Most people (including myself up until a few weeks ago) think that to make brownies, pancakes, and other baked goods, you need to use flour. Growing up cooking with The Joy of Cooking as my guide meant that all the baked goods I made used flour and usually white sugar. Now I love to experiment with healthier desserts sweetened with dates or molasses, and there is actually no flour at all in these brownies.
Flaxseed acts as the flour. Hearing that without tasting them, you might expect a dry and fibrous brownie, but the opposite is true. These brownies are very moist, and I dare you to make them for your family and friends and see if anyone can tell they contain flaxseed. Flaxseed is also a cheaper alternative to almond flour, which is a frequently used as a substitute in gluten-free or paleo baking.
I realize this is the second recipe I’ve posted in the past week that effectively uses flaxseed instead of any type of flour. I am just so excited about this discovery that I thought I would do some experimenting.
Almond Butter Brownies
These contain very little added sugar, and the sugar they do contain is blackstrap molasses (the most nutrient-rich of all sweeteners). Eat these brownies as a very low sugar dessert or as a pre-workout or mid-morning snack to keep you going until lunch. Be forewarned that these are not super sweet!
Gluten free/Dairy free/Grain free
Makes 24 brownies
2 bananas
3 eggs
1/4 cup coconut oil
1/2 cup almond butter (unsweetened)
1/2 cup cocoa powder
2 tablespoons blackstrap molasses
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup ground flaxseed
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a glass or ceramic 9 x 13-inch pan with coconut oil and set aside. Slice and mash bananas with a fork, and add to a medium-sized bowl. Add eggs, coconut oil, almond butter, cocoa powder, molasses, and salt to the bananas. Whisk by hand until well-combined. Stir in flaxseed. Bake at 350 degrees for about 20-25 minutes or until a toothpick or fork through the middle comes out clean.
Nutrition info per 1 brownie: 103 calories, 3 grams protein, 8 grams fat, 7 grams carbs, 3 grams fiber
