Raspberry Brownies

This is super easy and one of my all time favourites! My basic raspberry brownie recipe is lower GI and lower in cocoa than most recipes, and is designed for people who are sensitive to sugar, gluten and dark chocolate (i.e. me!). I have played around with this recipe many times in my kitchen, so some easy swap-ins can be found throughout the recipe. If the result is not firm enough for you, just stick it in the fridge for a while.

1/2 cup coconut oil - or could go 50/50 with coconut butter as is naturally sweet.
1/2 cup of coconut flour
Your choice of sweetness* - 1/2 cup for standard sweetness, 1/3 cup to create a lower GI option.
1/4 cup of dark cocoa powder**
1/4 cup of desiccated coconut** - naturally sweet
1 cup of raspberries - naturally sweet
4 eggs
1 tsp vanilla - naturally sweet
1 tsp cinnamon ('ceylon' preferably) - naturally sweet
1/2 tsp pink salt
1/4 tsp cardamom powder (optional) - naturally sweet

Melt raspberries if frozen. Gently warm a small pan of shallow water and balance a small steel bowl on the top, not touching the water. In the bowl, 'gently' melt together coconut oil with cocoa powder and your choice of sweetness*. Stir in the melted raspberries and desiccated coconut until smooth. Remove bowl from pan and leave to cool. In a large bowl, gently whisk together eggs, salt, vanilla, cinnamon and cardamom. Stir the cooled cocoa raspberry mixture into the eggs mixture. Then gently whisk in the coconut flour a spoonful at a time, forming a smooth batter. Line a square dish with grease proof paper and pour in the mixture. ***Bake at 170°C for 20-25 minutes or until the centre is firm to touch. Allow to cool for 15 minutes before slicing.

• *Lower Carb to minimize the blood sugar/insulin spike: dependent on health needs, try Birch Xylitol. Or a cheaper alternative may be Erythritol/Natvia (only 1/2 measure) . Only consume sugar alcohols as occasional treats. 
• *Pregnant and breastfeeding women or Paleo: select a natural sweetener such as pure maple syrup or raw coconut sugar. Lower GI alternatives are yacon syrup  or organic pure stevia. Different forms of stevia require different measurements, so refer to packaging.
• *Work on acclimatising taste buds to less sweetness. Experiment with using a 1/2 measure and adding a few drops of pure stevia extract.
•  **For a richer chocolate hit you can swap the 1/4 cup desiccated coconut for another 1/4 cup of cocoa (i.e. for 1/2 cup cocoa as in standard recipes)
• ***This recipe can also be baked in mini-muffin tins for 20 minutes. 
• ​If you want a firmer slice you can place in the fridge for 30 mins before serving.
• Store in the fridge for up to 5 days.
• Freezing these will make them last longer and then add to lunch boxes as needed or defrost when you fancy a treat. (personally I sometimes eat them straight from the freezer as they remain reasonably soft)

Dangers of Xylitol to animals:
Don't give XYLITOL to pets. Read more about xylitol here and xylitol dangers for dogs here.

Check our my other recipes by clicking a photo below, or go back to the recipe menu by clicking here