Healthy Brownies

 

Gluten free and naturally sweetened—with these Healthy Brownies, you can have your cake brownies and eat them too!

Any time I have attempted to reform my diet, even for a temporary period, I meet the same insurmountable barrier: chocolate.

It’s both my greatest food weakness and my greatest source of food happiness.

Rather than attempt to give it up, drive myself crazy with cravings, then feel bad when I slip, I find it far more pleasant to create healthier chocolate desserts like today’s healthy brownies.

easy healthy brownies without dates topped with frosting and chocolate chips

Although I don’t adhere to a specific diet (Paleo, vegan, gluten-free, etc.), I am certainly no stranger to the feeling that my body sometimes needs a bit of a reset— especially following the holidays when I realize that I’ve been subsisting primarily on cheese boards, Brownie Cookies, and champagne.

I suspect a few of you may share the same feeling, and that’s where this easy, healthy brownie recipe comes into play.

(These Avocado Brownies or Black Bean Brownies are other great healthy brownie options.)

dairy free healthy brownies made without banana and no oil

How to Make Healthy Brownies

Made with almond butter, unsweetened cocoa, hefty hunks of dark chocolate, and a rich fudge frosting, this recipe is gooey, decadent, and…healthy?!

Yep, it’s true!

Flourless, gluten free (and grain free), dairy free, and naturally sweetened with maple syrup and coconut sugar (no sugar of the granulated variety here!), these healthy brownies will satisfy any chocolate craving in a wholesome way.

Tip!

For another healthy brownie option that sneaks in a serving of veggies, check out these Sweet Potato Brownies.

The best healthy brownies gluten free with fudge frosting

The Ingredients

  • Almond Butter. Provides the brownies with all the richness and fat they need without adding any butter, vegetable oil, or canola oil to the recipe. Almond butter is packed with vitamin E and contains healthy monounsaturated fats.

Ingredient Note

Not all almond butters are created equal, so check your labels. To keep these brownies healthy, choose a natural almond butter with a simple ingredient list and no added sweeteners or preservatives.

  • Coconut Sugar + Maple Syrup. My choices for natural sweeteners that take the place of refined granulated sugar.

Substitution Tip

If you don’t keep coconut sugar in your pantry, you can swap it for light brown sugar.

  • Cocoa Powder. The trick to making traditional brownies (like my One Bowl Brownies and Brownie Bites) and healthy brownies such as these ultra-decadent.
  • Egg. Adds richness, improves texture, and gives the brownies a little lift and chew.
  • Vanilla Extract. Balances and intensifies the chocolate flavor.
  • Chocolate Chips. Get stirred into the batter and sprinkled on top.
  • Fudge Frosting. Made with a few of the wholesome ingredients above, along with almond milk and coconut oil to make it rich and spreadable, this easy fudge frosting is the perfect way to finish off these healthy brownies.

The Directions

mixing healthy brownie batter in a bowl without flour
  1. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F. In a medium mixing bowl, prepare the brownie batter.
a bowl of naturally sweetened healthy brownie batter with chocolate chips
  1. Fold in the chocolate chips.
brownie batter healthy pressed into a square pan
  1. Spread the batter into a greased and lined 8×8 square baking pan.
a pan of freshly baked low calorie healthy brownies paleo
  1. Bake healthy brownies at 350 degrees F for 17 minutes. Let cool.
a saucepan of melting chocolate
  1. Prepare the frosting in a small saucepan on the stovetop.

TIP!

The mixture will look very separate at first but will come together as you continue to stir.

one bowl healthy brownie batter in a baking pan lined with parchment paper
  1. Spread the frosting over the brownies and sprinkle with additional chocolate chips. Allow the frosting to set, then slice and serve. ENJOY!

Storage Tips

  • To Store. Keep the brownies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 4 days.
  • To Reheat. Enjoy leftovers at room temperature or, to make them extra fudgy, warm slightly in the microwave.
  • To Freeze. Cover the brownies uncut in the pan with foil and store frozen for up to 2 months. Let thaw overnight in the refrigerator.

 

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