Triple Dark Chocolate Whole Grain Brownies
Homemade chocolate whole grain brownies, with three kinds of chocolate and spelt flour or whole wheat flour. All the chewy, fudgy, decadent bits to love from classic box mix brownies, but made from scratch and so much better!
Chewy, chocolate-y whole grain brownies
You guys, I’ve done it. I’ve just checked off a maaaajor item from my baking to-do list. Chewy, fudgy, box-like, dark chocolate whole grain brownies are finally a reality in the Swoon kitchen. Triple dark chocolate whole grain brownies to be exact. And they are so. unbelievably. good.
Let me back up. I’ve been working on this recipe in earnest for months (years even!), on a quest to make the perfect homemade, from-scratch brownie. Okay, what I really mean is, the perfect homemade, from-scratch brownie to rival (and top) store-bought box-mix brownies. Growing up, my Mama baked from scratch. Birthday cakes, cookies, muffins, quick breads. Always and wonderfully.
…except for brownies. Those nearly without fail, came from a box-mix. They were perfect every time. A shiny, crackly top. A dense, moist, fudgy center. A satisfying, chewy texture. I was looking for that elusive combination of textural qualities, but with a bolder, deeper dark chocolate flavor. No small task, it turns out, to recreate in a home-kitchen.
Why you’ll love these homemade brownies
So I went through all of my cookbooks searching for brownie recipes. I scoured the internet and my favorite cooking magazines. When I read a feature on baking with alternative grains in the latest issue of Martha Stewart Living, which happened to include a recipe for dark chocolate spelt brownies, I was intrigued, and got it in my head that my “perfect brownie” should also include whole-grain flour.
A dozen or so test batches later, with lots of tweaking and taste-testing – it’s been a tough job, I assure you – I’ve arrived at just the right ratios and combination of ingredients. I found that using three types of chocolate (melted chocolate, cocoa powder, and whole chocolate chips) provides multiple layers of chocolate flavor, which a bit of espresso and vanilla only seek to enhance. Adding brown sugar helps to create a chewy texture, while granulated sugar produces an unmatched crackly top. And the whole-grain flour? Extra nutrients and fiber, and you wouldn’t even know it.
Valentine’s Day is coming up, and I’ve got a date with these brownies. Well, the Honey and these brownies. Seriously, make these for someone you love. Or, make them for yourself, just because…
Other easy and delicious chocolate recipes you’ll love:
- One bowl dark chocolate banana muffins
- Vegan chocolate cupcakes with chocolate peanut butter frosting
- Chocolate s’mores tart with marshmallow meringue
- Easy chocolate birthday cupcakes
If you make these whole wheat brownies, be sure to tag me on Instagram with the hashtag #forkknifeswoon and leave a comment and rating below letting me know how you liked them! ★★★★★ Star ratings are especially helpful because they help others find my recipes too. xo, Laura
PrintTriple Dark Chocolate Whole Grain Brownies
- Prep Time: 25 mins
- Cook Time: 35 mins
- Total Time: 1 hour
- Yield: 16 Brownies 1x
- Category: Dessert, Brownies and Bars
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
- Diet: Vegetarian
Description
Chewy homemade whole grain brownies, with three kinds of chocolate and spelt flour or whole wheat flour. All the chewy, fudgy, decadent bits to love from classic box mix brownies, but made from scratch and so much better!
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder ¹
- 1/4 cup boiling water
- 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, cut into tablespoons
- 2 oz unsweetened chocolate (100% cacao), finely chopped
- 1–1/2 tsp instant espresso powder
- 2 Tbsp vegetable oil
- 1–1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract
- 1–1/4 cups granulated sugar
- 1/4 cup light brown sugar, packed
- 2 large eggs + 1 egg yolk
- 3/4 cups whole-grain spelt flour (or sub whole-wheat flour)
- 1/2 tsp fine-grain sea salt
- 1/3 cup bittersweet or semi-sweet chocolate chips
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line an 8×8 inch metal or oven-proof glass pan with parchment paper, leaving a few inches of overlap on each side. Butter the parchment paper and two remaining sides of the pan, and set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl, add the boiling water to the cocoa powder, and whisk until smooth and completely combined. Set aside.
- Place the butter, chopped chocolate, and espresso powder in a heat-proof mixing bowl. Using a microwave or a double-boiler, melt the mixture together. If using a microwave, check and stir the mixture every 15 seconds or so until melted together.
- Add the melted butter/chocolate mixture to the cocoa mixture, and whisk to combine. Add the vegetable oil and vanilla extract and continue whisking. Add both sugars and whisk until smooth.
- Add the eggs and yolk, one at a time, whisking thoroughly between each, until the chocolate mixture is completely smooth and creamy. Using a spatula, gently fold in the flour and salt. Stir until combined, but be careful not to over-mix.
- Fold in the chocolate chips, then pour into the prepared pan. Smooth out the top with a spatula. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes, until a cake-tester inserted into the middle of the brownies comes out with few crumbs attached. Cool on a baking rack for at least an hour before removing from the pan or cutting into bars, waiting longer if possible.
Notes
¹ Brownies are all about the chocolate, so use the best-quality cocoa (I like to use a rich, dutch-process cocoa baking powder) and chocolate you can find.
Keywords: whole grain brownies, whole wheat, triple chocolate, dark chocolate, chewy, box brownies, best
Will make these next week. It would so cool having the recipe in grams too 🙂
Hi Chiara! Hope you enjoy! And yes, working on adding grams to all my older recipes, including this one 🙂
Thanks for your reply! Looking forward to it 🙂
I’ve made this numerous times. I had given up on whole grain brownies cos they were all so yuck, but this one is fantastic! Super chocolatey! One of my kids loves it, one doesn’t cos of the darker chocolate flavor (he is not a big fan of brownies in general tho!). I can’t believe it’s whole grain cos it’s NOTHING like all those other gross recipes I tried! Perfect texture, too. I don’t use the parchment anymore, and haven’t had any issues.
★★★★★
I’m so, so happy to hear you love these as much as we do!! 🙂
I’ve made this numerous times. I had given up on whole grain brownies cos they were all so yuck, but this one is fantastic! Super chocolatey! One of my kids loves it, one doesn’t cos of the darker chocolate flavor (he is not a big fan of brownies in general tho!). I can’t believe it’s whole grain cos it’s NOTHING like all those other gross recipes I tried! Perfect texture, too.
★★★★★
This recipe is fantastic! I grind all my own wheat for my baking, and I have never before found a brownie recipe that doesn’t turn out like a bad dry cake. I used freshly ground soft white wheat flour for this recipe, and non-gmo Avocado oil. The result was wonderfully gooey with the perfect crackly top. I didn’t have the oven preheated, so the batter ended up sitting in the pan for 10 or 15 minutes while the oven got to temperature. I don’t know if that helped to improve the results (sometimes I think freshly ground flour seems slower to absorb liquid), but the results were great. Nice job creating this recipe!!
Question – could you substitute coconut oil for the vegetable oil? We are trying to cut out vegetable, canola oils, etc.
Hi Hope! I haven’t tried coconut oil in these brownies, so I can’t guarantee it will work, but I would think it should. I’d love to know how they turn out 🙂
To anyone planning to make these brownies…I’ve made them successfully many times in the past but recently he chocolate mixture has curdled every single time. I haven’t changed anything so I just have to suggest not taking the chance because this recipe is so hit and miss. I’ve wasted about £30 worth of chocolate and butter so far!!
★
Hi Laura, I’ve been on the search for the perfect brownie recipe, tried many, and keep coming back to this one as the best. As I’m allergic to wheat, I love that you use spelt flour. I add macadamia nuts and raw cacao nibs. I think you’ve perfected the chocolate brownie. Thank you for sharing this beautiful recipe.
★★★★★
It’s so strange, I made these once and they turned out perfectly (honestly the best brownies I’ve ever had!) and then I tried to do them a second time but the cocoa/chocolate butter mixture curdled as soon as I tried to whisk them together! It happened twice, do you have any idea what could have caused it? I was so careful not to burn the chocolate and it was perfectly smooth before it went in the cocoa….
Just thought you’d like to know, I tried it again and it was because the cocoa/boiling water mixture was too hot when I put the chocolate in! We’ve just made our second batch and it’s cooling now 🙂 Thank you for this amazing recipe!
★★★★★