Molten Chocolate Brownies

You know when you’re tired of chocolate and you just can’t… and you like… need a break? Yeah, me neither.

And apparently I am not the only one, because today is National Brownie Day. True story. I mean, who does not love brownies and who does not love chocolate!? But a day to celebrate either is a good day to me.

So in honor of National Brownie Day, and every other day I show my love for chocolate, I whipped up these Molten Chocolate Brownies.

This healthier version of brownies is made with 100% organic ingredients such gluten-free oats, raw cacao, dark chocolate, and banana for natural sweetness. They are lacking the usual suspects found in traditional brownies (i.e. white flour, sugar and dairy), but are rich and chocolatey and you can enjoy them with impunity.

Fun fact: banana adds moisture and acts as a natural binder in place of eggs in baking.

The oats are a great gluten-free substitute to use in baking, and most people have oats in their pantry. I just give them a quick whiz in my food processor to make oat flour.

And I suggest using organic raw cacao, which is simply raw unsweet cocoa powder. I like the brand Navitas Organics.

My favorite brand of dark chocolate for baking and eating out of hand is Theo, which you can find at Whole Foods, Fairway, Publix etc. As with any dark chocolate, to get the antioxidants and other health bennies, go for 70% or higher cacao content. But that is a subject better tackled in a future blog post!

The rest of the ingredients are straight forward ~ vanilla extract (I like Simply Organic brand), baking powder, fine sea salt and cinnamon. For the cinnamon, ceylon is the truest form of cinnamon, but that’s yet another blog post to come!

I chose to bake these in these 4-oz ramekins to achieve the molten-slash-melty center effect. But if you don’t have ramekins you can bake them in muffin tins or even a small baking dish such as this one from OXO.

My last tip is that you might even try prepping these ahead, refrigerating, and then baking when ready (adding a few extra minutes of baking time to recipe). The only caveat here is that I did not try this and baking powder starts to “act” right away when combined with certain ingredients so may be best to bake right away. Let me know if you try this! A great idea for a dinner party to have some prep done ahead of time.

Be sure to let me know if you make this recipe. You can tag me on Instagram or feel free to leave a comment below. Happy National Brownie Day!

Print Recipe

Molten Chocolate Brownies

Rich and chocolatey molten brownies that are dairy-free, gluten-free and vegan

Course

Dessert

Keyword

gluten free, healthy, low sugar, vegan

Servings

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup old fashioned organic rolled oats or 1/2 cup oat flour
• 3 tbsp raw cacao unsweet cocoa powder
• 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1/4 tsp cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp fine sea salt
• 1 small ripe banana sliced
• 1/2 cup chopped dark chocolate *ensure it is dairy-free for vegan
• 4 squares dark chocolate about 1” size
• 1/2 tsp coconut oil for coating ramekins
• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract

Course Dessert Keyword gluten free, healthy, low sugar, vegan Servings Ingredients 1/2 cup old fashioned organic rolled oats or 1/2 cup oat flour 3 tbsp raw cacao unsweet cocoa powder 1/2 tsp baking powder 1/4 tsp cinnamon 1/4 tsp fine sea salt 1 small ripe banana sliced 1/2 cup chopped dark chocolate *ensure it is dairy-free for vegan 4 squares dark chocolate about 1” size 1/2 tsp coconut oil for coating ramekins 1/2 tsp vanilla extract

Instructions

1. heat oven to 350° and lightly coat four 4-oz ramekins with 1/2 tsp coconut oil **oil does not need to be melted and it should be 1/2 tsp total, not 1/2 tsp each ramekin
2. in a food processor or blender grind oats to a fine flour, then add to a large bowl with cacao, baking powder, cinnamon and salt
3. add sliced banana to food processor/blender (no need to wash after oats), purée until smooth
4. melt the 1/2 cup chopped dark chocolate in a double boiler or microwave, cool slightly
5. add banana, vanilla and melted chocolate to oat mixture, stir well
6. divide half of batter among the four ramekins, press a chocolate square into each one, then top ramekins evenly with remaining batter
7. bake at ramekins on a parchment lined sheet pan 350° for 13-15 minutes and serve warm right away

Recipe Notes

Recipe notes and variations:

1. mix up the chocolate filling with different flavors of chocolate squares ~ try coconut, nut-butter filled, caramel, mint or other flavors
2. top with your fave non-dairy ice cream, such as Coconut Bliss coconut milk vanilla, then top the ice cream with a melty chocolatey drizzle or chocolate shavings
3. alternatively, sprinkle brownies with powdered sugar in place of ice cream
4. rather than a chocolate square you could put a dollop of thick and creamy nut butter in the middle, such as peanut butter
5. if you do not have ramekins bake in a muffin tin or small baking glass baking dish such as this one from OXO
6. you can bake for closer to 10 minutes if a more mousse like texture is desired

Original recipe created by Jerran Boyer
www.healthnutchefs.com