Olive oil is the secret ingredient in these gluten-free brownies
By Catherine Neville
Spent bourbon barrels have been used to impart bourbon’s warm, vanilla, woodsy character in everything from beer to maple syrup and, it turns out, even olive oil.
Olive These Foods, a Texas-based maker of olive-focused products, decided to see what would happen when estate-grown Texas olive oil was put into a spent Texas bourbon barrel. The result? Just like when a spirit sees time in a barrel, the olive oil’s bite is rounded out and replaced with warmth and vanilla character. The distinct aroma and flavor of high quality olive oil remain, but there’s a hint of baking spice standing in for the olive’s grassiness.
Olive oil is used in baked goods extensively in the Mediterranean, where olives have been a staple of the diet for millennia. If you’ve never baked with olive oil, Olive These Foods’ Bourbon Barrel Olive Oil is an ideal starting point. Its flavor is a spot-on match for chocolaty desserts like these gluten-free brownies or a decadent chocolate cake like the one Olive These Foods’ Cathy Bernell shared with us.
You can use olive oil in place of melted butter in a sweet quick bread with orange, chocolate chips and nuts. Use it the next time you make a batch of homemade granola. Try marrying this bourbon-barreled olive oil with maple for a sweet dressing that will dress up pork or use it as a base for a root vegetable glaze. Really, you can use olive oil in any recipe where you might typically use plain old vegetable oil or canola oil and this particular oil goes well with any recipe that has a sweet side.
Olive These Foods and Lone Star Olive Ranch, another maker in our marketplace, are sister companies. The team at Lone Star Olive Ranch maintains its family-owned orchard and mills their oil on site. Texas is home to a growing number of olive groves and Lone Star can be found crisscrossing the state, offering mobile milling and processing services to other growers. Cathy Bernell and Christine McCabe apply their extensive knowledge to the services they provide others, helping to put Texas on the international map as a provider of world-class olive oil.
Explore products offered by Olive These Foods and Lone Star Olive Ranch in our shop – and watch for more of these videos to come soon. Feel free to reach out via email with ideas and feedback!
Until next time,
Cat
Gluten-Free Oat & Olive Oil Brownies
1 1/3 cup oat flour
1 tsp baking soda
¾ cup Olive These Foods Bourbon Barrel Olive Oil
1 cup powdered sugar, or more to taste
1 cup unsweetened cocoa
1 tsp salt
1 Tbsp vanilla
3 eggs
3 tsp psyllium
½ cup walnuts
½ cup chopped figs
| Preparation | Preheat your oven to 325 degrees and prepare an 8-by-8-inch baking dish with non-stick spray or butter.
In a small bowl, whisk the oat flour and baking soda to combine. Set aside.
In a larger bowl, whisk olive oil and powdered sugar until the sugar dissolves and then gradually stir in cocoa, stirring until completely incorporated and the mixture is smooth and glossy. Add in salt and vanilla and stir. Then add 3 eggs and 3 teaspoons of psyllium, stirring to fully combine.
Fold the reserved oat flour mixture into the olive oil-chocolate mixture, stirring to combine, and then add in walnuts and figs.
Spread batter into prepared baking dish and bake for 20 to 25 minutes, or until a knife inserted into the center comes out clean. Allow brownies to cool completely, dust with additional powdered sugar and cut into squares.
Tips:
Stir whatever you like into your brownies: cayenne pepper and chocolate chips, dried cherries and pistachios, raisins and white chocolate …
It’s easy to make oat flour at home. Just pulse whole oats in a food processor.
Try using psyllium in your gluten-free baked goods to act as a binder. Add about a teaspoon per egg.
Make sure you let your brownies cool completely before cutting into squares.