy with a strong aroma of pine and citrus, but there is a unique note that defines it. Perhaps most commonly known as the predominant fla...

berries, ground
1/2 cup hot coffee
1 teaspoon

Murray River Flake Salt

Murray River Flake Salt

This delicate, apricot-colored flake salt is harvested from salt ponds along the Murray River which flows from the Australian Alps. It dissolves quickly, releasing a mild flavor for ...
3/4 cup

Cocoa Powder - Valrhona

Cocoa Powder - Valrhona

For chocolate lovers only! This Dutch-processed cocoa powder is rich in butterfat, but not adulterated with fillers like sugar and cornstarch. We went to one of the most reputable ch...
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 cup dark chocolate chips

Preparation

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line a 8x8 inch baking pan with parchment paper and evenly grease with olive oil.

In a large bowl, combine the olive oil and brown sugar with a whisk.

Add egg, yolks, juniper and salt, mixing until blended. Add the hot coffee and mix well.

Sift cocoa powder, flour and baking powder into the wet ingredients. Gently mix, being careful not to over mix or the batter will turn out more cakey, and less fudgy.

Pour the batter into the pan and evenly sprinkle the chocolate chips on top.

Bake for 20 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean from the center of the pan.

Cool completely before cutting.