Key Ingredients
Butter – Gives the brownies their rich, fudgy texture and deep flavor.
Extra Virgin Olive Oil– Adds extra moisture and a subtle fruitiness that enhances the chocolate flavor.
High Quality Chocolate & Cocoa Powder – Premium chocolate and cocoa make the brownies taste like hot cocoa in solid form.
Whipped Cream – Provides a light, creamy contrast to all the dense chocolate elements.
FAQ’s
Helpful tips
Here are some important Pro tips by Maude
- When measuring the dry ingredients, be sure not to pack the flour or cocoa. This will offset the balance of the brownie cups and create dry dense results.
- Along that same vein, do not to overbake the brownies! They will continue to cook a little after you remove them from the oven. Pull them out when the centers look just set — this keeps them fudgy and rich instead of dry.
- Let the ganache cool slightly. If the ganache is too warm, it’ll soak into the brownie and make it soggy. Wait until it’s thickened slightly but still pourable before spooning it into the cups.
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Hot Cocoa Brownie Cups
Servings
10 servings
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Equipment
Ingredients
Brownie Cups
- 1/4 cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil (60 g) (vegetable oil also works but I love the flavor from olive oil)
- 5 tbsp (70 g) unsalted butter, melted and cooled
- 1/2 cup (100 g) light brown sugar
- 2/3 cup (135 g) granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs, room temp
- 2 tsp (10 ml) pure vanilla extract
- 1/4 (1.5 g) tsp salt
- 1/4 (1 g) tsp instant espresso or coffee powder
- 1/2 cup (65 g) all purpose flour, spooned & leveled, not packed
- 1/3 cup (28 g) unsweetened cocoa powder, spooned & leveled, not packed
- Semi sweet chocolate chips
Chocolate Ganache
- 4 oz (113 g) high quality semi sweet chocolate chips (i use ghirardelli, they are a little pricer, but so much better in flavor)
- ⅓ cup (80 g) heavy whipping cream
Whipped Cream
- 1 cup (240 g) heavy whipping cream, very cold
- 2 tbsp (16 g) powdered sugar (adjust to taste)
- ½ tsp (2.5 ml) pure vanilla extract
Instructions
Enable Step-by-Step Mode- Preheat oven to 350. Place 10 cupcake liners in the muffin tin. (These liners will help the brownie cups bake evenly and removal later)
- Melt butter in a heat proof bowl and let it cool. Pour sugars, olive oil and melted butter into a large mixing bowl. Add eggs. Whisk everything rapidly for about 1 minute. Add vanilla. Mix again.
- Sift in dry ingredients (flour, salt, espresso and cocoa powder). Fold the ingredients with a rubber spatula. Add a handful of chocolate chips and fold into the batter- do not overmix. Spoon batter into each liner. Add a couple chocolate chips on top of each brownie. Bake for about 20-25 minutes. Note: I would start checking with a toothpick at 20 minutes. Brownies could take up to 25-27 minutes, depending on the oven! The toothpick should come out with a few wet crumbs. Remove the brownies and let them cool on a wire rack.
- For the ganache, heat cream in a heat proof bowl in microwave for about 20 seconds (make sure the cream isn't boiling). Then, pour hot cream over chocolate chips. Let it sit for 1 minute, then mix well with a spatula, until glossy and smooth.
- For the whipped cream (for best results, place your stand mixing bowl and whisk (or beaters) in the fridge for about 10 minutes before starting), pour cold heavy cream into the chilled bowl. Add powdered sugar. Using the stand mixer with whisk attachment (or hand mixer) beat the cream and sugar on high until stiff peaks form. This could take a minute or two. Once you seeing medium peaks, add the vanilla and mix again.
- Remove the completely cooled brownie cups from cupcake liners. Spoon ganache onto the top of each brownie cup. Top with whipped cream and a candy cane “straw”.
- Storage: If brownie cups are assembled with whipped cream, they should be stored in air tight container in the fridge. If brownies are not assembled with whipped cream or ganache, you can store the brownies at room temperature in an airtight container.