Cocoa Brownies

The holiday season is upon us and the temptation to eat delicious sugar filled sweets is there to tempt us at every holiday party and family gathering in the upcoming weeks.   Fortunately, I am here to describe how you can have your cake (brownie) and eat it to!   Shared below is a Gluten Free / Vegan (optional) Cocoa Brownie recipe that will not disappoint.  You don’t have to worry about processed sugar because there is none!  The bananas create a moist brownie that is also naturally sweet so only a small amount of maple syrup is needed to create the perfect balance of sweetness.  If made right, I guarantee they will be a big success at your holiday party.  In fact, I prepared these brownies for a holiday party two years ago and was surprised to see how quickly they disappeared.  I spent a good part of the evening reciting the recipe off the top of my head to all the people who asked for it.   Next time, I shall simply refer them to this blog post.  😉   

Cocoa Brownies

Gluten Free, Vegan (optional)

Makes 18 small brownies

Ingredients

½ cup Coconut Flour

½ cup Unsweetened Cocoa Powder

½ tsp Salt

½ tsp Baking Soda

5 Bananas

¾ cup Maple Syrup (or Honey)

1 tsp Vanilla Extract

1/3 cup Butter (or Coconut Oil), melted

2 Tbsp Coconut Milk (or Almond Milk)

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

1.  Add all dry ingredients in a large bowl and whisk together.  This includes Coconut flour, Cocoa powder, salt and baking soda.

2.  In a separate bowl mix together all the wet ingredients.  This includes bananas, maple syrup, vanilla extract, melted butter and coconut milk.  Use a fork or potato masher to mash the bananas into a pulp.

3. Add wet ingredients to dry ingredients and whisk thoroughly.  Optional: use food processor to get a smoother consistency.

4.  Grease the bottom and sides of a 9” baking pan with butter or coconut oil.  Add the brownie batter.

5.  Bake for 25 minutes.  Once the time is up, remove from oven and insert a toothpick into center of brownie mix and remove.  If brownies are done then the toothpick should come out clean.  Otherwise, if it comes out covered in brownie batter place your brownies back in the oven for a little longer checking randomly until it passes the toothpick test.  Try not to overcook, because this will dry out the brownies!  No bueno!  Your goal should be to achieve a fully cooked yet moist brownie!

These brownies will taste magnificent right out of the oven and they taste even better day two.  So, keep that in mind if you are preparing dessert for guests a day ahead of time!

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