We like our weekends lazy, but this one was everything BUT. Our weeks are incredibly busy with dropping off kids, picking them up, taking them to dance class & karate, baking, blogging, working, running with the house (you get the idea)! Am sure your weeks are jammed packed, too. I sometimes think it’s an obsession for us humans; to keep ourselves ridiculously busy and preoccupied in order to feel “fulfilled”. But on the weekends, I like to slooooow down. To enjoy a mandatory pause and a much-needed break from the insanity of the daily routine. To sip & savour my coffee as opposed to just chug it down every morning. To bake with my children and have long, carefree dinners without having to rush due to bedtimes. To lie down at the quaint snowed-in park down the street from our house with them and leave my cell phone (conveniently) at home. It’s so nice to “disconnect” every now and then and connect tighter with them, instead.
I am trying to build a home that’s happy and filled with little family traditions. Nothing fancy, just meaningful activities. Just last Sunday, we baked these infamous “Brookies”. It’s like:”Hey brownie, meet cookie”. And they’re OH SO GOOD! They’re bars, but they really do taste like a chewy & soft chocolate chip cookie; albeit with a little more density & a moist, cake-like feel. It’s truly the best of both worlds. It’s also a REALLY easy recipe, 10 mins of active prep time and roughly 20 mins to bake. So you’re 30 mins away from some really, really good dessert bars that are made with wholesome, real food ingredients and therefore much healthier for you.
I have a sweet tooth, that is the honest truth. I grew up in the land of “pan dulce & coffee”. Everyone back home in the tropics enjoys a sweet little something-something & a cup of strong coffee every afternoon. It’s just the way the country runs; on sugar, caffeine and just the good, hard-working spirit of the people. So to make someone like me lose weight and get on track to eating healthier, part of the answer was to redefine my baking techniques. To rediscover it sans hoards of white flour, white sugar, & cans of condensed milk. No more boxed cakes. No more white sugar laden frosting. Hey, I can still have my cake and eat it too these days, it’s just made very differently. These are dairy-free & refined-sugar free & grain-free, too! Because as opposed to other gluten-free goodies made with rice flour or tapioca, these are made with coconut flour. So we’re talking really low-carb and into the realm of grain-free paleo land.
But taste-wise, I’d still be able to trick you into thinking you’re eating something decadent. That’s the goal, right?
Decadent Coconut Flour Brookies
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup of coconut flour
- 1/2 tsp gluten free baking powder or baking soda
- pinch of sea salt
- 2 eggs, lightly beaten (or flax egg replacers for vegan options)
- 1/4 cup of unsweetened almond milk *carrageenan free
- 1 tbsp of pure vanilla extract
- 1 cup of dark 70% chocolate chunks OR unsweetened cacao nibs
- 1/3 cup pure maple syrup (or sub with agave nectar) I don’t like how raw honey tastes in this recipe.
- 1/4 cup of coconut oil, melted
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350F and line an 8×8 in baking pan with parchment paper
- In a large bowl, whisk together pure maple syrup, coconut oil, almond milk, eggs, & vanilla extract
- In a separate bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients: coconut flour, baking powder & a pinch of sea salt.
- Pour the dry ingredients into the wet ingredient bowl & give it a gentle stir until smooth. You’ll notice they’re much thicker than most batters, this is OK. Coconut flour is the most absorbent type of flour I have ever seen. The texture resembles “thick mashed potatoes”, so you know what to expect.
- Fold in 2/3 cup of the chocolate chunks & leave in the remaining 1/3 cup to sprinkle on top before they go into the oven.
- Bake anywhere from 20-23 minutes (ovens vary) but always check at the 20 min mark. They may look like they’re not cooked all the way, but once a knife comes out mostly clean- they’re done!
Notes: Once you allow them to cool & the coconut oil settles- they kind of set in nicely and become nice and chewy and hold together very well. Don’t try to cut these while still warm! I like to bake these brookies the night before I need them and keep them in the fridge (not freezer) overnight. I bring them out about 30 mins before serving and they’re heavenly! So I treat them as the perfect make-ahead dessert. They taste better as each day passes and the texture becomes quite nice, too.
Deliciosos Brookies de Chocolate Chip
Ingredientes
- 1/2 taza de harina de coco
- 1/2 cucharadita de polvo para hornear
- 1 pizca de sal (como 1/2 cucharadita)
- 2 huevos, batidos
- 1/4 taza de leche de almendra sin edulzar
- 1/4 taza de jarabe puro de maple o nectar de agave (no me gusta como queda esta receta usando miel)
- 1 taza de chips o trozos de chocolate de 70% cacao
- 1/4 taza de aceite de coco liquido
Instrucciones
- Encender el horno a 350F y alinear un pyrex para hornear de 8×8 con papel de pergamino o untar con mantequilla o aceite de coco para que el postre no se pegue
- En un tazón grande para mezclar batir la leche de almendra, el aceite de coco, el jarabe puro de maple, la vainilla y los dos huevos hasta mezclarlos todo bien
- En otro tazón se combina la harina de coco, el polvo para hornear y la pizca de sal, se mezclan bien hasta integrarse
- Dejar caer los ingredientes secos (poco a poco) sobre el tazón grande con los ingredientes líquidos, batiendo a mano mientras se incorporan
- Mezclar 2/3 de la taza con los trozos de chocolate y guardar los otros 1/3 para dejar caerlos encima, antes de meter el postre al horno
- Hornear por 20-25 minutos (todos los hornos varian). Cuando el cuchillo salga casi limpio, ya esta listo.
Notas: Pueda que a simple vista, parezca que todavía no esta bien cocinado, pero si esta listo! Cometí el error muchas veces de meterlo por otros 10 minutos y la harina de coco se reseca, no lo horneen demasiado tiempo! Me gusta preparar estas barritas el día anterior y darles tiempo de “asentar” mejor. También aconsejo guardarlas siempre en el refrigerador y sacarlas media hora antes de comerlas. Que las disfruten! Lo mejor de ambos mundos: brownies y galletas de chocolate chip.
