We all need a chocolate fix here and there, regardless of the season, and these spicy rosemary sea salt brownies are just what the doctor ordered. This super fudgy brownie recipe combines chocolate, rosemary, and sea salt with a touch of heat from ground cayenne pepper. Let’s grab a glass of cold milk, and get BAKED!
A Spicy Brownies Recipe
We’ve chosen to add cayenne to our spicy rosemary sea salt brownies recipe, however, you could swap out the cayenne pepper for chili powder if you like. Also, if you’re not a fan of heat, cinnamon makes a great substitute.
Thin vs. Thick Brownies
This recipe makes a super dense, rich, fudgy brownie. When you make the batter it may seem like a very small batch, but don’t panic. We’ve created these brownies to be intentionally thin to combat the decadent richness.
Brownies With Fresh Herbs
Fresh mint is probably the most popular herb you’ll find matched with chocolate, however, we love the savory depth rosemary adds. Paired with sea salt, and cayenne pepper, our spicy brownies recipe literally covers the flavour bases – sweet, bitter, savory, and heat. There’s a lot going on in a little square of chocolate!
Want More Chocolate Recipes? Try:
Vegan And Gluten-Free Chocolate Chunk Ginger Cake
Crumbly Peanut Butter Cookies With Chocolate Ganache
Pumpkin Chocolate Marble Loaf With Maple Drizzle
Double Chocolate Buckwheat Brownies (gluten-free)
Almond Chocolate Chunk Cookies (vegan and gluten-free)
Spicy Rosemary Sea Salt Brownies
Spicy rosemary sea salt brownies are a rich, fudgy dairy-free treat made with dark chocolate, fresh rosemary, flaky sea salt, and cayenne pepper.
Ingredients
- ½ cup, plus 2 tablespoons coconut oil
- ¾ cup sugar
- 2 tablespoons maple syrup
- ¾ cup, plus 1 tablespoon of cocoa powder
- 1 teaspoon fresh rosemary, chopped
- 2 pinches cayenne pepper
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 eggs
- ½ cup all purpose flour
- Sea Salt flakes for garnish
- ¼ cup melted dark chocolate
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 325ºF. Grease an 8-inch square baking pan and line the bottom with parchment paper. Dust the inside of the pan with 1 teaspoon of cocoa powder, coating all sides.
Combine coconut oil, sugar, maple syrup, cocoa powder, rosemary, cayenne, and salt in a large bowl and fit it on top of a pot with simmering water (water shouldn't touch the bowl). Let the steam warm the bowl (double boiler style). Stir until the coconut oil melts, the sugar dissolves, and the mix is smooth, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat, stir in vanilla, and set aside.
While the cocoa mix is still warm, add one egg at a time, and whisk until batter is smooth and shiny. Add the flour mixture all at once and stir until combined.
Scrape batter into prepared baking pan and bake for 18-20 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out with moist batter. Cool completely, remove from pan, and cut into squares.
Drizzle cut squares with melted chocolate, sprinkle with flaky sea salt, and serve.
Notes
You want a tester to come out with some batter on it or else your brownies could turn out super dry. A touch underdone is best.
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
9Serving Size:
1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 182Total Fat: 6gSaturated Fat: 4gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 2gCholesterol: 42mgSodium: 142mgCarbohydrates: 29gFiber: 1gSugar: 22gProtein: 3g
This is an approximation of the nutrition offered in this recipe, and is created using a nutrition calculator.
valentina - sweet kabocha says
I’m not a chocolat lover, but this rosemary addition is sooo much intriguing!!
Gabriel Cabrera says
It’s the best! It cuts through the richness of the brownie and adds a savoury layer, super good!
cynthia says
THIS. This is all my dreams come true. Rosemary and chocolate AHHH — Gabriel, you are an artist.
Gabriel Cabrera says
thanks Cynthia! :D
Kimberly/TheLittlePlantation says
I LOVE it!
J.S. @ Sun Diego Eats says
WHAT. rosemary and chocolate. everything.
clearly so amazed i cannot even string together full sentences (see above)
Gabriel Cabrera says
hahaha it happens when chocolate is around
Liz @ Floating Kitchen says
There are no words. Except for ALL THE YESES! These are the brownies of my dreams!
Gabriel Cabrera says
Perfect! Enjoy, Liz
amy says
this brings amazing to a whole new level.
Gabriel Cabrera says
Yay! :)
kristie {birch and wild} says
Rosemary and chocolate are my favorite dessert flavors! So amazing!
Meghan says
Chocolate, rosemary, and sea salt are my, hands down, favorite ingredients. And I can’t stop staring at these pictures, they are just too good! Gabriel, you are a true genius.
Gabriel Cabrera says
^_^ thank you Meghan!! *blushed*
El says
Can you use whole wheat all purpose flour and / or something like brown sugar or coconut sugar as a replacement to plain sugar??
Alexandra Daum says
You won’t get the same texture at all, but the brownies will still work with those substitutions.
Anastasija | Grandmother's Figs says
So unhappy to be stuck in the library right now and for the next month, until I am back in the kitchen. This will be my sweet treat to celebrate the end of exams! Can already state that I will have more than one piece ;)
Gabriel, you are the master!
Gabriel Cabrera says
haha I also may or may not have had more than once piece ;) and thank you!!
lynsey | lynseylovesfood says
These… omg? No words!! I saw them on some sort of social feed yesterday and haven’t been able to get them out of my head. Such a wonderful combination. xo
Kelsi | Savour the Sweet says
UGH. Giiiiiive me, please! This is like my dream brownie, and I didn’t even know there was such a thing. I’m loving the bitter chocolate and rosemary pairing.
Sarah @ Will Run for Pasta says
shut the front door!! rosemary is my freakin favorite and somehow I’ve never seen it combined with chocolate, must try this!
Natalia says
Wow, rosemary and chocolate! this sounds divine! <3
Can't wait to give it a try!
Heather Boley says
I love this idea and I am very eager to try it. However, do you think that a substitution could be made for the eggs???
Gabriel Cabrera says
Hi! I haven’t tested the recipe without eggs! I would use a recipe that already uses something else and add the rosemary/sea salt touch to it.
ทีเด็ดบอล says
This food is look so hungry.
Sarah | Well and Full says
OHMYGOSH THAT BROWNIE MIX. I will be that one passionate person with a deep love for chocolate.
Aloha Mama says
I know that bake shop in Vancouver! We visited over the summer and went there everyday to get those chocolate rosemary sea salt cookies (and other treats). Fanatical was I about those cookies. It’s those cookies that inspired me to try to find a chocolate rosemary sea salt brownie recipe, which led me to this recipe and your comment about that bake shop. Thank you sweet universe thank you -> <-
Derek says
Hey Gabriel or any of you brownie lovers….
Has anyone used a stand mixer for this recipe? Whisking like a mad man isn’t my favorite if I have the tools to use :)
Thanks!
Alison says
These brownies look beyond amazing! Can’t wait to give these a try !
Kiley says
I’m very surprised that everyone who has commented hasn’t actually made these yet. I was very frantically reading through comments last night when my batter and eggs weren’t coming together! I tried using heat and that still didn’t work – the thick part of the batter kept getting stuck up in the whisk. I ended up resorting to my hand mixer, and while it was a little tough after the first egg, everything became perfect after the second egg with no more separating. I wanted to make sure I shared in case anyone else encountered this problem!
By the way, these are delicious. Rich and fudgy! The flavor of the rosemary wasn’t very noticeable to us, but you can tell that it definitely makes these brownies taste a little more “gourmet”.
Laura says
I know fresh herbs are always best, but can I use dried rosemary in this recipe? No fresh to be found around this year.
Jordan McCully says
The flavour of these brownies were very unique and delicious (I recommend adding more cayenne)
Jordan McCully says
I would also add that I replaced the coco oil with butter and the brownies turned out dry. Stick to the original recipe!
sissi says
Hi! Is there any other sort of fat the coco oil could be replaced with? I am not a big fan of coco oil. Thanks!
Heidi Richter says
HI Sissi! If you’re not opposed to using a dairy-free butter alternative, you could use that in equal measure. If you’re not worries about keeping this recipe dairy-free, you could also opt to use regular butter. Hope this helps!