When I want a brownie, what I’m craving is a dense, fudgy, ultra chocolatey experience. A little bit of chewiness and a crackling top are all a necessary part of the package. No fluffy or cakey brownies to be found here. I found the perfect ‘better than the box’ recipe a few years ago and would make it from time to time for the occasional guilty indulgence. These days, I’m still wanting all that yumminess but without the processed ingredients. Now, you wouldn’t think that would be possible, but I have the pictures to prove it.
The original recipe comes from Elana’s Pantry. She uses nut butter as the base for her brownie recipe which is a great idea. Almond or coconut flour had produced some not-so-great textures for me, so I was intrigued by her recipe. I loved the way the recipe turned out and have been tinkering with it for my preferences ever since.
As an extra bonus, the ingredient list is short and the batter comes together in minutes.
Here is a little close up of those crisp-chewy edges just out of the oven.
We like our brownies really fudgy in the middle, so I bake mine for 20-22 minutes but this can vary greatly depending on your oven. Your best bet for brownies is to watch them closely and start checking them early until you know your oven. Even the best brownie recipe can be wrecked by a few minutes of over-baking. In general, between 20-25 minutes is the window of time you’re looking at.
So, go ahead and indulge. These are so delicious, yet they don’t contain any dairy, grain, or refined sugar. Not too long ago, that would have thrown up a red flag for me. It seems whenever you take away too many things, that it doesn’t really taste good anymore. But, I’m here to tell you that these aren’t lacking anything in the flavor department and are absolutely delectable.
Brownies
- Prep Time: 10 mins
- Cook Time: 25 mins
- Total Time: 35 mins
- Yield: 16 1x
Ingredients
- 1 – 16 ounce jar of nut butter (I like cashew)
- 1 1/4 cups maple syrup (Grade A)
- 2 eggs
- 4 Tablespoons coconut oil for dairy-free (or butter)
- 1/2 Teaspoon baking soda
- 3/4 cup cocoa powder
- 2 Teaspoons vanilla
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 325F.
- Lightly grease a 9″ x 13″ pan or two 9″ pie pans.
- Using either a stand mixer or mixing bowl and spoon, stir together all ingredients until combined.
- Pour into pan(s) and bake for 20-25 minutes or until desired doneness is reached.
Notes
I like to use butter just to keep the flavor closer to the brownies that I grew up with but coconut oil is really good as well.
54 Comments on “Brownies”
I’m such a dork. I saw your picture of a single pie pan of brownies and my mind said “sure, 1 pan, that’s a normal batch-size” and completely failed to see the directions that we should use two pie pans. Although I’m bummed about my first-time fail (full recipe, 1 pan, cooked twice as long – still just batter in the middle – boohoo), I’m actually really happy to realize that this is a double recipe. I felt pretty decadent using an entire pound of cashews to make a 9″ pie-sized dessert, but now that I know it’s actually two batches, I will halve the recipe and bring this (fingers crossed) to my next pot luck. The half-inch ring around the outside that actually cooked was really really good 🙂
So sorry that you ended up with the whole thing in one pan! I’ve been thinking about redoing this recipe just to be a single pan anyways since I can’t be trusted around that many brownies. 😉 I sure hope the next time goes well in 2 pans! 🙂
It did! I’ve made these a couple times since my original fail and the half recipe comes out great! I also made it once with double the eggs and it turned it into a great cake! Two yummy recipes in one. Win!
Kari! I just made these with sunflower seed butter (BF allergic to nuts) they are amazing!! (I added 1/4 tsp salt and used butter). Thank you for your personal replies and emails with any questions. I can see how much you like and care about food, as do I. I also used your oat crumble on an apple crisp and it was so good – Ive been looking for a good crumble for a while now – and just couldn’t get the right consistency with alternative flours and no nuts. Yours is a gem. Crispy and delicious and a tad nutty without the nuts. You are officially my go to for gf/sugar free deserts! Thanks so much!
★★★★★
Thanks so much for making my day! 🙂 I’ve had the same problem with trying to make a crumble/crisp out of alternative flours, they always seem to taste funny to me, but one day I tried using all oats and it really worked out well (I thought they gave it a nice nutty flavor). It’s one that I go back to over and over again, especially when I know someone can’t have nuts.
What do you think about using peanut butter? I’m allergic to treenuts.. Thanks!
Peanut butter works really well, the brownies turn out a bit heavier and it’s almost like chocolate peanut butter fudge in the center. I have a brownie recipe similar to this in my Peanut Butter Cheesecake Brownie recipe, if you just want brownies, you can skip the cheesecake part of the recipe. I hope you enjoy it, and be sure to let me know how it goes!
https://getinspiredeveryday.com/food/deep-dish-peanut-butter-cheesecake-brownies/