Low Carb Double Chocolate Brownies

These brownies are so good that I doubled the original recipe in this adaptation because my husband (who is not on a diet) actually likes them too!  Of course there is nothing wrong with halving the recipe if you don't have anyone to share with - you might be sorry though! haha

Double chocolate brownies satisfy my need for something sweet and something chocolate

I have found that they are so satisfying, I can only eat 1/2 brownie at a time.  Based on cocoa, coconut and almond flour, it's hard to believe that they are not empty calories (unlike regular brownies)!  I have included links to various products; look for the text that is a different color and click on it to open the link.

Click here to learn more about the ketogenic diet.

Adapted very loosely from the ketogenic cookbook Bacon & Butter.

Makes one 9x12" pan of brownies - about 16-18 medium sized brownies

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup coconut flour
• 1 cup almond flour
• 1 cup natural sugar replacement/sweetener such as stevia, xylitol, or erythritol*
• 1/2 cup cocoa powder
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp sea salt
• 1 stick melted butter; or use 1/2 cup melted coconut oil; or 1/2 cup rice bran oil**
• 6 eggs; beaten
• 1/2 cup heavy whipping cream
• 1/3 cup water
• 2 tsp good quality vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup chopped dark chocolate***
• 1/2 cup chopped pecans (optional)

Procedure:

• Preheat the oven to 350͒ F.
• Prepare a 9x12" baking pan (cake pan) by either brushing it with oil, or rubbing it with butter, OR use Trader Joe's coconut oil spray.  Try to stay away from heavily processed vegetable oils.
• Sift all the dry ingredients (the first 6) together in a medium large bowl.  I use a medium gauge strainer right over the bowl and I push the ingredients through with a rubber spatula.  The coconut flour likes to lump up, so does the cocoa powder and the baking powder, so this step makes the whole process easier in the long run, with better results.
• Beat the liquid ingredients, melted butter (or oil), eggs, cream, water and vanilla together in a smaller bowl.
• Add the liquid ingredients to the dry ingredients and mix well.
• Fold in the chocolate pieces and nuts (if you're using them).
• Scrape the thick batter into the prepared cake pan and level it with a rubber spatula.
• Bake in the preheated oven for about 30-35 minutes or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean.
• Cool for about 10 minutes before cutting into squares.  I like to cut them into 3x6 squares with a serrated knife.
• Cool completely and store on a plate covered with plastic wrap in the refrigerator.
• Enjoy!

After the brownies have been stored in the fridge, a few seconds in the microwave does wonders for them.  Literally only about 8 seconds.

*I use half stevia with half of one of the other sweeteners for a great flavor.

**If you're lucky enough to have a restaurant supply store that is open to the public in your area, you can probably save a lot of money on the rice bran oil by buying it there.  Rice bran oil is the bomb.  It has a smoke point of 490͒ F and the triglycerides stay stable well into the 400͒ range.  Perfect for frying.

***This is one place I fudge a tiny bit and use regular semi-sweet chocolate chips.  Because they are sparingly placed throughout the brownies, the impact is super-minimal and it makes the brownies all the more satisfying.