Gluten Free Brownies with Dairy Free Whipped Cream

Brownies were not something I grew up eating in Moldova. I was a freshman in an American college when I had my first brownie and I just about melted on the floor. It was so sweet and chocolaty. It didn't take long before I was making brownies from the box while munching on cheetos at one o'clock in the morning. I really lived it up in college. 

Once I began my journey with whole foods and healthy eating I stopped making brownies from the box. At first my brownies where made with organic unbleached white flour and organic white sugar. Then I made the next step and replaced the white sugar with raw honey. The final step came when I discovered that I am sensitive to gluten thus I had to replace the white flour to almond flour. This is a recipe that I have made for a couple of years now, slowly changing the ingredients to better suit my needs. This time I also replaced the raw whipped cream with whipped coconut milk. Why? No, I have not become dairy intolerant. Some of my dear friends are though, so I have been experimenting with recipes that are dairy free so I can still make delicious alternatives when they come over.

Ingredients

Brownie

2 cups of almond flour

1/2 cup of organic cocoa

3 - eggs

1/3 cup of coconut oil, if not dairy free you can replace it with cultured butter (source)

splash of vanilla

1/2 tsp of salt

1 tsp of baking powder

1/2 cup of raw honey or maple syrup

Whipped cream

1 cup whole fat coconut milk

1/3 cup of honey

Directions

Part 1

1. Turn the oven at 375*.

2. Mix two cups of almond flour, 1/2 cup of cocoa powder, 1/2 tsp of salt, and 1 tsp of baking soda together.

     (You want it the mixture to look like this.)

 3. Heat up the coconut oil.

4. Pour it in a large bowl.

5. Add three eggs.

6. Mix it vigorously. Not as vigorously as me though. I got a little carried away and dumped some on the table and on my camera lens. Ooops!

7. Add the 1/2 cup of honey to the egg and coconut oil mixture.

8. Give it a good stir.

        9. Pour the liquid onto the dry ingredients.

    10. Mix  it.

     11. Pour the brownie batter into a baking sheet greased with coconut oil.

   

12. Bake at 375* for about 15-20 minutes.

      13. Take it out and let it cool off.

Part 2

This is optional. You may serve the brownie by itself, with ice cream, raw whipped cream, or whatever you want. If you want to try a whipped coconut milk cream, here it is.

     

1. Combine 1/2 cup of raw honey and 1 cup of full fat coconut milk.

        2. Using a hand blender, mix it for about ten minutes. It is won't raise up in peaks like regular cream. In fact, at room temperature it will be a bit too runny. But if you throw it in the fridge or freezer for a few minutes, it will turn stout and foamy - just begging to be loaded onto the brownies! 

         I love this desert. I don't make these as sweet as I used to, so please taste the batter and if you like your brownies sweeter, just add a little bit more honey.

                                               Enjoy and let me know what you think!