It’s no secret - I love baked goods. Except oatmeal raisin cookies. I also did not have a pleasant fruit cake experience so it’s a no go on those, but other than that I’m a pretty equal opportunity baked good eater.
When I have a little extra free time to play around in the kitchen I like to try and “healthify” some of our favorite baked goods.
Jesse usually tells me they are “just ok”, then proceeds to eat 3/4 of a pan of whatever it is. Eliza is all about a sweet treat so I don’t think she even tastes it long enough to know it’s a healthier version of anything. I’m with Eliza, I have liked most of the experiments.
These paleo brownies were my latest attempt at a healthier version of one of our favorites. They are super dense, fudgy, chocolately, and have no processed sugar. Well, I take that back, there is a little bit of sugar in there - I added a couple tablespoons of whatever the Simple Truth dark chocolate chunks are from Kroger. If you’re a strict paleo eater - leave out or substitute whatever you’re comfortable with!
I really liked these, so hopefully you do too!
Paleo Brownies
Adapted from a recipe I found on realfoodwithjessica.com
Ingredients:
1/2 cup coconut oil
1/2 cup cocoa powder
3/4 cup raw honey - I used Pap’s Hilltop Honey
2 Grass Powered pastured eggs - room temperature
1/4 cup coconut flour
1 tsp vanilla
1 tsp espresso powder - might leave this out if the tiny humans will be eating these. Trust me.
Dash of sea salt
1-2 Tablespoons dark chocolate chunks - unsweetened chocolate would make them actually paleo!
Baking Steps:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Either grease a baking sheet or line with parchment paper and then spray. I used a 6”x9” pan so the brownies would be thicker, but you could also use a typical 9”x9” pan or even go crazy and make brownie bites in a regular or mini muffin pan. Keep in mind these brownies won’t really “poof” much.
In a medium saucepan, melt the coconut oil and add the cocoa powder. Whisk it together so it doesn’t have lumps.
Remove from heat and add the honey. Once it’s mixed in, add the eggs and vanilla.
Add in the coconut flour, salt and espresso powder. Mix until it’s all smooth then add the chocolate chunks.
Side note - if you mess up the order in any of this, just go with it. They’ll still be great.
Bake for about 20-25 minutes for a 6”x9” pan, but probably only about 15-20 minutes if you’re using a bigger pan or muffin tin. You’ll be able to tell they’re done because the middle goes from shiny goo to looking just a tiny bit poofed and more solid. I know that’s vague, but you’ve got this.
Try not to burn your tongue tasting them straight from the oven. If there’s anything left at the end of the day, stick them in the fridge to last longer.
The next recipe I want to try is a paleo pumpkin bread. It looks SO GOOD. Will let you know one we experiment with it!