Hello, beautiful! Can you believe these are paleo? And don’t they look way too tempting to be “healthy?”
My favorite part of healthy baking is making paleo treats that don’t taste paleo and satisfy cravings. Because if I want a brownie, in an ideal world it would be healthy, but I want it to be as sweet, fudgey, and crackle-topped as the classic.
Enter: PALEO Crackle Top Fudge Brownies! This is not only the best paleo brownie recipe I’ve experimented with, but probably the best brownie recipe all in all. It’s everything a brownie should be and healthy, too. Anyone who has had a bite of these brownies will lose all color from their face when you tell them that they’re gluten-free, dairy-free, and refined sugar free.
This recipe accomplishes that crackle-top crust, which is usually very difficult to come by in paleo baking.
How to make paleo fudge brownies with a crackly top:
Beat the eggs and coconut sugar for 8-10 minutes on high speed. This is a step you cannot skip if you want the contrasting textures of a fudgey inside and crinkle top. The beating process will input air into the batter that will create a meringue-like crust as the brownie bakes.
Melt the coconut oil and chocolate. I use Enjoy Life Semisweet Mini Chips for this recipe, which has a little refined sugar in it. If you want this recipe to be paleo to the T, then use about 7 oz of paleo chocolate. I love the options on Thrive Market!
Crackle Top Fudge Brownies (Paleo)
Ingredients
- 3 large eggs
- 1 c coconut sugar
- 1/3 c almond flour
- 1/8 c (2 tbsp) coconut flour
- 1/8 c cocoa powder
- 1/8 c cold water or coffee
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 c dairy-free chocolate chips
- 1/3 c chopped chocolate (optional)
- 1/2 c + 2 tbsp coconut oil
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 325 F. Line an 8x8 pan with parchment paper.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer, beat the eggs and sugar on high for 8-10 minutes. Meanwhile, begin preparing the rest of the ingredients.
- Melt 1 cup of chocolate and the coconut oil in a microwave-safe bowl in 30 second bursts, or using a double broiler if you prefer. Once the chocolate and coconut oil are completely melted, add in the dry ingredients: almond flour, coconut flour, cocoa powder. Mix until well-combined.
- In the chocolate-coconut mixture, add in the vanilla extract and water (or cold brew / cooled coffee). Whisk until all the ingredients are thoroughly combined.
- After the eggs and sugar have been beating for 8-10 minutes, gently fold in the chocolate-coconut mixture. Continue folding until the batter is evenly mixed, being sure not to over-mix and deflate the batter.
- Bake the brownies in the lower thirds of the oven for 30-35 minutes. The batter should not be entirely baked when removed, a toothpick should yield moist crumbs. The brownies will continue cooking as they are cooling. Once the brownies are cooled and set, slice into 9 squares and serve!
