The Best Brownies: VEGAN, GLUTEN FREE, NO ADDED SUGAR

April Schum
Jan 22, 2018
2 min read

Chocolate is my WEAKNESS (in case you didn't already know that!). Put it in brownie form... oh boy, it's all down hill from there for me! It's rare for me to eat anything processed these days. I'm extremely careful with what ingredients go into my body because I'm so sensitive to different foods. If something doesn't agree with me, I feel the affects from it immediately. Whenever I can make something I love, but make it taste just as good and healthier I get super excited! And these brownies are one of those things! It took me a while to come up with a brownie recipe that is comparable to a regular brownie. Keep in mind I like my brownies chocolatey, soft and mushy. That may not sound appetizing when reading that, but trust me, it is. I have perfected my brownie recipe and even found a way to make it vegan friendly without messing up the texture or taste! Yay! Love when that happens --- because it's challenging to do! Trust me, I've wasted a lot of ingredients to get to this perfected master piece! So here it is... my favorite, vegan gluten free, no added sugar brownies! If you’re craving something sweet and chocolatey give these a try, just remember to use portion control too! Even though there is no added sugar, they're still high in natural sugars from the dates. If you make them, snap a pic and post it to social media with #CurlysFitness. I LOVE seeing your hard work in the kitchen; and it makes me happy to see others enjoying my recipes!

THE BEST BROWNIES: VEGAN AND GLUTEN FREE

Fudgy and moist, date sweetened brownies that will not disappoint!

Ingredients * 18 medjool dates--big, soft dates! (rinsed, pitted and sliced in 4ths) * ½ cup of boiling water * ½ cup of unsweetened cocoa powder (I prefer dark organic cocoa powder because it makes it more chocolatey!) * ½ teaspoon vanilla extract * 1 large egg (OR egg replacer for vegans, I used Bob's Red Mill Gluten-Free Egg Replacer) * ½ cup oat flour (I like Bob's Red Mill Gluten-Free Whole Grain Oat Flour. Grinding your own oats will not be fine enough and will give brownies a thicker/oatmeal texture) * ¼ cup + 2 tablespoons coconut oil

* Adding 1/4 cup of chopped walnuts adds a nice addition! (optional)

Instructions 1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees and grease a square cake pan 2. Boil a ½ cup of water and dissolve cocoa powder completely 3. Submerge dates in the cocoa and boiled water mixture and let sit for 5 minutes 4. In a food processor, blend dates, and cocoa mixture until a paste as formed 5. Transfer paste to a larger bowl, and whisk in 1 egg and vanilla extract 6. Whisk in coconut oil 7. With a wooden spoon, add in the flour and stir until just combined (do not over mix!) 9. Batter will be thick. Pat the batter into the greased cake tin, and bake for 20 minutes or until you can insert a toothpick and it comes out clean ENJOY! Be Unstoppable,