Over the years, I have experimented with many different ingredients in my brownies. There has been garbanzo beans, tofu, yogurt, cream cheese, black beans, avocado, and I’ve even used applesauce in a box mix. And while there are many ways to produce a healthier brownie, sometimes you just need dark chocolate, oil, and sugar baked into a sweet bite!
Luckily, there are some ways to compromise. First, you don’t need to start with a cup or two of sugar. I often use brown sugar and maple syrup to sweeten my desserts. Monk fruit or date paste are other great options; however, you may need to play around with quantities. As we were celebrating a birthday, health was not my main focus…though…if health was your main focus- you probably wouldn’t be going for a brownie…
Anyway, I decided to use coconut oil to help achieve a moist brownie. It’s easy to find numerous health benefits, but coconut oil is still filled with calories, fat, and saturated fat. I was able to leave out the all-purpose flour, butter, and some of the sugar, but then I also added peanut butter cups…
Hey, life is all about balance!
25 minutes
GF Brownies with Peanut Butter Cups
Ingredients
- 1/4 c. coconut oil, melted
- 1/4 c. brown sugar
- 2 Tbsp. maple syrup
- 1 tsp. vanilla
- 3 Tbsp. milk
- 2 eggs
- 3 Tbsp. cocoa powder
- 1/2 tsp. baking powder
- 1/4 tsp. salt
- 1/2 c. flour (almond & tapioca)
- 4-6 thin peanut butter cups, chopped
- Topping: 2 Tbsp. peanut butter, 1/4 c. dark chocolate chips, 1 thin peanut butter cup
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. In a medium mixing bowl, whisk the coconut oil, brown sugar, maple syrup, vanilla, milk, and eggs. Then, whisk in the cocoa powder, baking powder, salt, and flour. Stir in the chopped peanut butter cups. Fill 24-26 mini muffin cups about 3/4 full. Bake for 10 minutes. Then, allow to cool.
- Microwave the peanut butter for 15-30 seconds. Next, pipe or drizzle over the brownie bites. Then, melt the chocolate chips and drizzle over the brownies. Finally, sprinkle with a finely chopped peanut butter cup.