Brownies with Cocoa Powder

Can I be honest with you? I used to have a love hate relationship with desserts and brownies in particular. When I was stressed or tired, I would rip open the brownie mix, pour in water, and pop in the microwave. I wouldn’t bother baking or adding in eggs or butter. It was a low point for me.

This had become a weekly occurrence. I worked in the grocery division as an analyst at Target Headquarters and got tons of free samples. I’m talking a plastic dumpster bin full of food sat on my office floor – coffee, cake mixes, brownie batters. Anything that was new or planning to roll out in stores would get sent to the buyers to try and see how it looked on Target’s shelves. At first I thought this was incredible – free food! I didn’t like to spend money but this soon turned into a binge eating nightmare.

I would bring home brownie batters and cake mixes with the intent that I would bake them for friends and weekend gatherings. Yet I found myself eating these foods all by myself. I would then bring home and repurchase the same ingredients multiple times. I felt defeated. I didn’t want to be social.

It wasn’t until I started realizing that I wanted to have things in my life I actually enjoyed – a job with purpose, meaningful friendships, and starting to date that my eating habits got better.

It was a process but I slowly started taking small steps to live a life that felt more aligned.

In the past, you may have tried some disappointing healthy brownie recipes that kind of taste like cardboard. I know the feeling. That’s why I’ve spent a lot of time in the kitchen testing and trying different combos to achieve something truly delicious. Let’s talk about our main ingredients:

Cocoa Powder
Black beans
Coconut Oil
Dates
Unsweetened Coconut

No need to keep chocolate chips or chocolate bars on hand. Cocoa powder give us that rich chocolatey taste that we’ve come to love in desserts. No need to add in flour as the black beans are the substance of these brownies. The coconut oil is a great swap for butter used in traditional brownie recipes. And last but not least these brownies with cocoa powder get their sweetness from dates and unsweetened coconut flakes.

Preheat the oven to 350 F / 176 C.

If using a metal pan, lightly grease the mini muffin pan. You can also use a 12 slot muffin pan.

Make the flax egg by combining flaxseed powder and water in a bowl. Set aside for 5 minutes.

To the food processor or blender, add all ingredients and puree – about 3 minutes – scraping down the sides as needed. If the brownie batter is too thick, add a tablespoon of water and blend again. The brownie batter consistency should be not too thick but not runny.

Transfer the brownie batter into the mini muffin pan. Use a spoon to smooth the top of the brownie batter.

Bake for 10-12 minutes or until the tops are dry and the edges start to pull away from the sides.

Transfer from the oven and let cool in the muffin pan. Gently remove with a spoon.

You can top with peanut butter and salt.

Let me know what you think. How do you feel keeping desserts in your home?

If you enjoy chocolate recipes, you’ll want to check out my no bake chocolate peanut butter bars.