Archives for brownies

Coco-Walnut Power Brownies

December 12, 2016 by Zucchini Runner in Dessert, Food | Comments Off on Coco-Walnut Power Brownies

One night after dinner, Mr. Zucchini Runner looked at me and asked, “What’s for dessert?” 🙂 We didn’t have anything – it needed to be created – so that’s exactly what I did. After staring at the pantry and analyzing the ingredients we had, I landed on brownies. As I was mixing up the batter, trying to keep it as healthy as I could, the batter was not giving me a promising taste. Gluten free flours never taste good raw however, so I was still hopeful that the baking process would make these magical. (Keep in mind, there is spelt flour too which contains gluten – it was the garbanzo bean flour that didn’t taste great.)

Mr. Zucchini Runner took the first bite after a painful 30 minutes of cooling from the oven, and made a very stoic face. I was nervous. Then he started to smirk and eventually said, “These are absolutely incredible.” I quickly cut myself a piece and was relieved to find out they did taste exceptionally delicious, especially considering I didn’t follow a recipe at all. It was a baking miracle… at least for me. I was pretty happy, but still not certain they were blog worthy. So, of course we needed more opinions.

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After dropping off two lonely brownies to Mr. Zucchini Runner’s brother and sister-in-law, during a Thanksgiving evening visit, I was anxiously awaiting their reaction the next morning. The text I received SEALED THE DEAL. I believe one of the adjectives she used was divine – and this gal KNOWS her sweets, as co-owner of Dixie Lou Cupcakes! So, enough talking these things up, I don’t want it to be detrimental to them!

I will say the best part, is they can be slightly modified and double as a power brownie, used before or after a workout. Don’t worry, I’ll explain more later.

Base recipe:
1/2 c. garbanzo bean flour + 1/2 c. spelt flour (You can also use 1 c. all-purpose gluten free baking flour)
1/2 c. cocoa powder
2 dashes pink Himalayan sea salt

3 tbsp. chia seeds + 1 c. water (let set for at least 5 minutes)

Melt together (microwave or stovetop):
1/4 c. coconut oil, organic, virgin, unrefined is best (see valuable facts about this oil below the slideshow)
1/2 c. maple syrup

1 tea. vanilla extract

Optional add-ins:
1/3 c. dried unsweetened coconut flakes
1/2 c. chopped walnuts
1  1/2 c. vegan dark chocolate chips, divided into 1 and 1/2 cups

Combine the base recipe in a bowl and set aside. Add chia seeds to 1 cup water and set aside. Heat the coconut oil and maple syrup in the microwave. Once coconut oil is melted, add vanilla extract to mixture. Add chia seeds and water once the seeds have their gel coating; this takes about 5 minutes. Stir well before adding to the base recipe. Stir well to combine. At this point, if you want power brownies just place this mixture into an 8″x8″ pan sprayed with coconut oil. Bake at 350°F for 25-30 minutes, or until the center is cooked through. The good news is, they don’t have any raw eggs or unstable ingredients, so if they are a little undercooked, they will still be amazing.

If you want a true brownie, before adding them to the pan, add coconut flakes, 1/2 c. choc chips and walnuts to the batter and stir to combine. Pour into 8″x8″ pan sprayed with coconut oil. Bake at 350°F for 25-30 minutes. Remove from oven. Sprinkle remaining chocolate chips on top and return to oven for 2-4 minutes to help melt the chips. Remove and use a rubber spatula to spread chips into a smooth frosting. Sprinkle with coconut flakes and/or additional nuts if desired. Allow to cool for 60 minutes before cutting, to allow the chocolate topping to harden up. You can place in the fridge to speed up the process, or just cut into them after 30 minutes like Mr. Zucchini Runner did.

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*Fun facts about coconut oil:
– medium-chain fat, which means is will not store easily in your body, but instead will get burned immediately for energy (which is why this is good for a workout… or recovery after as refueling)
– because it’s a medium-chain fat, it helps you burn more of your stored fats – otherwise known as weight loss and increasing your metabolism
– it doesn’t raise LDL (bad) cholesterol, but will increase HDL (good) cholesterol
– has a similar power of omega-3s to inhibit platelet stickiness and therefore potentially prevent blood clots and stroke
– you can use it as a face moisturizer and lotion (I’ve been trying this for about a week with great success – and I have oily skin!)
These facts were pulled directly from the book The Science of Skinny by Dee McCaffrey, CDC. I’m reading this book currently for my Holistic Nutrition Certification – there is so much more that coconut oil can do! I encourage you to do some of your own research to learn more about this miracle oil.

Cacao Nib Peanut Butter Brookies

February 23, 2014 by Zucchini Runner in Dessert | Comments Off on Cacao Nib Peanut Butter Brookies

Have you ever craved a sweet treat so bad after resisting a dessert at a party or restaurant? No? Just me? Well, thanks to my cravings for a brownie I came home the other night and created these “brookies” = brownie cookies! They are MUCH healthier than the chemical alternative I avoided earlier that night, yet I still satisfied my brain’s need for chocolate and sugar. Had I noshed on the party brownies, I would have been consuming all sorts of processed chemicals created in a lab and nuked in a microwave – further removing any beneficial nutrients. My brookies contain Shakeology, a nutrient dense meal replacement powder, cacao nibs, unrefined extra virgin coconut oil, homemade peanut butter, maple syrup, chia seeds, and medjool dates, just to name a few. All of these foods are packed with micronutrients and phytonutrients that are lost in the commercial sweet treats through processing and chemical reductions.

You can nom on these and feel guilt free – knowing you are giving your body the nutrients they deserve! (Please note, they are still not a main food group and should be consumed sparingly. 😉 Without further ado, here is the recipe! (If you want to know more details about the benefits or difference between these type of sweet treats and the regular store bought chocolate chip cookies – let me know! I could literally write an entire post about it!)

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***Read through all the ingredients listed below before starting; I broke it up into three sections to make preparation easier.

Combine all dry ingredients in a bowl:
1 1/2 c. spelt flour
1/2 c. oat flour
1 scoop chocolate vegan Shakeology (optional – you can sub 3 tbsp. cocoa powder)
2 tbsp. coconut sugar
1 tsp. baking soda
1/4 teaspoon of sea salt

Combine all wet ingredients in a glass bowl (to microwave) or small pot to heat on the stovetop (preferred method):
2 tbsp. coconut oil
3 tbsp. peanut butter
2 tbsp. maple syrup
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 mashed banana
1/2 c. canned coconut cream water (you can use the cream for homemade whipped cream) OR use any milk substitute you’d like
2 tbsp. Chia seeds (add to mixture after heated/removed from stovetop – let sit for 5 minutes before adding to dry)

Mix in after all the above wet and dry ingredients are combined in a single bowl:
1/4 c. cacao nibs
3 Medjool dates, chopped into small pieces
1/4 c. walnuts, chopped

Preheat oven to 350°F

After combing all the dry ingredients together, heat the wet ingredients over low heat to melt and combine. This should take less than five minutes. Add chia seeds and stir immediately, then let sit for 5 minutes. Stir vigorously again. Add all the wet ingredients to the dry. Be careful not to over-mix, since spelt flour is not as glutenous as traditional wheat flour. Once combined, add the mix-ins to the batter, ensuring to incorporate them throughout.

Scoop batter onto a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper and bake 12-15 minutes. These produce a very moist, almost brownie-like cookie… hence the name brookie. 😉 Enjoy!