Makes 16 crazy delicious brownies
To help ease our way back into the kitchen and back to blogging, I’m using a little help from my friends. The next 4 (possibly 5) posts are recipes that come from some foodie friends. Some of them follow specific diets, others don’t, but they all have a penchant for whole foods, organic and local when possible, and always fresh and delicious. Life as an expat warrants that your friends become your family. I’ve gotten lucky out here in this small oasis city because my “family” are a bunch of foodies passionate about food and health, family and fun, love and adventure. Let the recipes begin!
My Aussie friend, L, follows a Paleo-ish diet. She isn’t an extremist, but she knows her Paleo sh*t so I have learned a bit from her. If you’ve been following us here at Guaya Gourmet, you know that I don’t subscribe to any one particular diet, nor do I recommend any one diet for anyone. I’ve learned, the hard way, that there is no one-size fits all diet for everyone. I’m a proponent of listening to your own body to see what works for you as an individual, but whole foods that are free of chemicals, hormones, meds, additives, preservatives, etc. are a must. They are for Paleos, too, so there are good things to take from this particular diet.
One thing I have found that is for (almost) everybody is brownies! In keeping with Paleo guidelines, these are gluten-free, grain-free morsels of YUM. You’ll find coconut flour (the Paleo-ists bake a lot with it) and amaranth flour, a boat load of eggs and grass-fed butter. For Paleo followers, fat, the real kind, not the manufactured kind (i.e. vegetable oils and fake stuff) is not harmful, nor is it fattening, nor is it in anyway bad for you. On the contrary, you need it. Weston A. Price agrees and from my own experiments with my body, I have to say it works for me. Which is a good thing. I’m with Julia Child when she said you can never really use too much butter.
Before you start, here are a couple of tips:
Don’t skimp on the eggs. 5 is not 6 and yes, 1 egg makes a difference.
If you aren’t strictly Paleo, you could substitute brown rice flour or millet flour for the amaranth flour.
DO NOT OVER BAKE! These will dry out like nobody’s business!
A teaspoon of cinnamon adds a nice touch to these. I tried it once and loved it, but I didn’t include it in the recipe since it wasn’t part of the original.
OK, GO! Oh, and let me know what you think!
Chewy Paleo BROWNIES
You’ll need:
6 organic eggs
1 cup honey
1 cup melted butter (unsalted)
1 T vanilla extract
1 cup coconut flour
1/2 cup amaranth flour
½ cup almond flour
1 cup cacao powder
1/2 teaspoon celtic salt
1/2 t baking soda
To Make:
Preheat oven to 180ºC/350ºF
1. Fully grease large rectangular glass dish. (I used an 8″X13″)
2. In a medium bowl, beat eggs until foamy. Then, mix in honey, butter, and vanilla until well combined.
3. In another bowl, mix flour, cacao, baking soda and salt. Stir to blend well.
4. Add wet ingredients to dry and stir until well incorporated.
5. Pour batter into greased large glass rectangular dish.
6. Bake for approximately 25 minutes, but check after 20 minutes. Insert a toothpick in center and let stand for 5 seconds. If it sticks to toothpick, leave for another 5 mins or until toothpick comes out clear.
7. Cool for 10 minutes. Then, while in dish, use a knife to cut out medium sized squares so you can place them on wire rack.
8. Enjoy!!