I used to live for Ghirardelli brownies, obviously those have terrible ingredients. So, when I started my clean eating journey, I just gave up brownies. Then, my former employer, The Green Beanery coffee stand in Kirkland, Washington introduced me to this healthy and bomb brownie recipe. The recipe is based off the Detoxinista’s recipe for Amazing Date Brownies. The Green Beanery changed the recipe to fit with the ingredients they had on hand, then I changed it a little more. I have to admit, I don’t even miss Ghirardelli brownies anymore!
Chocolate Chips
If you add chocolate chips, look for chocolate chips without dairy, refined sugar and minimal ingredients. My favorite chocolate chips are Hu Kitchen dark chocolate gems. The only ingredients are organic cacao, unrefined organic coconut sugar and organic fair-trade cocoa butter. Their chocolate is made with simple ingredients that they “obsessively vet”. All Hu’s chocolate is paleo, vegan, organic, soy free, refined sugar free, with no emulsifiers or soy lecithin. Just clean ingredients! They also have chocolate bars, chocolate hunks, grain-free crackers and grain-free cookies. Check out their website here. Or click here to see Hu Gems on Amazon.
If your local Costco has Wild Roots organic paleo chocolate chips, get them now. They are so good! You can only find them at Costco though and my local Costcos have quit carrying them. They are sweetened with coconut sugar and have the best flavor. Wild Roots says that if Costco customers start requesting them, they might get them back. So run to your Costco and drop a note in their suggestion box.
Lakanto Sugar Free Chocolate Chips are good as they are sweetened with monk fruit, but they have some ingredients I don’t love. Enjoy Life is also a good brand and is allergen free, but they do use cane sugar. Let me know if you have any chocolate chips with clean ingredients that you love.
Why Cacao Powder is Better than Cocoa Powder
I highly recommend using cacao powder over cocoa if you can. Cocoa powder has less antioxidants, is more processed and has been roasted. The roasting process removes some of the nutrients. Cacao powder, has more antioxidants and health benefits, hasn’t been roasted and is minimally processed. Check out the health benefits of cacao powder here.
Best Ice Cream to Have with These Brownies
The ice cream in the below picture is Mint + Dark, Melty Cacao Chips Scoops from Daily Harvest. The ingredients are organic coconut cream, water, organic maple syrup, organic unsweetened dark chocolate, dried citrus pulp, organic spirulina, dried peppermint leaf, himalayan sea salt, vanilla bean powder and organic peppermint extract. No dairy, eggs, refined sugar or nasty ingredients! They have other flavors like strawberry (my favorite), chocolate, cold brew, pistachio and vanilla. Daily Harvest also offers smoothies, harvest bowls, flatbreads, soups, forager bowls, oat bowls, chia bowls, bites and lattes. I love Daily Harvest and I get a box from them monthly. Most of their ingredients are organic, they don’t use any dairy, gluten, refined sugars, gums, fillers, harmful oils or stabilizers. If you want to try Daily Harvest, click here for $35 off your first order.
If you like this recipe, check out my other recipes:
Healthier Homemade Pumpkin Spice (Latte) Sauce & Coffee Creamer [Paleo]
Gluten Free Dairy Free Blackberry Oatmeal Pancakes
The Best Homemade Dairy Free Ranch Dressing
Gluten & Dairy Free Banana Oat Blender Muffins
Baked Berry Oatmeal Squares (Gluten, Dairy & Refined Sugar Free)
Easy Homemade Lava Flow Popsicles- Dairy & Refined Sugar Free
The Best Fudgy Flourless Brownies (Gluten Free & Vegan)
Ingredients
- 12 large Medjool dates, pitted
- 1 cup of filtered water + 1/4 cup extra if batter is thick
- 1 cup of organic nut butter (I like almond butter)
- 2 Tbsp. of organic ground flax seed
- 1/2 cup + 2 Tbsp. cacao powder (cocoa powder works too)
- 1 tsp. of baking soda
- 1 Tbsp. organic vanilla extract
- pinch of salt
- 1/2 cup chocolate chips (optional)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350ºF.
- In a blender or food processor, blend dates and 1 cup of water until dates are puréed.
- Add nut butter and blend until mixed. If the batter looks too thick, add more water. You want it to be the consistency of normal brownie batter.
- Transfer the batter to a bowl, or leave it in your blender or food processor if you prefer. Mix or blend in the ground flax seed, cacao powder, baking soda, vanilla extract and salt. Fold in chocolate chips if you are using them.
- Grease muffin tin with coconut oil. I highly recommend using a muffin tin, they can get a little messy if you bake them in a regular 9x9 pan. Use cookie scoop to scoop equal amounts of batter into each muffin tin.
- Bake for about 11-14 minutes depending on your oven. It is easy to over bake these, so take them out early.
- Let cool for about 15 minutes, they will fall a little in the middle. Store in airtight container in the fridge. You can also freeze them.
Notes
Nutrition info is based on the recipe with almond butter and no chocolate chips.
Recommended Products
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Nutrition Information:
Yield:
12Serving Size:
1 brownieAmount Per Serving: Calories: 89Total Fat: 1.9gSaturated Fat: .5gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 0gCholesterol: 0mgSodium: 106mgCarbohydrates: 19.1gFiber: 3.2gSugar: 14.4gProtein: 1.7g
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