Coconut Brownies {Paleo, GF}

My sis-in-law makes these brownies… these really amazing decadent brownies.  Crazy thing is, they’re made with super clean ingredients.  Completely real non-junk food.  I was stunned when she told me this.  So I asked her for the recipe so I could further indulge in this new brownie obsession.  She sent me to to Pinterest, where I found what was a simple and delightful recipe (here) for some mighty guiltless-looking chocolate treats.

The first time I made them I was so pleased- dangerously so- couldn’t keep my hands off the things!  Unlike the recipe, I used coconut flakes, because that’s what I happened to have on hand.  My “coconut butter” didn’t turn out quite as smooth and creamy as the one pictured on Pinterest, but they were crazy delicious still, so I didn’t care.  Second time I tried the shredded route, which turned out more buttery, but no less wonderful except for the fact that they were a smidgen more fudge-like in texture.  Then I began playing around- making brownies every week it seemed haha- no longer following a recipe but just using whatever I had on hand, experimenting with flavors and cooking times.  In the end, here’s what I came up with- it’s much like the original, with just a couple of tiny little tweaks.  You could easily use this as a base recipe to play and modify from… maybe add chipotle one time, ginger another, or possibly even some coffee grounds to give it a little kick.

No matter how you play, I think you’re going to love them… it’s so hard to believe something so rich and indulgent can be made from such simple clean ingredients, but ’tis so.  They’re more dense than a typical brownie, but moist, sweet, rich, and if you go with the sea salt recommendation, a tad salty too.  Oh, and they’re best when cool in my little opinion… like little squares of fudge. 😉

makes approx 9 squares

INGREDIENTS

3 cups unsweetened shredded or flaked coconut, like this one (see note below)

1 cup chopped dark chocolate- 70% or more, approx 4 oz ounces (check ingredients for a good qual one)

10 medjool dates (pits removed)

3 large eggs

1 tsp vanilla

½ tsp baking soda

¼ tsp sea salt

¼ tsp ground cinnamon

ghee, butter, or oil to grease dish, like this one

.

optional: sea salt flakes for the top, like this one

*shreds tend to turn creamier than flakes, but either will work!

DIRECTIONS

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

Add shredded or flaked coconut to a food processor

Blend for approx 7-10 minutes, until a pasty buttery-like consistency has formed

As noted above, shreds tend to cream up quicker than flakes do

Add dates, with pits removed of course 😉

Blend a smidgen more

Add chocolate

Blend some more

Add eggs, vanilla, baking soda, sea salt, and cinnamon

Give that bad boy one more mix, until smooth and creamy

Grease a baking dish with your fave oil (I like coconut or avo), butter, or ghee… an 8×8 works well

Pour the batter into the dish, gently smoothening with a spatula or spoon

Optional but high recommended, sprinkle a little flaked or course sea salt over the top

Bake on the middle rack, uncovered, for approx 20 minutes, or until a knife inserted

in the middle comes out clean (cooking time may vary depending on altitude, size of eggs, etc)

Be careful not to overdo it… no one likes dry brownies 😉

Let cool for as long as you can stand… up to an hour is ideal,

but if you’re anything like me, you simply just can’t wait that long 😉

Store in an airtight container in the fridge