Dark Chocolate Beet Brownies are incredibly moist and chocolatey! You would never know that they're loaded up with ½ pound of beets! These beet brownies are easy to make and will be a hit for any brownie lover.
It was my friend Shashi of Savory Spin who inspired these brownies. She posted Chocolate Beet Cookies and I couldn't stop thinking about them. I'd eaten (and loved) chocolate beet cake, but cookies? Then I wondered, what about brownies?
Beets and brownies are buddies.
It's fun to come up with recipes with unusual ingredients that taste unexpectedly delicious - I'm looking at you Cauliflower Fried Rice (surprise, there's no rice!). But if you're still skeptical about adding beets to a dessert, consider carrot cake. Imagine the prejudice it must have endured before that first bite, "hey, wait a minute..." Beets in chocolate desserts have the same magic. It's about the moisture and depth they add, not the beet flavor.
Did you see this post from The Kitchn - Brownie Philosophy: Chewy, Cakey or Fudgy? I like my brownies to be fudgy, but I also like them to rise and have a delicate texture, so somewhere between fudgy and cakey. These brownies are toward the fudgy class, but have a lightness too. They're entirely moist and, for me, are even more delicious from the fridge the next day than when they're warm. I had to try them both ways, R&D you understand. 😉
How to Make Beet Brownies Fudgy
There is a key to ensuring that these brownies keep their moist texture: don't overcook them. You want some moist crumbs to come out when testing with a knife; they'll look done around the edges but still slightly wet in the middle. If they cook longer, they'll still be moist and delicious, but will lean more toward a cakey texture.
More Must-Try Desserts
Dark Chocolate Beet Brownies Recipe Video
Dark Chocolate Beet Brownies
Ingredients
- 8 ounces boiled and peeled beets about 2 medium beets
- 1 cup unsalted butter 2 sticks, plus more for buttering parchment paper
- 8 ounces dark chocolate chopped or chips
- 1¼ cups white whole wheat flour (150 grams)
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 4 eggs at room temperature
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 cup golden brown sugar packed
Instructions
- Quarter beets and transfer to food processor; process until pureed, scraping the sides down twice. (You should end up with a scant one cup of beet puree.)
- Preheat oven to 350°F.
- Line a 9-inch by 9-inch brownie pan with parchment paper or grease pan generously.
- Cut sticks of butter into tablespoon size chunks and place in a heavy saucepan. Add chopped chocolate and cook over low heat, stirring constantly until mixture melts and is smooth. Remove the pan from heat and set aside to cool.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder and salt. Set aside.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, gently mix the eggs for about 30 seconds. Add vanilla and brown sugar; mix on medium-high until light and airy, about 2 minutes. Reduce speed and add beet puree and then slowly add chocolate mixture; mix just until combined. Add flour mixture and again, mix just until combined. Pour batter into prepared pan and smooth top with a rubber spatula.
- Bake 25 to 30 minutes, until a knife inserted into the center comes out with just a few moist crumbs sticking to it. Allow brownies to cool for 5 minutes then transfer with parchment to cooling rack.
- Cut and serve warm, at room temperature, or straight from the refrigerator (my favorite).
Is it okay to use plain flour instead of white whole wheat flour and can you advise on how much more should then be used? I gather that it is not a direct 1:1 ratio.
Thanks.
Hi there! Yes, you can use white flour, but I haven't tested the recipe with it to give you a precise amount. Because whole wheat flour weighs less than white flour, I'd try ~10% more white flour (about 2 tablespoons). I hope that helps!
Can I use coca powder instead of the dark chocolate? If so, a measurement, please.
Hi there, Brenda! For every 1 ounce of chocolate you can substitute 3 tablespoons of cocoa powder, 1 tablespoon butter and 2 teaspoons of sugar, but I wouldn't substitute more than 2 or 3 ounces of the chocolate or you'll risk greatly affecting the texture of the brownies. Hope that helps!
Any chance of including metric measurments (grams, litres, centigrade?) We in Europe also read your recipes! 😉
Hi there, Ingrid! Yes, absolutely. I've updated this recipe so you can now click on 'Metric' to convert the measurements.