Gluten Free Chocolate Brownies

These gluten free chocolate brownies are certainly not low in sugar, however, they are excellent sources of fibre and protein, as well as including high amounts of essential nutrients so in my book, they’re allowed as a treat! Make a batch for you and your friends and that way, you can’t eat too much

Because these gluten free chocolate brownies are made with ingredients including prunes (excellent source of dietary fibre), coconut oil (high in dietary fat – an essential fat for the absorption of vitamins and minerals) and almond flour (a great source of protein, filling you up for longer), they’re a tasty, easy alternative to flour heavy brownies which leave you feeling bloated and sluggish due to the high amounts of gluten.

I’ve also used raw organic cocoa powder which has many health benefits, as well as lots of different seeds and nuts such as brown linseed, sunflower seeds, pecans and pistachios.

Convinced the gluten free chocolate brownies are for you now? Let’s get baking.

Ingredients (makes approx 12 slices)

400g soaked prunes
40g raw organic cocoa powder
60ml melted coconut oil
125g ground almonds
pinch himilayan salt
1 tablespoon brown linseeds (or any other small seeds ie flaxseeds, sesame seeds, etc)
20g de-shelled, chopped pistachio
50g chopped pecans
50g dried blueberries, cranberries or chopped cherries
20g sunflower seeds
1 tablespoon dessicated coconut

Method

There’s a lot of ingredients in these gluten free chocolate brownies compared to my usual ingredients list, but with all the different seeds and nuts, it makes for a great treat with a bit of nutritional value on the side, which is more than can be said for most brownies (probably why we love them so much!)

Soak your dates in warm water for ten minutes then drain off. Blitz with a hand blender until they form a paste. Add in your cocoa powder and coconut oil and blitz again. This should form a thick paste.

When you’ve got to the paste stage, grab a wooden spoon and work in the almond flour. You could also use coconut flour instead of almond flour but I find coconut flour more overwhelming and drier than almond flour, so it’s not my first choice. It’s also usually really expensive!

Once you’ve worked in your almond flour with a wooden spoon, add the rest of your ingredients, using all but the coconut as this is to decorate!

Line a small baking tray with baking paper, spread out the mixture and pat down to form a thick brownie like shape. Sprinkle your coconut on top and add to the fridge for 3 hours to chill. Serve up on its own or with a little peanut butter and cream!

Remember, these brownies have natural sugars in them, they are not sugar free! Eat sparingly and share

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Gluten Free Chocolate Brownies