G.O.A.T. Brownies

This is the G.O.A.T. brownie recipe (according to Brian Lagerstrom). We enjoyed it and it’s definitely in my top two of homemade brownie recipes, but Rich and I still think we like the Better than Box Mix recipe just slightly better. The only change we made from the original recipe is that we substituted chopped walnuts for dark chocolate chips because neither of us likes chocolate chips in brownies.

Ingredients

  • 100g all-purpose flour
  • ¼ teaspoon baking powder
  • ¾ teaspoon salt
  • 30g olive oil
  • 115g unsalted butter
  • 150g granulated sugar
  • 50g dark brown sugar
  • 100g milk chocolate chips
  • 50g Dutch-processed cocoa powder (or substitute 65g regular cocoa powder)
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 2 large eggs
  • 85-100g chopped walnuts optional

Instructions

  1. Preheat the oven to 325°F (163°C). Grease an 8x8-inch metal brownie pan with pan spray.
  2. Prepare dry ingredients: In a small bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.
  3. Melt fats and sugars: In a small saucepan over low heat, combine the olive oil, butter, white sugar, and brown sugar. Stir until the butter is fully melted and the sugars are incorporated. The mixture will look sandy—that’s expected.
  4. Melt in the milk chocolate: Remove from heat and add the milk chocolate chips, stirring until melted. The mixture will still appear grainy. Transfer to a medium bowl and let cool for 3-5 minutes until warm but not hot.
  5. Incorporate cocoa powder: Whisk the Dutch-processed cocoa powder (or substitute regular cocoa powder) into the warm chocolate mixture until smooth and lump-free.
  6. Add vanilla and eggs: Stir in the vanilla extract and eggs, whisking thoroughly until fully combined. Let the mixture rest for 10 minutes to allow the sugar to dissolve further. After 10 minutes, whisk again for 30-60 seconds to ensure a silky batter.
  7. Fold in dry ingredients: Add the dry ingredient mixture to the wet ingredients and stir gently with a spatula until just combined. Avoid overmixing to prevent toughness.
  8. Add mixins: Stir in the chopped walnuts until evenly distributed.
  9. Transfer to pan: Pour the batter into the prepared 8x8-inch metal pan. Do not spread it with a spatula—this disrupts the brownie skin. Instead, firmly tap the pan on the counter multiple times to level out the batter.
  10. Bake: Place the pan in the preheated oven (not using convection) and bake for 35 minutes. For best results, check doneness with an instant-read thermometer (202-205°F/95C) or a cake tester (it should come out with minimal sticky batter).
  11. Cool completely: Let the brownies cool in the pan for at least 60-90 minutes before cutting. This allows the texture and flavors to fully develop.

Notes

March 9, 2025: These turned out well! I made them with 95g of chopped walnuts (in place of dark chocolate chips) and Graza Sizzle olive oil, and baked them on rack 2 for 32 minutes. (The center was already at 207°F by that time.) We first tried them after cooling for about an hour, so they were still lukewarm inside, and they were good, but got much better by the next day. I didn’t line the pan with parchment but I did lightly butter it; however, I don’t think this was necessary.