Chocolate in any form is pretty much always wonderful. Which is exactly why the simple brownie is so popular. I really love brownies, and the cool thing about them is that you can make them any way you really want to. There aren’t exactly any set specific ingredients accept for the use of chocolate or cocoa powder. While I enjoy a pan of brownies cut into squares I feel that making smaller bite size ones are a little bit more fun and easier to store. With brownie bites you can kind of just get the satisfaction of the brownie and easily grab it out of the fridge. It also keeps it from being an overwhelmingly large dessert and it doesn’t end up making you feel gross afterwards and more towards the satisfied side. It actually makes a pretty great snack as well.
Although I didn’t try making regular brownies out of this batter but I would imagine they would turn out just fine, maybe even better. When I made them in the form of brownie bites the texture was much better, and actually cakier than I thought. Not in a bad way though, in a very good way, a chocolaty way. Again, another reason these are better as brownie bites. Maybe in the future I will do another recipe just regular plain old brownies, but until I can perfect the texture these are still pretty darn good.
I love the soft chewy texture these have, it’s kind of cakey yet chewy at the same time. I also make these really dark chocolaty so the flavor is super intense and not super sweet. So if you want more sweetness you can always add more. But I suggest trying them with less to get that pure chocolaty love that everyone needs. Which I have been having a lot urge for chocolaty love lately. An incredible lust for chocolate in the form of a brownie. The third and final reason why brownie bites are marvelous. Apart from them being brownie bites and chocolaty, they are just really easy to make.
If i’m strapped for time but really want something I can store in the freezer I usually make these. But that can really go for any baked good once you do them a lot. Which makes me actually wonder why I even suggest that because I’ve only made these 3 or 4 times but talk about them like I have been making them for years. Well now you know. But I have been making brownies for a while, so maybe some of that experience leeched into this one. I may be getting a little to technical for brownie bites at this point, but hey, I think the final decision that needs to be made here is whether or not you want chocolate in your life. I hope you choose yes. Also this is amazing with my Raw Cacao and Roasted Hazelnut Butter slathered on top of one of these.
- 1 cup almond flour
- ½ cup cocoa powder
- ¼ teaspoon baking soda
- pinch of salt
- ½ cup coconut oil melted plus a little non melted for greasing
- ½ teaspoon liquid stevia plus ⅓ cup water or ½ cup honey
- 3 eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees and grease mini muffin pan with coconut oil.
- In a medium bowl add all dry ingredients and combine.
- In a small bowl beat eggs then add melted coconut oil and the rest of the wet ingredients and mix until combines.
- Pour wet ingredients into dry and thoroughly incorporate.
- Spoon in mixture into greased mini muffin pans and place in the oven for 15 minutes or until tops have risen and a toothpick inserted comes out clean.
- Once done let cool in pan for about 5-10 minutes.
- They should come out clean enough for you to gently twist them and pop them out, but if not take a knife and carefully guide it around the edge and pop them out onto a cooling rack to finish cooling.
This look delicious and you have such a lovely aesthetic for taking photos!
Could coconut palm sugar be used in place of the stevia?
Yes you could definitely do that, I haven’t tried it with coconut sugar so please do let me know how they turn out if you do try it and I will put that on the recipe as another option. If you need help with how much to use I’m not 100 percent sure but I would imagine you would want to use about 1/3 to 1/2 cup of it.
I just made these using 1/2c of coconut sugar. They were tasty..but a bit dry. I’m not sure what I could add to help that.
I looked it up and I didn’t find anything,but you can use maple syrup for honey.
These look delicious and I like the idea of small bites even though I probably wouldn’t be able to stop at just one! 🙂
I love brownies, and chocolate, and almonds, and coconut oil. These look like they will satisfy me completely. 🙂 I would love to see if I can add cacao nibs to these when I make them. I love the strong, bitter flavor of dark chocolate.
Thanks for the recipe!
woow this sounds great 😉 I’ll let you know on Facebook and post a picture if they turn out as nice as yours 🙂
Mmm… these look divine! Do you think the batter is thick enough to make drop cookies for little cookie-brownie-bites? I love the idea of these bite-sized, quick baking treats but I don’t have a mini muffin tin.
Actually it might be thick enough. My batter was pretty thick, not super thick though. I would imagine that would work, let me know if it does Lauren. Also I seriously suggest investing in a mini muffin tin if you like bite sized quick baking treats because they are perfect for just about anything bite sized.
I made these today and they were AWESOME! No need to freeze any because they will not last that long in my house! They were a bit difficult getting out the mini muffin pan but I think if I used muffin cups or a silicone muffin pan it would have been better. I am new to Paleo baking so I have had many recipes not turn out but this one perfect in both texture and flavor. Thanks for posting!
Wow these look amazing! Funny I have the same bag of raw cacao powder sitting in my pantry since….a very long time ago. I think I its time to put it to use with this recipe!
Do you think I could sub pure maple syrup for the honey or would it alter the texture, since it is not as thick as the honey?
I want to make them NOW. 🙂
Hi Marjori, I’d imagine they would come out fine but you may want to reduce it to a little less than half of a cup, maybe closer to 1/3 of a cup. Let me know how it goes and I’ll update the recipe.
I just made these and they are lovely.
These just came out of the oven, I sure hope they taste as amazing as they smell!
I used bob’s Redmill Almond flour, so I sifted it with the cocoa powder (I do that since it’s apparently coarser than other flours). Super easy to make, wasn’t sure how full to fill the muffin cups though so I just winged it and filled them all to just shy of the top, which seemed to turn out perfect. Mine made 24.
Just popped them out of the tray, they all came out really easy, no broken ones at all and they taste soooo yummy!
Just popped these out of the mini muffin pan and had to eat one still warm. HOLY COW! These are delish! I made them with raw honey. Can not believe how cake-like they are. I would also like to try them with a grade B maple syrup variation. These would make an amazing dessert with some fresh berries and some coconut (or regular) whipped cream. Thanks so much for the recipe…you’re a genius!
Thank you so much Lisa, I’m so glad you liked them! Great ideas with the berries and coconut. I may add variations to the recipe later and may add your variation as well, with attribution of course.
My 11 year old son, who doesn’t love most Paleo baked goods, ate literally half the batch of these the first time I made them. I added some dairy-, soy-free chocolate chunks into the center of each one for a molten-lava type cake. I’m floored. They smell amazing, they taste phenomenal, and . . . just . . . wow. I’m blown away. Simple, delicious, Paleo. Perfect.
I just realized that I trashed my mini muffin pan a few months ago. I have regular sized muffin pans and, of course, regular baking pans for brownies. Would you bake them longer if you just made them like regular brownies in a square or rectangle pan? Oh, and what size? Sorry for all the questions!
Yes you can make them in regular brownies. I would probably just increase the baking time until it is firm all the way through. My best guess would be an extra 8-15 minutes. Try an extra 8 minutes and then check them and if it looks like they could go longer then leave them in a bit longer.
Thank you. They are great!
Instead of honey can I use agave nectar?
Thanks for posting this, I can not wait to make 🙂
You sure can! I haven’t tested it with that, but I think it should work. Let me know how it goes.
That looks delicious and really simple to make. I really like how you gave the stevia option – going to try that!
Thank you – my grandchildren love them – they are easy, quick and I don’t feel guilty giving the brownie bites to them!!!!
I made these today. Loved them so much I then made a triple batch to take to a Superbowl party. With plenty left over to put into the freezer for when I want. Omg these truly will be my saving grace. Don’t hesitate to make these. I used honey. So good.
Glad you enjoyed them Shari. As a side note these are incredibly good right out of the freezer.
Just made these and yum!! I used agava as I don’t like stevia and they came out good. Next time I will add a little less cocoa as I’m more of milk chocolate fan than a dark chocolate fan.
I was having a major chocolate craving and was so happy that I had all of these ingredients handy. These brownies are wonderful! Great recipe, thank you for sharing!
Id like to make this but I don’t use stevia or any other sugar substitute. I typically use honey or pure maple syrup to sweeten things. How can I make this without using the stevia?
Yes you can use maple syrup or honey if you like, I have the substitution for it listed on the recipe.
Made these as a valentine treat. I threw in a small handful of enjoy life mini chips. They were so yummy! Even the kids love them.
Just came out of the oven, flat as pancakes. Toothpick came out clean, so they were done, but more sponge-cakey than brownie-like. Baking soda is new; batter wasnt too thick – i poured it into the muffin tin. Would you suggest allowing batter to rest prior to filling, to thicken up? Also, I’ll try again, halving the honey, to reduce liquid, and upping soda to 1/2 tsp. Might even add 1/4 tsp. baking powder – I’m maybe 1,200 ft above sea level, and have been surprised to need to adjust baking “for altitude.”
Hi Erin, this is very odd. Everyone has had success with both the stevia and the honey. I’m sorry they didn’t turn out for you. I would say it was the honey but other people have done it with honey and they turned out fine. How long did you leave them in the oven? And did you use almond meal because I used blanched almond flour.
Success!
First, to answer your questions: I followed your recipe, blanched almond flour and everything, when I baked them in February.
However, this time (April), I adjusted the following: I added approx. 1/8tsp. of baking powder, 2 tbsp. blanched almond flour in addition to the amount called for, and reduced the honey to +/- 1/4 cup.
The bites rose, and look just like your picture. Maybe it’s my oven? Maybe it’s our altitude? I don’t know, but the recipe is a good one. Thank you so much for publishing it!
Would this recipe work with coconut flour?
Well, technically speaking it could. But with coconut flour you would need to adjust all of the other things to the point where it wouldn’t be the same at all. So I would suggest sticking with almond flour for this.
Eek!!! I’m glad to know almond meal wouldn’t work for this recipe because that what I would’ve used!! WILL be picking up some almond flour tomorrow because I have to try these! Is agave an acceptable sweetener replacement?
Well if your asking if Agave is healthy or Paleo. I would say no. But if you want to use agave you can use it with the same substitution as honey.
Ok..thank you!!!!
Just made these – more cakey than I expected. (Was hoping for a more gooey brownie-like consistency.) Also had serious challenges getting them out of my metal non-stick mini-muffin pan. You recommend silicone? And mine didn’t rise to peaks like yours did. Did you use a hand or stand mixer, or just hand? My 3-year-old gives them a thumbs up while he chews! 🙂
What did you make them with? Did you substitute anything? And did you remember to grease your muffin tin with coconut oil? I’m sorry that happened.
This recipe is BRILLIANT!!! I added crushed almonds which had salt on them so I skipped adding the salt the recipe called for…trivial, I know but they came out PERFECT! I only had a regular (non-mini) muffin pan and they were a great texture. Yielded 12
Just made these, but used almond meal bc it’s all I had…turned out great! Even my kids loved them!!!
These brownies are delicious! I just made them for my husband, who is a brownie connoisseur. They are light, fluffy and chocolatey. I will 100% make these again! Thank you for the recipe 🙂
I made them in a regular size muffin pan, stoneware. Put them in for 15 minutes and then another 5. The last 5 could be reduced to 2 but they still didn’t come out dry.
I also used almond meal and they turned out great.
I love the recipe but are these supposed to be bitter? I did everything right and used stevia instead of honey but they were not sweet at all!! What did I do wrong?
No they are not supposed to be bitter at all. Maybe it was the Stevia you used. I use Sweetleaf SteviaClear Drops because it’s just organic Stevia extract and purified water. It could also have possibly been your cocoa powder.
I made these as little birthday cupcakes and they were fabulous! Whipped up some heavy cream to dollop on the top of each. Easy recipe with fabulous results. Everyone loved them.
The texture was great! They were not quite sweet enough for us, though. Do you have any suggestions for using honey and stevia? I used honey when I made them.
Thank you!!
Well, these are supposed to be pretty dark chocolate brownies, but I can see how they might be a little too dark for some people, I’d recommend adding some Stevia like you said. Maybe 1/4 teaspoon? You could just go all Stevia and do the full 1/2 teaspoon and see if that works out for you. Stevia tends to have a really high concentration of sweetness if your using a pure one with no additives like I do. Sorry they didn’t turn out sweet enough, I hope the next batch turns out better.
These sound great but any substitution for the almond flour? We have an almond allergy in the house.
You could use sunflower seed flour. Just grind sunflower seeds until a fine powder and use that. The texture and taste will probably be very different though. Let me know how it goes.
This came out great. The coconut flavor combined with the chocolate reminded me of a mounds bar. I did the reciepe exactly as above with the honey. This is a keeper.
Hi, the almond flour I have is Bob’s Red Mill Almond meal/flour will that be okay? Also I only have regular muffin pans and not the mini ones, would I just need to adjust the cooking time? Thank you
Well it will cook the same but the texture and appearance will be completely different. I have no idea how long they will cook in a regular muffin pan as I have never tried since these are just “brownie bites”. Just try baking them at the same temp and check after the given time to see if a toothpick comes out clean when inserted.
I am wondering if I can cook these in a 9×9 baking pan ( or something) like normal brownies?
You absolutely can.
Just made these, only second paleo baking effort. My first try on another recipe was terrible as I didn’t realise you couldn’t swap 1:1 coconut and almond flour, very dry muffins as you can imagine. So, I was a bit anxious making you recipe.
However, they turned out absolutely perfectly! Thanks for restoring my faith in my paleo baking ability! I’m sure alot of it is trial and error with different and new ingredients, but at least I’ve now had 50% success! So thanks again for an awesome and simple recipe!!!!
I’m going to make these this week. I so love the double chocolate brownies. Do you think adding some coursely chopped dark choclolate chunks to the batter would bake up okay?
It shouldn’t hurt them at all. Sounds like a delicious addition! Although they will be really rich with that extra chocolate, but I don’t really see a problem with that.
I love that you bake with Stevia, as it seems like many Paleo bloggers usually use honey/coconut sugar/maple syrup. I have no idea what the substitution ratio is for Stevia, so I don’t get to use it nearly as much as I’d like. Your recipes are a breath of fresh air & this one sounds lovely!
I need a little guidance b/c I have not used coconut oil yet as I’m very new to Paleo, Grain Free, Gluten Free baking. Your recipe calls for 1/2 cup coconut oil melted. Question… do you measure 1/2 cup solid coconut oil, melt it and use? Or do you melt first and then measure 1/2 cup of the melted coconut oil? Sounds trivial, I suppose, but I want to be certain my method is accurate to help me have success with your brownie bites recipe. TIA
I spoon it into the measuring cup and level it with a knife then melt it. Very good question though, thanks!
Thank you so much for the quick response! Looking forward to this wheat free chocolate treat!
You’re welcome. Just be careful with that stuff it can be very messy. Also be sure you find a trust worthy brand like Nutiva or organic or something. Anything that is unadulterated coconut oil and none of the processed stuff.
The brand of coconut oil I recently purchased but have not yet opened is Spectrum Organic Coconut Oil. In your opinion, is this brand okay to use? It’s described on the label as “Mechanically (expeller) pressed naturally refined organic coconut oil.”
Expeller pressed is great! I prefer virgin coconut oil instead of refined coconut oil. The one that I linked in my last comment is the one that I used. Virgin and expeller pressed is usually my standard for it.
I made these today, and because I don’t have a mini muffin tin, I used a regular-size cupcake pan. And because I’m lazy, I also used paper liners. The recipe yielded 12 cupcakes that were . . .
D R O P – D E A D
D E L I C I O U S
P.S.
I also added 2 teaspoons of espresso powder.
Hi there. Im wondering if you could use a different flour in this recipe? All I have is almond meal, coconut flour, oat flour, rice flour and gluten free flour blend but no almond flour…any suggestions? Thanks!
Well, you could use almond meal but the consistency will be completely different. The thing about almond flour is really the consistency and it does make quite a difference. I don’t have any experience with those other flours but I’d imagine you could sub any of the other flours with the same conversion accept for the coconut flour but I just want to warn you that they will not be the same.
Thanks for the speedy response! I was thinking of trying almond meal but I might just use oat or a GF blend. I’ll let you know how it goes 😉
Sure thing. To be honest I would go for the almond meal to be safest if you have no almond flour. But like I said, consistency will probably be completely different, but that doesn’t mean they won’t taste good. Good luck!
Thanks for the speedy response! I was thinking of trying almond meal but I might just use oat or a GF blend. I’ll let you know how it goes 😉
All I presently have on hand is Trader Joe’s Almond Meal. Based on the comments I’ve read almond meal does not work as well as almond flour in this recipe. Do you use blanched or natural almond flour and what brand do you recommend?
I use almond meal (leftover from making homemade almond meal) and it worked fine for me.
I just began low-carb, grain-free diet that I wish I had started years ago. I feel soooo much better. Made the brownie bites because if I’m going to stick to this, I will need some sweets on hand. They were so easy to make and they are delicious! I will undoubtedly make them over and over. Thanks so much for the recipe.
Made these brownies following the recipe exact. (I opted for honey instead of stevia).
Okay. A little dry and WAAAAAAAYYYYY to rich & bitter! You could use 1/4 cup or even 1/8 cup of cocoa powder. It left a crazy taste in my mouth that not even a gallon of coconut milk could wash away. One of these brownies alone packs a punch. They are very dense and overpowering. (What a waste of my last three eggs.)
Next time i attempt Paleo brownies, I will try less cocoa powder, and maybe use a combo of coconut flour and almond milk as well (since coconut flower absorbs liquids really well). AND/OR include some almond butter in the recipe.
Overall, this recipe needs some drastic modifications for my liking.
Because the brownie was a little dry, I made my own “paleo icing” to put on top:
PALEO CHOCOLATE ICING:
½ cup Coconut Oil
¼ cup Honey
1 tsp Vanilla Extract
¼ cup Cocoa Powder
¼ cup almond butter
4 Tbsp Coconut Milk
pinch Sea Salt
These are supposed to be darker brownies because that’s how I wanted these specifically. I don’t think they “need drastic modifications”. Maybe they just aren’t your type of brownie, sorry you did not like them.
Sorry, I have to disagree completely. I LOVE these brownies and have made them many, many times. They are a darker, richer brownie, but that’s part of what I think makes them so tasty. Maybe try a sweetener other than stevia? There are plenty of paleo free options.
Nailed it
Do you think replacing the coconut oil with butter would work out o.k.? 🙂
I like the way you think. Yes it will work just fine to sub butter over the coconut oil.
I haven’t made these yet, but want to make sure about the ingredients. The recipe calls for cocoa not cacao? Can I use cacao? I’m surprised you use cocoa, seeing it is processed. Can’t wait to make these!!!!!
I use cacao powder.
Ok just took them out of the oven. They look and smell amazing but I made them with stevia and they are too bitter for me. I will try again with honey. Is there a brand of steva out there that you like over others? These are so easy to make!!
Just made these… amazing! Thank you!
I did not have stevia (and did not want to use honey so they would be safe for my toddler) so I used 1/4 cup coconut sugar, 1/4 cup splenda brown sugar and a little maple syrup.
Can you use stevia powder rather than liquid?
You can but it would likely result in a different amount being used. I’m not certain what the substitution would be.
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I tried this recipe and it was fantastic. I used 6 packets of stevia, which is equivalent 1/2 tsp of stevia liquid. I mixed this in with the water noted in the recipe. I also added 2 tbsps of honey, this really adds to the flavour but is not necessary.
Such an excellent recipe, I cannot stop eating them. I love them from the fridge!
I just made these and I’m very happy with the results. I doubled the recipe, without consequence, since I’m baking for a group. I veered from the recipe only because I didn’t have enough organic cocoa powder; I added organic cacao powder to complete the measurement and it worked fine. I would recommend oiling the muffin pan really well with coconut oil (I used a coconut oil spray) and not overfilling the cups on the pan. I found that a tablespoon scoop was too much batter to give a nicely shaped result. I used about 2 teaspoons (I think), which produced a baked brownie level with the pan, no “muffin top”. I also cut down the time in the oven to 12 minutes. Delightfully moist and chocolatey! My husband remarked that he would never have guessed it was grain-free!
These turned out FANTABULOUS! I used mini muffin cups so I didn’t have to grease the pan. I can’t believe how GOOD they are! Usually I HATE anything that is like “bread” in the Paleo diet, but these were something else! THANK YOU from Utah!
I meant to give them 5 stars.
These are great! Perfect texture and rich flavour! Nice one Josh!
I just made these and added about a tablespoon of avocado into the mixture to give a slightly more fudgey consistency and some extra nutrition. They were delicious and loved by my whole family, even my youngest child who usually doesn’t eat my chocolate flavoured baked goods.
I also just put all the ingredients into the food processor. So quick and easy.
Just made these brownies. Surprised the ratings are so high. They are bitter. I followed the recipe exactly and used 99RA stevia so I am not sure why they are as bitter as they are. The true test was I gave one to my boys, without telling them anything about the ingredients. They didn’t like them. The bitterness didn’t bother me as much because I knew what was in them but I must confess I was not crazy about them.
This recipe didn’t work out at all for me … Tastes bitter has no flavor. Followed steps one by one
Just made this wonderful recipe! I have been on an elimination diet for the last 3 weeks (avoiding dairy, gluten, corn, soy, and sugar/sweeteners other than stevia), and this is the first time I have been able to enjoy some form of “baked good” that fit within those guidelines. I topped my brownies with sliced banana, coconut flakes, and walnuts as a late-night study snack and they were exactly what I needed to get my fix and not obsessively lurk in the kitchen looking for more sugar (if you know what I mean!). Thanks for sharing!
Can a stick of butter be used in place of the half cup of coconut oil? I know butter still has water content. I plan to use a half tablespoon of powdered stevia for the sweetener. Will I need to add water, you think? Thanks.
Should be totally fine!
Hello.
Was so looking forward to this. But the result was not sweet enough. I followed the recipe completely. Any ideas?
Is it possible to bake these in a small baking pan instead of a muffin tin?
Tried these and followed the recipe implicitly but they were horrible and bitter. So sad 🙁