These Zero Waste super healthy and totally delicious chocolate brownies are grain free, sugar free, gluten free AND Package Free.
So simple to make at home and a decadent way to still enjoy rich chocolate treats without the crap. The perfect dessert or afternoon snack without the guilt.
These can be frozen for up to 6 months, but let's face it, they wont last THAT long!
I've called these Mock Chocolate Brownies, although chocolate is VERY real, they are somewhere between a cake and a brownie, and are packed with nutrition including protein and fibre.
I hadn't planned to add this recipe to the blog because I seem to have sooo many that involve chocolate and bananas. But after some prompting from Facebook and Instagram when I shared a pic of my brownies, how could I say no! So thanks to those people (you know who you are) everyone can enjoy this whenever they want.
With Easter right around the corner, this is a great recipe to have up your sleeve.
Ingredients
3/4 Cup of Almond Meal
1/3 Cup of Coconut Flour
1/4 - 1/3 Cup of Raw Cacao Powder
(depending how strong you like it)
4 Bananas
2 Free Range Eggs
1/2 a Teaspoon of Bicarb or baking soda
1/2 Teaspoon of baking Powder
1 Teaspoon of Natural Vanilla Essence
100-150g of dark chocolate or chocolate chips
Notes on Ingredients:
>If you don't have raw cacao powder, good quality cocoa is a perfect substitute. They are made by a slightly different process - Raw cacao is generally more expensive and harder to get, it has a higher nutritional value as the beans are cold pressed, while cocoa has been roasted and then pressed.
>For the dark chocolate, I used Lindt 80% chocolate this time (which does contain some sugar) because we have had it since Christmas and no one wants to eat it. It's a little too dark and not sweet enough. You can use chocolate chips or whatever is available at your bulk store and they usually have dairy free options available. I haven't tried this recipe with carob, but it seems it could work.
>Almond meal can probably be substituted with hazelnut meal although this is more expensive. If you can't get Almond meal or want to get it cheaper, try making it yourself. All you need is almonds and a food processor or coffee grinder. Blitz until it forms a grainy consistency (it won't look like flour but should be a little rougher than say what coffee grinds would be).
>I have no idea if you can substitute the eggs out to make this vegan - sorry! If you know how to do it, let me know.
Method
> Heat the oven to 180 degrees Celsius
> Grease a large slice tray for baking, you can use butter, olive oil or coconut oil.
Now there are 2 options for how to Prepare the Mixture:
Option 1. If You Have a Food Processor:
I like simple options so this is what I do....
>Add the eggs, bananas and vanilla straight into the food processer
>After blitzing, add ALL the other ingredients and blitz again
(If you want big chocolate chunks, then put them in last and stir them in by hand - I just put it all in together)
Option 2: Gadget Free:
If you don't have any gadgets, you can still get the job done, it will just take a little more elbow grease, but it's TOTALLY worth it and not that hard to do. (I absolutely hate recipes that require special equipment I don't have AND most things can be made without gadgets)
>Beat the eggs in a mixing bowl
>Add bananas, vanilla essence and mash with a fork. Mix well
If you opted for chocolate chips, throw them straight in .
If you have a block of chocolate, then roughly chop with a knife first.
>Now add all the remaining ingredients and mix it all up
How To Cook It
>Pour your gooey chocolate mess into your pre-greased baking tray
>Check that your oven has reached 180 degrees
> Bake for around 20-25 minutes
Always check if its ready using a skewer or a fork - just poke it into the centre and if it comes out clean, it's cooked. I find cooking time can vary a little on this recipe.
>Leave it to cool in the tray
You can remove it from the tray however you like, I'm a bit of a hack in the kitchen so I have some quirky ways to get things done.
I run a spatula around the edges of the tray first. Then, using the spatula (because I don't want to damage my baking tray) I slice out the portion sizes, then remove each from the tray. It's just easier for me to get more uniform slices this way.
(If you have some advice and tips for me, I'll happily take it!)
This recipe is freezer friendly. Just pop your brownie squares into a container and freeze. It's easy to freeze without disposable plastic.
To defrost, leave out of the freezer for an hour or two or heat in the microwave in short bursts.
Make it More Zero Waste
>Shop Bulk stores
>Compost your banana peels and egg shells
>Save your soft plastics for Redcycle
>Foil from chocolate can be scrunched into a fist sized ball for recycling
>Choose local ingredients when you can
Now get into the kitchen and start making these!
(And don't forget to save this recipe somewhere you can find it)
Make sure you always keep these ingredients on hand in the pantry, they are super useful and you can whip this up anytime you get a craving.
I love these sooooo much and they help me avoid the packaging of chocolate baked goods at the supermarket, along with the trashy ingredients.
The almond meal makes this a really satisfying and it contains a good amount of fiber - this means you wont accidently eat 10 in one sitting, you wont get a sugar high/low, and you're not eating empty calories.
Let me know what you think, and if you come up with some variations on this, add it in the comments below so I can try it too.
If you're looking for more recipes that help you reduce packaged foods and food waste, head to the Kitchen Page