Frangipane Brownies

These brownies are my latest obsession and I think you’ll love them too! If you’ve never had frangipane, it’s an almond cream that bakes up with a soft texture that is actually quite similar to a brownie- something like a fudgy-cakey situation. It’s absolutely amazing swirled into brownie batter!

I really love almond flavored desserts so this combo is honestly perfect to me. It’s super easy to make, and you end up with these beautiful swirled brownies that taste incredible. Let’s get to it!

How to Make Frangipane Brownies

We’re starting off with the brownie layer. I have a tried and true high-altitude brownie recipe that I’m using here- it’s pretty simple to put together, but it takes a little bit of extra mixing to get the right texture.

We’re starting out with melted butter, oil, brown sugar, and white sugar and mixing until everything is combined. Then add in three eggs plus lots of vanilla extract- the mixture should get a little bit pale at this stage of mixing.

Finally, it’s time to add in the dry ingredients. I’m using dutch-processed cocoa powder here, which I use in all of my chocolate recipes because it offers a deeper, more chocolatey flavor than natural cocoa powder. At this stage, you want to stir the batter for a full five minutes, which is a bit of a workout but it’s important!

Reserve a little bit of the brownie batter and spread the rest into your prepared baking pan. I’m using a quarter sheet pan here, and if you don’t have one you can use a 9×13 inch pan as well, but also you should get one! They are my most used sheet pan!

For the frangipane, it’s super easy to make. We’re using just a few ingredients here- butter, sugar, eggs, salt, vanilla and almond extracts, and almond flour. You basically just beat everything together until it’s well combined and that’s it!

Dollop it all over the brownie batter in your pan, and then use the rest of the brownie batter to dollop on top. Use a butter knife or an offset spatula to swirl everything together- it doesn’t have to be perfect or even flat at this stage- it will all melt together evenly as it bakes so just make it pretty and then it’s off to the oven.

It comes out like the prettiest thing ever and it’s one of the most addicting desserts I’ve ever had. I hope you guys love this one as much as I do!

Ingredients for Frangipane Brownies

Here is a quick breakdown of all the ingredients needed to make Frangipane Brownies:

• Melted butter: Melted butter goes into the brownies, which helps to dissolve the sugars in the brownie batter and contributes to the perfect flavor.
• Oil: The addition of oil creates a more fudgey texture in the brownies.
• Sugar: We’re using granulated sugar in the brownies and the frangipane here to add sweetness of course. Brownies have a pretty heavy amount of sugar in them!
• Brown sugar: I use dark brown sugar, but light brown works here as well. The brown sugar contributes to the texture of the brownies here.
• Eggs: Eggs go into the brownies as well as the frangipane, and help balance the texture of both components.
• Vanilla extract: I’m using vanilla extract in both the brownies and frangipane to boost the flavor.
• Dutch-processed cocoa powder: I prefer to use dutch-processed cocoa powder because it creates a deeper chocolate flavor, which can be hard to get at altitude with natural cocoa powder.
• Flour: All-purpose flour adds structure to the brownies.
• Salt: Salt boosts the flavor of the brownies and the frangipane.
• Baking powder: This helps create a very slight rise in the brownies- we’re not using much, but it gives the brownies a great texture between fudgey and cakey.
• Softened butter: We’re using room temp butter for the frangipane so it mixes in easily here.
• Almond extract: This helps boost the almond flavor in the frangipane.
• Almond flour: Almond flour is a primary ingredient for frangipane, and the main source of the almond flavor here.

Tips & Tricks for Frangipane Brownies

This is a pretty easy recipe to pull together and I have some tips and tricks to help along the way!

• Use dutch-processed cocoa powder: Simply put, I find that nothing chocolate tastes as good with natural cocoa powder. Dutch-processed cocoa powder is the way to go!
• Can I use less sugar in the brownies? Brownies contain a lot of sugar, which is a big factor in the texture you want here. You can reduce the sugar, but you may find that you end up with a more cake-like texture and overall not as great a flavor here.
• Don’t skip the long mixing step: This step helps give the brownies that perfect chewy texture we’re looking for. If you’re not up to whisking a thick batter by hand for so long, feel free to use an electric mixer here!
• Why do I have to reserve some of the brownie batter for the top? There’s a lot of frangipane, so it’s basically just a better swirl if you kind of layer the brownie batter on top before swirling.
• How do I know when the brownies are done baking? The brownies should look set all over and dry on top. A toothpick inserted into the center should come out with just a few crumbs clinging to it.
• I’m at about 5,000 ft. above sea level and I find that most people who live between about 3,000-7,000 ft. above sea level do not need to make any adjustments to my recipes.

Enjoy!

5 from 1 vote

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Frangipane Brownies

Servings 16 brownies

Ingredients

For the brownies:

• 1/4 cup melted butter
• 1/3 cup oil
• 1 cup sugar
• 1/4 cup brown sugar
• 3 eggs
• 2 tsp. vanilla extract
• 1/3 cup dutch processed cocoa
• 1 cup flour
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1/8 tsp. baking powder

For the frangipane:

• 6 tbs. softened butter
• 1/3 cup granulated sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract
• 1/2 tsp. almond extract
• 1 cup almond flour
• 1/4 tsp. salt

Instructions

For the brownies:

1. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Generously grease a quarter sheet pan and line the bottom with parchment paper for easy removal.
2. In a large bowl, whisk together the butter, oil, sugar, and brown sugar until well combined. Add in all 3 eggs and the vanilla extract, and whisk together until well combined. In a small bowl, stir together the flour, cocoa powder, salt, and baking powder, and then stir this mixture into your large bowl. At this point you want to whisk the batter for a full 5 minutes by hand. It’s going to seem like a really long time to mix this batter, but trust me! It helps create the perfect texture.
3. Once you’ve mixed the batter well, pour the batter into your prepared pan, reserving about 1/4 cup of the batter, and spread it evenly.

For the frangipane:

1. In a medium bowl, beat together the softened butter, sugar, eggs, vanilla extract, almond extract, almond flour, and salt until combined. The mixture should be a fairly thick paste.
2. Dollop the frangipane all over the brownie batter in your pan. Dollop the remaining brownie batter over the top, and use a knife to swirl it around until it’s looking pretty. Bake for 28-32 minutes, or until the brownies look set on top and a toothpick inserted into the center of the brownies comes out with a few crumbs clinging to it. Cool completely before slicing and serving!

Dough-Eyed

Hello and welcome! My name is Nicole, and Dough-eyed is a food blog for people who want to bake for their family and friends in high-altitude areas. Think of me as a friendly voice there with you in the kitchen, here to give you confidence when you’re baking, and to help you with the struggles of baking at high-altitude. Come back every week for new recipes, tips, and advice on high-altitude baking!