Secretly Healthy Brownies

By Kathy C.

From Chocolate-Covered Katie Cookbook
"Each bite is so decadently fudgy you'd never guess these bold brownies are cholesterol-free, gluten-free, dairy-free, low in sugar, and high in omega-3s and fiber. One of my friends proclaimed this to be the best brownie recipe he's ever tried, healthy or not!

Ingredients

• Frosting:
• 1 cup water
• 2/3 cup vegetable or melted coconut oil
• 1/2 cup applesauce
• 2 Tbsp flaxmeal
• 2 tsp pure vanilla extract
• 1 cup coconut flour
• 3/4 cup cocoa powder
• 3/4 cup xylitol or sugar of choice
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/16 tsp pure stevia extract, or 2 extra Tbsp sugar
• 1/2 cup melted coconut oil
• 1/2 cup cocoa powder (KC: I use 1/4 cup)
• 2 Tbsp pure maple syrup

Preparation

Step 1

Preheat oven to 350F. Line a 9×13 baking dish with parchment paper and set aside.
In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together the first 5 ingredients and let sit at least 5 minutes.
In a large mixing bowl, combine all remaining brownie ingredients and stir very well.
Pour wet into dry, stir until evenly mixed, then pour into the baking dish. Using a full sheet of parchment or wax paper, press down very firmly until the brownie batter evenly covers the pan.Remove before cooking.
Bake 24 minutes, until mostly firm. Remove from oven and pat down hard with a pancake spatula or another sheet of parchment.
Refrigerate the pan overnight, as the brownies will not only firm up considerably during this time, they will also taste much sweeter and more chocolaty.

Frosting: Stir frosting ingredients together until a sauce forms.
Frost the brownies with the frosting. Refrigerate the brownies for 10 minutes to set the frosting.

Remove the brownies from the refrigerator and cut into squares. As a general rul, cutting brownies with a plastic knife, and wiping it between each cut, prevents crumbling. These brownies are best stored in the refrigerator or freezer. Refrigerate leftovers in a covered container for up to 4 days, or freeze for up to a month.