An Irresistible Spanish Brownie Recipe Full of Chocolate Comfort

The brownie is more than a chocolate desert. The simple sweet has become a staple with the sweet-toothed Spanish. Find out why with our Spanish brownie recipe.

I know what you are thinking. Brownies are not Spanish! And you’d be correct. But Spain has adopted this baked chocolate delight from the USA. As a result, you can find brownies on the menus of restaurants all across the country.

Chocolate brownies first appeared in print in the Machias Cookbook published in 1899. They were known as “Brownie’s Food.” The recipe came from Marie Kelley of Whitewater, Wisconsin. The origins of the recipe are mysterious. But most stories tell tales of cooking accidents that led to a dense chocolate cake. The story with the most traction is that of a baker who forgot to add yeast to a sponge cake in 1890. The result was a cake so delicious, customers asked him to repeat the recipe. And the rest is history.

It’s got to be almonds

US brownies have hundreds of different varieties and fillings. The blond brownie is one popular variant, made without choclolate. But Spanish-style brownies typically contain plain chocolate and almonds. The nuts are grown in the south of the country and play a big part in Spanish cuisine. Consequently, the combination of almonds and chocolate appears in many Spanish deserts. Most famously in a version of the popular turron sweet from Jijona in Alicante.

Travel to any Spanish city and you’ll find brownies in bakeries and restaurants. Everyone has their favourite but ours is a real crowd-pleaser. What’s more, it is totally foolproof.

This recipe produces brownies with that classic glossy finish. The top is crunchy but with a soft cake-like interior. The addition of vanilla adds to the richness. You can sprinkle them with icing sugar but we like to show off the shiny surface. You can eat them as they are or with a nice dollop of vanilla ice cream on the side.