Healthier Blender Brownies

Yes, these brownies were made (started off anyway) in a blender and they are on the healthy side of things. As I am starting to cut back, my recipes are becoming a bit healthier this month.

I love brownies, but in moderation. With these Healthy Blender Brownies, you can perhaps have a little more of them and not feel too guilty at all.

They contain no refined sugar or dairy-fat. The sweetness comes from dates and some agave nectar. And to replace butter, I used some coconut butter (good fat!) instead (which I quickly melted first in the microwave).

Brownies wouldn’t be brownies without chocolate of course, so I used raw cacao powder for the batter.

But I did add some 72% plain chocolate on top before baking. This is optional and obviously makes them not quite so virtuous. But, the higher the cocoa solids, the better plain chocolate can be for you. It is full of antioxidants after all.

I blended all of the ingredients in my Optimum 9400 blender from Froothie. The brownie batter was thick and had to be spread quite firmly in the baking pan. The result was a chewy, dense brownie.

I tried them both cold and hot, and I would recommend heating them before serving as they soften up a bit that way. I zapped them in the microwave for 10 seconds and they were gorgeous.

Here’s how I made them…

Yield: 24 brownies approx.

Ingredients:

150 grams, dates, stoned

30 grams coconut butter, melted

3 tablespoons agave nectar

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

60 ml water

75 grams plain flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

50 grams raw cacao powder

Pinch of salt

50 grams 72% cocoa solid chocolate, roughly chopped (optional)

Method:

Place the dates in a blender and cover with water from a recently boiled kettle. Let them soften for 5 minutes.

In the meantime, line an 8”x8” baking pan with greaseproof paper. Preheat the oven to 180C.

After the 5 minutes, drain the water from the dates, keeping them in the blender. Add the melted coconut butter, agave nectar, vanilla and 60 ml of water. Blend until smooth. Add the flour, baking powder, cacao powder and salt. Blend until a thick paste forms. You may need to scrape down the sides of the blender a couple of times. If the mix is too thick add a couple more teaspoons of water.

Transfer to the baking pan and with a spatula, spread to the corners of the pan as much as you can. Sprinkle the chopped chocolate over the top, if using. Place into the oven for 20 minutes. They will have risen and the chocolate on top melted.

Allow them to cool slightly before cutting into squares.  Enjoy them best when warm!

Disclosure Statement: I was sent the blender free to review. I have not been paid for this post. Any opinions expressed are my own.