Paleo Brownies
So what exactly is paleo? It’s a primal diet including whole foods of wild plants and animals while excluding grains, legumes, dairy, sugar or refined oils. Though it’s not something I personally practice, I can appreciate its sentiment and have several friends that have encouraged me to explore this lifestyle. I have to say, I’ve learned a lot and to give thanks, I went into my kitchen to test a paleo brownie recipe that I knew they’d both love and enjoy.
These chocolate brownies are revamped with healthy additions, making them paleo and gluten free. They have a tender cake-y texture while reconstituted dates impart a rich and almost fudgy body to the batter. The dates also keep things delicately sweet as does the honey while the option of coconut oil or applesauce keep things supple and moist. And if you’re wondering, you can’t really taste the dates so much, especially if you submerge them in hot water longer and press them into a pulp. These are definitely a healthier route to indulging in brownies but even so, I found myself quite enjoying these as just a regular chocolate treat. They have a depth of chocolate flavor that satisfies and a melt in your mouth texture and the whole thing feels lighter and cleaner. Yet, they don’t “feel” healthy nor do they taste it but you can feel good about enjoying better-for-you treats like this in moderation and not have the guilt of overindulgence hang over you.
Enjoying these brownies have allowed me to regularly supplement my full-on brownie cravings with these and now when I do have a brownie {I’m looking at you, salted caramel pretzel brownies!} it’s made that much more special. My friends are just happy that I make and bring these over regularly now. My paleo friends loved my version of paleo brownies and I know you will too.
http://youtu.be/jPNi90BSMzU
- 2 c chopped dates
- 2 tb hot water
- ½ c raw honey
- 2 ts vanilla extract
- 1 tb baking powder*
- ½ tb baking soda
- 1¼ c unsweetened cocoa
- ¼ ts sea salt
- 2 room temperature eggs
- ½ c coconut oil or unsweetened applesauce
- Melted dark chocolate {optional}
- In the first bowl, combine the dates, water, honey, and extract. Set aside for 15- 20 minutes.
- In the second bowl, sift together the powder, soda, cocoa, and salt.
- In the third bowl, whisk together the eggs and oil/applesauce.
- Mix the first bowl of dates with the third bowl.
- Slowly mix the second, dry bowl with the wet ingredients, taking care not to over mix.
- Pour batter into a lined/greased pan.
- Bake at 350 for 19-22 minutes.
- Cool completely, cut into squares and drizzle with melted chocolate if desired.
Here’s to having your chocolate and eating it too…Happy 2014!!
Love,
Your Squishy Monster ^.~
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A VERY VERY HAPPY & PROSPEROUS NEW YEAR!!!
I cannot get over how delish these brownies look AND the ingredient list!
They sure do look yummy, Angela. I’m learning more and more about the Paleo diet. I’ll be passing this recipe on to a friend for sure! Thank you so much for sharing…Happy 2014!!!
Those brownies look sinfully good. Yes, moderation is the key.
G’day Angela…Happy New Year to you and your family, true!
One word? YUM! Wish I could try one of these right now too!
Cheers! Joanne
Squishy is the Brownie Master!
Brownies with dates and honey, this such a great combo
I love how healthy these are and yet they still look so fudgy!
These look amazing. My family and I have been Paleo since October and though I don’t make many treats, I find the date sweetened ones the yummiest. Thanks for this!
These sound very tasty!
Paleo or not, these look delicious! Cheers to a wonderful 2014!
The brownies look decadent.
Deceptively so (my tummy wasn’t the least bit aware that I’d tricked it) =)
Definitely cheers to that!!
What a great thing to get the fam involved in! Wish I could maintain it through the entire year but no such luck–these brownies count though, right? =)
Thanks, Jo! Maybe you could get “the boy” to try it and see if he can tell =)
Thank you, Atika!
My belly agrees =)
What an honor! It’d be that or the bacon monster, lol!
Happy New Year—Cheers, Joanne!
Moderation is difficult for me. I cannot tell a lie—(I ate 6 of these, lol)…but they’re healthy….er, right? =)
Happy New Year, Louise!!
Thanks, Kayle!
You too, Kumar—cheers to what will be the best year yet!
Hi Angela, your brownies look really good. Great to go with coffee. Wish I can have a few slices. :))
Saved ya some!
I made these but for some reason they came out crumbly. Wonder what I did wrong.
Hi, Betsy! I’d be happy to troubleshoot with you. There could be several points here. First, it’s important to use fresh dates that are plump and sticky. I source mine from the open bins at my natural food store where I often ask when they restocked and I can also fish one out to feel its freshness. There are tons of “shelf stable” packages that are way too dry. The dates contribute the fudgy aspect to these brownies. If the dates, being the star ingredient is rough and dry, they will never properly reconstitute. Second, both baking soda and powder should be within dates. The soda will tenderize the brownies while the powder acts as the leavening agent. Third, though these are without flour, I still recommend mixing until just combined, no more. Fourth, often times, ovens may need to be re-calibrated. I always strive to slightly under-bake rather than over as it will continue to cook in the residual heat in its pan. And finally, oil will always make a baked good moister vs just using applesauce. This is even true with butter. Let me know if you have any other questions. I’m happy to help =)
Is there a possible substitute for the dates? I just moved to uganda and don’t know yet where to get dates or if they’re available here.
Hello, Joy! A viewer told me she did it with prunes. I wonder if Amazon will ship to uganda? hm…
I have made these brownies so many times and my entire family loves them! thank you so much. it has been hard to find good paleo dessert recipes like this. im glad to have this amazing one!
Thank you so much for letting me know, Gwyn! I appreciate you =)
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Any chance I can use substitute sugar instead of honey? If so, how much should i use? Thankssss!
Hi, Char! I would use 1/4-1/3 cup depending on how sweet your dates are =)
Was looking for recipes with dates and came across your Brownies…..gonna try them tomorrow….can i ask what size tin you used please?
Jennie
Hi, Jennie. You can use an 8″ square dish =)
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