Coconut Flour Brownies (Primal/Paleo)

This is a repost from last year. I made these a few times last year, but never got around to actually taking photos of them. These brownies are wonderful.

At the beginning of our primal/paleo journey, this was the first baked good I made after our first 30 days strict. My husband has a huge sweet tooth, and when he proclaimed them better than grain- and refined-sweetener-filled brownies, I knew they were a hit.

I made them again today to photograph them as I hadn't had sweetener or chocolate lying around in a long time and finally got around to purchasing some, and also to celebrate our four year anniversary. Not a bad excuse to make them ;)

Coconut Flour Brownies
primal / paleo / grain-free / gluten-free

6 ½ oz good dark chocolate (72%+)

4 1/2 oz butter (one stick + one tablespoon)

¾ cup granulated sweetener of choice

1/2 t vanilla extract

2 eggs

6 T coconut flour

1/2 t sea salt

1 c chopped walnuts/mix-ins

Preheat the oven to 320 degrees.

Line an 8x8 baking dish with parchment for easy removal.

Melt butter and chocolate together in a saucepan over low heat.

Remove from heat, and add sweetener of choice. Let cool before adding vanilla. Add eggs, one at a time, whisking until fluffy.

Stir in flour, salt, and walnuts.

Pour into prepared pan and bake for 25 minutes, or until tester comes out mostly clean (the top may appear undercooked or shiny).

Cool in pan for at least 10-15 minutes, then lift the slab out by the parchment.

Cut into 16 squares and enjoy!

Have you tried baking with coconut flour before? How do you like it? 

Coconut Flour Brownies (Primal/Paleo)

Ever since we started eating primally two months ago, all I've wanted to do is start baking. I love baking, and with an added challenge it's way more exciting. I've started doing a few recipes here and there just to get a feel for the alternative flours. So far I've made: almond meal cookies, almond meal biscuits, vegan chocolate nut butter cake balls, almond meal and coconut flour cobbler with apple/pear/blueberry, coconut flour banana bread, and coconut flour brownies. Huge successes: cookies and brownies. Great but need minor tweaking: biscuits, cake balls, and cobbler. Need a good deal of work: banana bread. I found out I prefer almond meal cookies over grain flour and refined sugar brownies. I now know I prefer primal coconut flour brownies over regular brownies, which is really exciting for me guys. Because I crave brownies more than basically any other baked good.

Yesterday I got really hyped up about primal baking. And proceeded to research/order a ridiculous amount of primal/gf/alternative baking flours/additives. So much for that budget, huh? Worth it. While researching, I came across a website that describes some of the grain free/gluten free flour options. There was a recipe for coconut flour brownies I wanted to try. I'm just so curious about the quirks of coconut flour. It's like a game, and never the same. It's so finicky! So I had to try making something else with it since my banana bread was more or less a wet mess without much banana flavor (better with honey!). I didn't really want to go with a random recipe that had no reviews on some slightly sketchy looking website about grain/gluten free living. I like reviews. I want to know that if I'm being lazy enough to start with a pre-existing recipe, at least I'm starting somewhere off the ground to make it worth it. I was really interested in this, because I love zucchini and have a lot of it right now, but I didn't have all the ingredients. Somewhere along the way, I felt drawn back to the original recipe, because the more I thought about it, the more it resembled, perfectly, the method of preparation my boss uses in her amazing brownie recipe. I'm so glad I did, it was perfect.

Coconut Flour Brownies (Primal, Gluten-free, Grain-free)

Source: original recipe

6 ½ oz good dark chocolate

4 1/2 oz butter (one stick + one tablespoon)

¾ cup granulated sweetener of choice

1/2 t vanilla extract*

2 eggs

6 T coconut flour

1/2 t sea salt*

1 c chopped walnuts/mix-ins

Preheat the oven to 320 degrees (yup).

Grease an 8x8 dish and line with parchment for easy removal.

Melt butter and chocolate together in a saucepan over low heat.

Remove from heat, let cool slightly (I transferred to a different bowl) and add sugar and vanilla. Add eggs, one at a time, whisking until light.

Stir in flour, salt, and walnuts.

Pour into prepared pan and bake for 25 minutes, or until tester comes out mostly clean.

Cool in pan for at least 10-15 minutes, then lift the slab out by the parchment.

Cut into 16 squares and enjoy!

*Added to original recipe