Decadent Cacao Brownies with Coconut Oil

This yummy recipe is from my friends over at PaleoHacks.

Rich coconut sugar brownies are made with real cacao and studded with crunchy, salty walnuts. Bake a batch and share the love with your family and friends!

 

Few things are better than a batch of dark chocolate brownies – especially when they’re topped with crunchy nuts.

Today we’re making a brownie that tastes as good as it's healthy.

Instead of using regular wheat flour for the base, we’re substituting with protein-rich, low-carb blanched almond flour.

In place of butter, we’ll be using dairy-free coconut oil that’s high in healthy saturated fats, and instead of cane sugar, we’re using high-fiber coconut sugar.

That means these brownies won’t spike your blood sugar quite as much as regular brownies. (Click here for 12 more painless ways to cut sugar out of your diet.)

We’ve even replaced high-sugar cocoa powder with superfood raw cacao powder. Here’s the difference – and why it matters!

For an extra oomph, chopped walnuts are dispersed in the batter and then added to the top, so the brownies have a nice crunch when you bite into them.

Doesn’t that sound amazing?

All you need is just 10 minutes of preparation time.

Start by whisking the almond flour, cacao powder, baking powder, and salt together in a large mixing bowl. In a separate, smaller bowl, mix melted coconut oil with coconut sugar, eggs, almond milk, and vanilla extract. Now pour the wet ingredients into the bowl with the dry ingredients, mixing well with a wooden spoon until you get a thick, homogeneous brownie batter.

Fold in 1/3 cup of chopped walnuts until they are evenly distributed in the batter. Then pour into a parchment-lined baking pan, and the top with the remaining chopped walnuts. Bake for 30 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.

Now comes the hard part – being patient enough to allow the brownies to cool fully before removing them from the pan. Then cut into squares and enjoy!

Tips:

  • If you prefer, you can swap the walnuts for pistachios, almonds, or pecans.
  • You can easily double or triple the recipe for a bigger batch.

Decadent Cacao Brownies

Prep Time: 10 mins

Cooking Time: 30 mins

Total Time: 40 mins

Serves: 8

Tools:

10″x7” baking pan (or 8″x8”)

Parchment paper

Large mixing bowl

Medium mixing bowl

Wooden spoon

Spatula

Ingredients:

2 cups blanched almond flour

½ cup raw cacao powder (I recommend Cacao Bliss)

2 t baking powder

½ t salt

¼ cup unrefined coconut oil, melted and cooled to room temperature

1 cup coconut sugar

2 eggs, beaten

½ cup unsweetened almond milk

2 t vanilla extract

¾ cup chopped walnuts

decadent cacao brownies

Steps:

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F and line a baking pan with parchment paper.

2. In a large bowl, sift in the almond flour, raw cacao powder, baking powder, and salt. Whisk together to combine.

3. In a medium bowl, mix the melted coconut oil, coconut sugar, beaten eggs, almond milk, and vanilla extract together until you get a brown liquid mixture.

4. Pour the wet ingredients into the bowl with the dry ingredients and mix very well until you get a thick but homogeneous batter.

5. Add 1/3 cup of the chopped walnuts to the batter and fold in with a wooden spoon.

6. Transfer the brownie batter to the prepared baking pan, using a spatula to even out the surface. Top with the remaining chopped walnuts.

7. Bake for 30 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.

8. Allow the brownies to cool completely before lifting up the parchment paper to remove them from the pan. Cut into 16 squares and serve.

9. Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.

 

Thanks again to PaleoHacks for sharing this deliciously healthy recipe.

 

PaleoHacks is a top source for amazing Paleo recipes, fitness tips and wellness advice to help you live your life to the fullest.

 

Author Credit: Felicia Lim

 

P.S. Please share this recipe with your chocolate loving friends and leave me a comment below if you try the recipe!