Brownies – Perfect Paleo Desserts
Lots of people associate Paleo solely with meat and vegetables. Whilst these are at the heart of the diet, there is more to it than that. In fact, it is a shame that people don’t look closely at what is possible on Paleo. Some don’t even try it because they think it will be too boring or too restrictive. This just isn’t the case. Sure, you need some imagination, but you can make some tasty Paleo desserts with just natural ingredients without being a gourmet chef. Here are a few ideas for brownies.
You might have thought that you had to leave this chocolaty delight behind when you went paleo. Happily, this is one sacrifice that you don’t have to make. Brownies are still on the good list-you just have to make them a little differently. Flour is out, but you have some other choices. One of my favourite ways to make brownies is by mixing coconut butter, eggs, and natural honey. This makes a fantastic base. After that, it is really up to your imagination. Here are a few combinations that I have found to work really well together.
Strawberry and Blueberry
Lemon and Vanilla
Cherry and Coffee
Coconut and Almond
Cinnamon and Raisin
Organic Cocoa and Coffee
These are just personal choices, but basically, the list is pretty much endless!
There are two things to remember when making brownies this way. First, this can be high calorie. The mix of coconut oil and honey makes this tasty, sweet and calorie dense. If you are trying to lose weight, be careful with these. Especially because they taste so good, it can be tough to stop after just one!
Second, getting the base mix right takes a bit of practice. About 3 eggs, a cup of coconut butter and half a cup of a honey gets the mix just how I like it, sort of gooey and runny, but you might like things different.
Mix the three base ingredients together thoroughly. Much better to do this with a blender because by hand it can be hard to mix the honey with the butter. When it is nice and smooth, I add in flavouring. cinnamon or vanilla for example. I also put in a teaspoon of baking powder and half a teaspoon of sea salt and mix again.
Depending on which particular flavour I’m making, I do things differently. If it is something Like coffee, I use the hand blender again. However, for fruit, I fold them in carefully. I know some people don’t really mind, but I like biting into whole berries and big chunks of fruit when I nibble on these. In fact, sometimes I let the mix cook for 10 minutes or so before I add fruit because the mixture is more solid and the fruit stays together a little better. I also prefer my fruit a little under-cooked (or even raw) so if it stays in the oven for less time, that’s fine by me!
Before you put them in the oven, pour the mixture into a greaseproof container or onto greaseproof paper. This is important because it is heart-breaking to lose half your brownies as you try to peel them off the container! Some people prefer making these individually and cooking them separately. I prefer to cut them up into little pieces afterward because they are lovely and moist. Again, if you like a firmer, drier brownie just make them in individual moulds or containers.
Paleo desserts need not be boring or overly-restrictive. in fact, you can easily satisfy a sweet tooth and make things that are good to look at and delicious to eat like these brownies – one of the best paleo desserts. It might not be the same as other people’s brownies, but it will taste at least as good and won’t have all those unhealthy things like white flour and sugar that you are trying to avoid.