Olive oil salted dark chocolate brownies

From the NY Times...amazing.

I'll also admit that I made another batch in a pinch and used trusy ol' Ghirardelli dark chocolate brownie mix with half olive oil/half canola oil, and the salt and coconut added as instructed below. Have to say...I don't know that you could have told the difference?

At any rate, use high-quality chocolate and this recipe will quickly become a favorite.

3/4 cup olive oil, plus more to grease pan

1/3 cup cocoa powder

2 ounces unsweetened chocolate, finely chopped

2 large eggs

2 large egg yolks

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 1/2 cups sugar

1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour

3/4 teaspoon kosher salt

2 1/2 ounces bittersweet chocolate, coarsely chopped

2 cups shredded sweetened coconut

Fleur de sel, for sprinkling (be generous!)

1. Heat the oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease a 9-by-13-inch baking pan.

2. In a large bowl, whisk together the cocoa powder and 1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons boiling water until smooth. Add the unsweetened chocolate and whisk until the chocolate has melted. Whisk in the olive oil. Add the eggs, yolks and vanilla, and continue to whisk until combined. Add the sugar, whisking until fully incorporated. Using a spatula, fold in the flour and salt until just combined. Fold in the bittersweet chocolate pieces.

3. Pour half the batter into the prepared pan and smooth with a spatula. Sprinkle 1 cup of the shredded coconut on top of the batter. Pour in the remaining batter and smooth. Top with remaining coconut. Sprinkle with fleur de sel and bake until just set and firm to the touch, about 25 to 30 minutes. (These brownies solidify as they cool, so inserting a toothpick to check for doneness will not work; it does not come out clean.) Transfer the pan to a wire rack and allow to cool completely before cutting into 2-inch squares.

Yield: About two dozen brownies.

St. Patty's Day Minty Green Salted Chocolate Chunk Cookies

This is a recipe I threw together based on combinations of others -- feel free to tweak according to your taste for mint!

1 batch favorite chocolate chip cookie dough batter
2 cups dark chocolate chunks
1 tsp sea salt
1 - 2 Tbsp creme de menthe
1/2 - 1 tsp green food coloring

Make chocolate chip cookie dough according to directions
Mix in desired amount of creme de menthe, to taste.
Stir in green food coloring to desired color.
Gently stir in chocolate chunks and sea salt.
Roll into balls and bake til firm on edges; top with a sprinkle more of sea salt if desired.
(~350/9-11min at sea level, add another 2Tbsp or so of flour, 325/10-12min at altitude...timing depends on size of cookie)

Salted Dark Chocolate Chunk Cookies

This recipe is another that comes from Baking Bites -- it is fairly basic in preparation, but the dark chocolate and sea salt combo gives it a little something extra. I also like the addition of the finely ground oatmeal -- give the cookies a good/more substantial consistency without have huge oatmeal pieces in them.

Salted Dark Chocolate Chunk Cookies
1/4 cup oatmeal
1 2/3 cup all purpose flour
3/4 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
3/4 cup butter, room temperature
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 large egg
1 1/2 cup salted dark chocolate, chopped or 1 bag dark chocolate chunks + 1/4 tsp coarse sea salt

Preheat oven to 350F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
Place oatmeal in the food processor and whiz until very fine.
In a medium bowl, stir together flour, ground oats, baking soda and salt.
In a large bowl, cream butter and sugars until light and fluffy. Beat in vanilla extract and egg until smooth. With the mixer on low speed or working by hand, gradually add in all the flour mixture, stopping when the dough has just come together and no streaks of flour remain. Stir in chocolate chips.Place 1-inch balls of dough on baking sheet.Bake for 9-11 minutes, until just golden around the edges (don't overbake -- looking slightly uncooked in the middle is about right).
Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
Makes 3 dozen.