These Fudgy Paleo Brownies are so simple to make, are not cakey at all, and are the perfect chocolate treat! So delicious and gluten free, dairy free and nut free!
October is Fair Trade Month and I am so honored to be able to not only share a delicious recipe with you, but to also share why buying Fair Trade is so important. What is Fair Trade? Buying Fair Trade ensures that you’re getting quality products and the people who grow, sew and craft them get a fair deal for their hard work. In fact, your everyday purchases can help farmers and factory workers in 70 countries work in safe conditions, earn extra money to invest in their communities and improve the lives of their families. I also want to share a story with you of a lady who worked in a Fair Trade factor in India and how that makes a difference in her life.
Meet Komil Baror
Komil Baror, 24, from Kanpur, Uttar Pradesh, works as a tailor in Pratibha Syntex, in Pithampur, Madhya Pradesh, India. A member of the factory's Fair Trade Committee, she has worked at the factory for 5 years. "I'm very happy to work here because there is no inequality amongst workers - the work atmosphere is very positive. I want to thank Fair Trade consumers for supporting us. Over a period of time, our involvement with Fair Trade will only improve the quality of our product because workers will be more invested in their work. Pratibha's product is already considered the best in the region - we want to be 'double best.'" Komil is very active in the Fair Trade committee and proposed improvements for migrant workers like herself, including establishing a community kitchen space, repairs for personal storage lockers, and establishing a designated room for visiting parents of workers, some of whom have traveled from thousands of kilometers away.
CLICK HERE to learn more about Fair Trade and where to find products.
A received an awesome box full of Paleo Fair Trade items so that I could come up with a delicious recipe to share. I used the Nutiva Coconut Oil, Arrowhead Mills Coconut Flour, Lake Champlain Organic Unsweetened Cocoa, and Sunspire Organic Baking Chocolate in my brownies. I'm excited for the other items as well. My husband is a tea lover and is enjoying the Runa loose leaf tea and he has also already eaten those Eating Evolved Coconut Butter Cups. I'm looking forward to cooking with the Frontier CO-OP Black Peppercorns- fresh cracked pepper is so good!
Here is a helpful picture on Fair Trade and why it's important. That label in the middle is what to look for when searching for products in the store. They will have that label on them and it's usually pretty easy to see.
Now, this amazingly delicious recipe! As soon as I received this box, I knew I wanted to make brownies. And these brownies are so good! Thick, fudgy, rich, intense chocolate flavor, and so easy to make! No one will know these are paleo! I wanted to create a recipe that was just like the "regular" version and that's exactly what these are. If you have never used coconut flour to bake, then there is a little learning curve. It is super dry so you don't need a lot. A quarter cup was all I used in this recipe- so a bag lasts a long time.
They are so easy to make. They are mixed in one pan and are in the oven within just a few minutes. These are perfect for those times you need chocolate treat quickly, or those times when you have to bring a dessert somewhere. You will absolutely love these brownies!!
Next time you are shopping, consider buying from a company that is certified Fair Trade. It doesn't cost you any more, but it makes a difference in the life of the farmer where it came from. It is so easy to find Fair Trade products, too. Not only am I seeing them at health food stores, but at big chain stores as well. I love that awareness is being raised and people are caring where their food comes from. And you should definitely pick up the ingredients for these fudgy paleo brownies!
Here are some more brownie recipes to try:
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Fudgy Paleo Brownies
Ingredients
- ½ cup melted coconut oil, I used Nutiva unrefined
- ½ cup cocoa powder, I used Lake Champlain
- 2 oz unsweetened chocolate, I used Sunspire Organic Baking Bar
- ¾ cup honey
- 2 large eggs, room temperature
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- ¼ cup coconut flour, I used Arrowhead Mills
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon fair trade espresso powder optional, but recommended
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350° and line a 9x9 baking pan with parchment paper. Spray with non-stick spray and set aside.
- In a medium saucepan, combine coconut oil, cocoa powder, and unsweetened chocolate. Heat oven medium heat, whisking until mixture is smooth and no lumps remain.
- Take off the heat and stir in the honey. This should cause the mixture to slightly thicken.
- Add in the eggs and vanilla and mix well.
- Add in the coconut flour, salt, and espresso powder. Mix until no dry pockets remain.
- Pour into prepared pan and bake for 20-23 minutes.
- Store in the fridge after the first day to keep fresh.
Nutrition Information
Brittany Rex says
These are delicious! I substituted honey for maple syrup and skipped the espresso. Will definitely make again thank you!
Jessica DeMay says
Thanks, Brittany!! I'm so glad you like them and I'm happy to hear maple works as a sub. Thanks for the feedback 🙂
charlotte says
OMG I love these just perfect treat with a cup of tea 🙂 cake texture in the middle and the coconut comes through just lovely .... thank you so much for the recipie I can eat them without guilt lol x
Jessica DeMay says
Thanks, Charlotte! I'm so glad you enjoy them! You're welcome- thanks for the great feedback! 🙂
Michelle says
All I can say is WOW... that must be the hardest brownie recipe I have ever made. I made the mistake of licking the whisk ... I should never have done that, I almost didn't get any mixture into my baking pan. After a huge internal battle I told myself I could like the pot once the brownies were in the oven. The raw mixture is YUM. I only put in half the amount of honey and still plenty sweet enough for me & used 90% Lindt chocolate for the unsweetened chocolate.
Thanks so much for all your hard work creating recipes and keeping this wonderful site going. We have all been Paleo for about 18 months now and just love this way of eating. Thanks again, I have already sorted out a couple of your savory dishes to make over the weekend.
Jessica DeMay says
Haha- thanks, Michelle! 🙂 I'm glad to hear they made it into the oven 😉 Thanks for those kind words- I'm glad you enjoy my recipes! That really means a lot. I love hearing feedback from people and I love creating recipes people enjoy.
Pp says
Hi,
I'm really excited to like this recipe, thank you for making it for us. I seem to be doing something wrong tho, in between step 3 & 4, after I heated up the first 3 ingredients and then added the eggs, the eggs kind of cooked and got lumpy. Then when I cooked them in the oven there was juice all over and they came out lumpy and watery. Help.
Pp says
Still Delicious tho!!!!!
Jessica DeMay says
I'm so sorry that happened! It sounds like the mixture was too hot when the eggs got added which cooked them. I don't know why there was juice all over when they were cooked. Next time just let the mixture cool for 5-10 minutes before adding the eggs. I'm sorry they didn't work out! I hope that helps!
Megan says
Let me begin by saying I made these 4 times over a few months then decided to read the comments and felt compelled to leave feedback.
First off, these are paleo brownies; they will not be say Trader Joe Dutch cocoa truffle brownies nor will any other paleo/ whole 30 brownies for that matter. Texture and taste of coconut flour and honey can only mimic flour and sugar. Haha. Make these in the expectation of fudgy coconut chocolate bars. Man are they good though. I didn't make them 4 times because they were bad. 😉
Also, when I want chocolate it must taste more cocoa than sugar and these are right on the money for me. Different grades of cocoa powder will effect the bitterness of chocolate. Sugar masks cheep/low grade cocoa. I learned this from NPR. 😉
Do NOT over cook these. They will loose their gooey goodness appeal.
Despite using 2 different pans I haven't gotten mine as thick as the picture. Maybe the secret is in the expresso. I'm not a coffee fan (freak of nature maybe) so I skipped this optional ingredient.
Finally if it's not as sweet as you would like consider your honey. Example: Loganberry honey is not nearly as sweet as clover honey.
Happy Snacking,
Megan
Jessica DeMay says
Megan- thank you for the great feedback! 🙂 You are so right, these aren't regular, full of sugar and flour brownies. I definitely think you should try the espresso powder- it doesn't taste like coffee, it just brings out the chocolate flavor. Great point with the honey! Thanks for making them and the great tips!
Gabriela says
Hi,
I made the for the first time and they were great. The second time I doubled de recipe and they were too sweet, I had to use a different honey.
Im gonna try with maple syrup or agave to see if I can get the same taste as the first time
Jessica DeMay says
Hi Gabriela- I'm glad you tried them and liked them. Good to know that that can't be doubled with the same results. Let me know how a different sweetener works. Thanks for the feedback!
Melissa says
I made these today but they came out flat and bittersweet. I was hoping they would be an alternative to the box stuff...My son took one bite and spit it out. Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!
Jessica DeMay says
Hi Melissa- I'm so sorry to hear they didn't turn out for you. Did you use all the ingredients and not make any substitutions? They are very dense, but they should be sweet with all that honey. I'm sorry I can't be more help!
shannon harris says
Just made these. Cut the honey in half and added about a TBSP of Maple syrup. They have a nice texture but didn't fill the pan and were pretty bittersweet. VERY chocolatey. I guess you really can't cut the sweetener if you want it to be super good. My son got mad at me and said. I don't like your brownies you always add the bad chocolate! lol
Jessica DeMay says
Ha- that comment cracks me up 😉 Yes- you definitely need that honey!! Hopefully they were still edible! 🙂
Harmony says
Mine came out looking nothing like the picture and actually super flat....I am an avid baker so not sure what went wrong?
Jessica DeMay says
I'm sorry, Harmony! Did you make any changes? It's hard for me to know what went wrong. I hope they still tasted good.
Tiffany says
Mine came out flat and extremely oily. I do a lot of Paleo baking as well, not sure what went wrong with mine either.
Jessica DeMay says
Hi Tiffany- I'm sorry they didn't turn out for you? Did you make changes? I've had so many people try them with great results so I don't know why that would happen.
Iris Hanlin says
This looks amazing! Does the recipe still work without the honey?
The Starving Inspired
Jessica DeMay says
Thanks Iris- the honey is needed for the sweetness and without it these would be very bitter. They may work with another sweetener if you want to try that.
Iris Hanlin says
Thanks for the quick reply! I was wondering because I'm craving brownies and I'm just finishing up phase 3 of the hcg diet (and I'm not allowed to have sugar outside of fruit, including honey). Has anyone tried this with stevia?
Jessica DeMay says
You're welcome! You could try it with date paste if you're allowed that. I haven't had anyone try it with stevia, but that may work. I hope you enjoy them 🙂
Iris Hanlin says
Thanks! I think I'll give stevia a try and see how it turns out. 🙂
Jenny says
Would coconuts sugar work in place of the honey?
Jessica DeMay says
Hi Jenny- it may, but it might change the texture since it's not a liquid sweetener. You could use maple if you want or if you use coconut sugar then increase the coconut oil by a couple tablespoons. I hope that answers your question. Let me know if you try them that way.
sharon george says
I didn't have enough honey so I replaced with coconut sugar; would have used agave, but didn't have enough of that either. It is still delicious, and I will make it again with honey, which I believe may increase the moisture factor. Best paleo brownie that I have made so far, even with the sub. I believe date sugar would also work with some added coconut oil. Thanks for a brilliant recipe. Sweetness factor was good, although I might try just a little less after I try it with the honey. and see how that goes. You rock!
Jessica DeMay says
Thanks, Sharon! Yes, using coconut sugar will throw the moisture level off a little. You could also try maple if needed next time. I'm so glad you like them! Thanks for trying them and for the great feedback!
Sue says
Can you use coconut sugar?
Jessica DeMay says
Hi Sue- that may work, but they might not be as fudgy. The honey adds moisture along with the sweetness. Let me know if you try it and how it works.