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Coconut Oil Dark Chocolate Brownies are made with coconut oil instead of butter. Only 6 simple ingredients in these “from scratch” brownies – give them a shot!
Guess what’s really hard to take a picture of? Hot, gooey, dark chocolate brownies. They just look like a mess. But they taste good, and that is what is important.
Click HERE to save recipe to Pinterest
I made Coconut Oil Dark Chocolate Chip Cookies awhile back and they were really good. And they’ve been a really popular post on my lil blog.
Did you know you can swap out butter for coconut oil in most recipes? It’s a 1:1 substitution.
The coconut oil leaves these dark chocolate brownies super moist. Perfectly topped with vanilla ice cream.
COCONUT OIL BROWNIES INGREDIENTS
- Coconut Oil – Coconut oil comes in many different “grades”/qualities. Try to pick one that is virgin/unrefined so that it is made with real coconuts and has been minimally processed.
- Sugar – Granulated white sugar here.
- Flour – All purpose flour.
- Unsweetened Cocoa Powder – I used dark chocolate (Hershey’s Special Dark, specifically) because I love dark chocolate, but use your favorite.
- Eggs – You’ll use three, large whole eggs.
- Chocolate Chips – Again, I like dark chocolate so I (always) use Ghirardelli baking chips. Again, use your favorite chocolate chip (or other mix-in).
HOW DO YOU MAKE COCONUT OIL BROWNIES
Easy!
First, melt your coconut oil in a microwave safe bowl.
Then, in a large bowl, add the melted coconut oil, sugar, flour, cocoa, and eggs. Stir until well combined.
Next, stir in the chocolate chips or any other mix-ins.
Finally, pour into a parchment paper lined 8×8 baking dish and bake for approximately 30 minutes at 350 degrees.
That’s it! Cool them, slice them, enjoy them!
CAN I USE COCONUT OIL FOR BROWNIES
YES. That’s what we’re doing here! In most cases, you can substitute coconut oil for butter in nearly any recipe on a 1:1 ratio. In some cases, you will get varying results, but it works in these brownies.
IS BUTTER BETTER THAN COCONUT OIL?
Well. That’s slightly subjective. Both coconut oil and butter are saturated fats, but they’re not equal.
Both are high caloric foods but coconut oil has a negligible amount of cholesterol while butter is high in cholesterol.
Depending on how much the butter is processed, it could be full of preservatives. BUT grass-fed butter has more nutrients (Vitamin A & calcium) than coconut oil.
Bottom line – they both have pros and cons, depending on which quality you choose, and both should be used in moderation.
COCONUT OIL BROWNIES TIPS
- Use a high quality coconut oil in your brownies. I like to use Trader Joe’s Organic Virgin Coconut Oil. You can get it on Amazon, but I think it’s much cheaper in store.
- Line your baking dish with parchment paper. This helps for removal from the pan and clean-up! No need to grease the pan, the oil will take care of that for you.
- If chocolate chips aren’t your thing, feel free to mix in your favorite candy or chip (mint chocolate chips, toffee, M&M’s, etc.)
OTHER BROWNIE RECIPES YOU MIGHT LIKE
- Better than Box Mix Brownies – This recipe makes a “family size” pan of delicious, from-scratch brownies.
- Zucchini Brownies – You’ll never guess the secret ingredient.
- Halloween Cream Cheese Swirl Brownies – If it’s not Halloween time, leave out the orange coloring & you’ve got delicious swirled brownies.
Other ways to use coconut oil in the kitchen? Try this Coconut Oil Popcorn or these Coconut Oil Chocolate Chip Cookies!
TOOLS TO HELP MAKE COCONUT OIL BROWNIES
- 8×8 Baking Dish – I love that this one has a lid for storing leftovers…if there are leftovers.
- Mixing Bowls – Glass are microwave safe & so pretty.
- Spatulas – I love one piece, silicone spatulas because they’re so easy to clean.
- Brownie Spatula – Do you have a brownie spatula? Did you know that’s a thing?
Coconut Oil Dark Chocolate Brownies
Ingredients
- ¾ cup coconut oil melted & cooled
- 1 ½ cup sugar
- ¾ cup all purpose flour
- ¾ cup dark chocolate unsweetened cocoa powder I used Hershey’s Special Dark
- 3 eggs
- 1 cup bittersweet chocolate chips I used Ghirardelli baking chips, per usual
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line an 8 x 8 square baking dish with parchment paper and set aside.
- In a microwave safe bowl, melt the coconut oil (about 20 seconds was all mine took).3/4 cup coconut oil
- Add the sugar, flour, cocoa, and eggs. Stir until well combined.1 1/2 cup sugar, 3/4 cup all purpose flour, 3/4 cup dark chocolate unsweetened cocoa powder, 3 eggs
- Add the chocolate chips and stir.1 cup bittersweet chocolate chips
- Pour the batter into your prepared baking dish and bake for approximately 30-35 minutes (less time if you’re using a 9″ pan).
- Let them cool then cut & enjoy. You can top with powdered sugar, if that floats your boat.
Nutrition
Nutritional information is an estimate and provided to you as a courtesy. You should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe using your preferred nutrition calculator.
Did you make this recipe?
Tag me on Instagram @melissa_pplates so I can see!Originally published May 8, 2013
Noms. I will have to try this. I love coconut oil!
I will have to try your recipe. My first attempt with coconut oil,turned out like hockey pucks!!! Your look so ooey and gooey yummy:)
This makes my mouth water!! LOL YUMMY!
I’ve never tried coconut oil, but these dark brownies look amazing!
Holy wow…. these look amazing! I love baking & cooking with coconut oil. 🙂 Pinned these to make soon!
I followed the ratios and steps exactly as written, but honestly the batter did not look like normal brownie batter and was very hard and gritty. I baked them in the oven and they didn’t bake through and are very gritty.
I think you may need to adjust your ratios as I make brownies all the time and yours definitely do not match up. I like the concept of the coconut oil, but something about your ratios did not add up, especially as I am reading other comments I see I am not alone.
Well, I bake brownies all the time, too, and you can see the texture of my batter in the photos. Something is definitely happening to some of you, but there are more great reviews than negative, and I just don’t know how to account for what has happened to a few of you.
I’m seeing coconut oil everywhere now, and I’m starting to think I really need to try it. This looks too good!
OMG. I’m dying. These brownies look so fudgey and delicious. I want 10.
Oh wow…those look so gooey and fudgy! I’ve been looking for new recipes using coconut oil and these definitely look like one I should try! Found you on the Grow Your Blog Networking Party. Excited to follow along with your blog!
These brownies look so decadent and delicious!
Thanks! They’re VERY good 😊
I love dark chocolate brownies.
Me too! =)
I made this recipe tonight. I was looking for brownies with coconut oil and this one pop, the pictures look amazing so I decided to try! First time brownie maker ;).
I started to doubt about it 1/2 way the process, the batter was way to thick (I followed exactly as described). Keept going and finished the recipe, the bater was super thick!
I decided to check other recipes and notice your ratio for the flour was way off ?? (Maybe a typo … ???)
( I wanted a chewy brownie and the brownies on the pictures look chewy or so I thought.)
I decided to add coconut oil (about another 1/4 cup)because it was way to thick to even poured on the baking dish!
I baked it for 30min, flavor is tasty but came out vary caky and heavy :(.
Sorry don’t mean to write a bad thing, but it was really thick and, maybe there is a typo on your quatities?
Let me know
Marcela
Hi Marcela –
No typo, 3/4 cup flour is correct, I’ve made them many times. You melted the coconut oil? I’m not sure what went wrong for you. Two stars makes me sad, especially since you didn’t end up following the measurements as written 🙁 Sorry they didn’t work out as you hoped.
I’m with the other person who had this comment. My batter is extremely thick. Did the exact measurements as you.
But how did they turn out?
I have made these three times already and they are so good! They are rich and decadent. The only thing I added was walnuts. Thank you for the recipe!
Thanks for reporting back! ♥️
Made a double batch, turned out perfect!
Crackley on top, fudgey inside.
Yes the batter was very thick, but I’m used to using thick batter for brownies so I was not worried. Thanks for the recipe I’ll definitely be using it again!
So happy to hear that – thank you!
These were fantastic! I made them almost exactly as the recipe stated other than using a dairy and soy free dark chocolate chip. They came out perfect. I’m not sure what happened with the two others that had trouble with the recipe.
Thanks for giving me a great milk free option.
Yay that makes me happy 😊 I’ve made them many times & they’re always great, so I was confused.
Incredibly easy to make and still delicious. I substituted Callebaut unsweetened chocolate (molten) for the powder and added walnuts (45 minute bake time with the nuts). I also only used 1 cup of sugar and it was plenty sweet for my taste.
Oooh I’ll have to try that!
I made them with marijuana infused coconut oil and they’re great! Even with some of the plant matter in the oil, they came out great! Maybe the people with the problems let the mix solidify by the oil getting cooler?
Yay =) & you might be right…
Very good brownie.
As for the thick batter, I believe it’s due to people using cold eggs out of the fridge. This will cause the coconut oil to thicken a little.
No worries, it all bakes correctly in the end.
Baked first batch 30 minutes. Too “raw” especially the middle one, but really good cold.
Baked second batch 40. Just about perfect. I like the gooey aspect.
Hard to use toothpick method. Hit one wet spot, but thought it was a chocolate chip since others came
out clean.
How do I email myself this brownie recipe?
Hi Kay – I’ll email it to you 🙂
Great recipe – 3 days later and I just
finished off the last two. Yes the batter was thick but I patted it into the corners and was so glad I followed your recipe and didn’t second guess. …the the edge pieces – sooo chewy and the middle pieces? Crackled surface with a soft chewy interior and so easy to make! YUM!
Yessss! thank you for reporting back!