GLUTEN FREE · DAIRY FREE · PALEO

One of my closest friends recently became a first-time mum, and when she got home from the clinic and was settling in to her new baby-centric routine, I asked if there was anything I could help her with, or if there was anything she needed. Her answer? A batch of these brownies! If that’s not high praise, I don’t know what is!

In the world of baked goods, a really good brownie is a hard thing to beat. There are so many ways to tweak and play with the classic brownie recipe, it can be hard to pick which to go for. Here I opted for a fairly classic brownie, but with a real focus on the cacao. Such was my dedication to making the raw cacao the star, that the first batch turned out so intense it was borderline inedible! I shot right past the intense cacao sweet spot and right into bitterness central - not a tasty place to be. Cue a little more tweaking, and this recipe is the result.

These brownies are true to their name, the cacao is an intense flavour (but not overpowering), further enhanced by the optional addition of espresso powder (a genius little trick to make the chocolate taste even more chocolate-y), and they are deliberately not overly sweetened, though of course, you always have the option to add more coconut sugar or dates if you have a sweeter tooth. The texture is bang on for a brownie, not too cakey, just chewy enough and a little sticky, but not gooey, and you can add the volume and size of chopped nuts that most pleases you, or even leave them out altogether if you are so inclined! They also keep well in the fridge and so are great for batch baking and having on hand for when the munchies strike.

INGREDIENTS

Coconut oil

Melted coconut oil works best for this recipe, so if yours is solid at room temperature, warm it up so it turns to liquid before using.

Coconut oil is a great oil option for sweeter dishes. You can also opt for an odourless version if you don’t want any coconut taste coming through whatsoever. I opted for odourless here as I didn’t want anything competing with the chocolate flavour!

Coconut oil is high in lauric acid, which has anti-viral, anti-bacterial and anti-fungal properties, helpful for fighting pathogens. For more on coconut oil, check out this post.

Coconut sugar

Coconut sugar is a great substitute for refined sugar. Also called coconut palm sugar (not to be confused with palm sugar), it is not as processed and even contains small amounts of certain nutrients.

Coconut sugar contains potassium, magnesium, and sodium, which are important for balancing electrolyte levels in the body. Regular table sugar has a glycemic index (GI) of 65, while coconut sugar has a GI of 35 (much closer to the GI of the sugar that’s naturally found in fruits - around 25).

Eggs

Vanilla extract

Medjool dates

Dates are a great natural sweetener, and their stickiness works brilliantly in this recipe, giving the brownies the perfect texture. You can use other dates if you can’t find Medjools, but they really are the best if you can get your hands on them, as they are larger and ‘juicier’.

Dates provide the sweetness you want, but with lots of healthy fibre, vitamins and minerals.

Make sure to soak your dates in some hot water for at least 10 minutes before using, to ensure the ideal brownie texture.

Almond flour

Sometimes also called almond meal, you can find this ready-made or you can simply throw some blanched almonds into a food processor and grind them down into a fine flour.

Almond flour has an impressive nutrient profile (rich in protein, fibre, vitamin E and good fats), and is also low-carb, making it a key player in gluten-free baking.

Raw cacao powder

Rich in antioxidants, iron, magnesium and tryptophan, raw cacao powder is a highly nutritious way to get your chocolate fix.

Baking powder (gluten-free)

Espresso powder (optional)

The espresso powder is included purely to enhance the chocolate flavour of the brownies, not to add a coffee taste. It’s a very small amount but it just takes the flavour up a notch. Of course, feel free to leave this out if you prefer.

Salt

Chopped walnuts/pecans (optional)

Feel free to adjust the amount of chopped nuts you use (if any) to suit your tastes. I personally like don’t like having too many nuts in brownies, so use just half a cup. Chop more or less coarsely, according to how large you prefer the nut-chunks to be.

Pecans or walnuts work so well in these brownies, their naturally almost-buttery flavour complementing and balancing the cacao intensity beautifully.

CHANGES & SUBSTITUTIONS

Different nuts?

Walnuts or pecans work very well in this recipe, but you could also use chopped almonds, or even hazelnuts if you prefer. Or you can leave out the chopped nuts altogether.

Not enough nuts?

If you like your brownies chock-a-block full of nuts, then by all means add in more than I have included in the recipe. The half cup I have used is just to add a little nutty ‘accent’ to the brownies, so if you want more than that, feel free to double (or even triple) the dose to meet your own tastes!

Super sweet tooth?

These brownies are intentionally not overly sweet. If you have a really sweet tooth, you may not find them sweet enough so feel free to add in some more coconut sugar. I would recommend adding an extra 1/4 cup to begin with, and go from there. You could also try adding in more dates, but this could alter the texture, depending on how many you add in.

SERVING SUGGESTION

These brownies are great just as they are, but if you want to give them a little something extra:

Try serving them with a dollop of whipped coconut cream.
Or, if you really want to up the decadence (and sweetness) factor, try drizzling with some Vegan Caramel Sauce.