YES.
THIS. JUST. HAPPENED.
AND…
IT’S CLEAN… !!
I just wrapped up my midterm hell week… On a Monday… Last week was so hell-esque that it didn’t end until the following Monday.
I wrapped up my food science exam on Monday and I immediately perked up when I realized that I had time to bake something.
Lily’s Sweets sent me some of their chocolate last week and I’ve been dreaming of making a recipe with their chocolate every day at the library. It’s kinda hard to study for two nutri sci exams and a food sci exam when you know that your pantry is STOCKED with Lily’s Chocolate. ( the caramelized & salted bar didn’t make it to this recipe – I blame the midterm blues on that one… )
I came home and started pouring all things chocolate into a bowl and produced the most delish dessert I’ve ever made.
I love a good challenge when it comes to making healthier food, especially dessert. I picked purposeful ingredients that provide healthy fats, fiber, and a BOMB flavor. If I’m going to eat Brownie Peanut Butter Crunch bars instead of a Crunch bar, it better be pretty damn good… and indeed it is.
After chilling this batch in the fridge, I cut up a few squares for my roommates. They gave it a thumbs up and went in for seconds!
RECIPE:
Brownie Layer:
3/4 cup almond flour
1/4 cup oat flour
1/2 cup coconut sugar
1/2 cup cocoa powder
pinch of cinnamon
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 T vanilla
2 T coconut oil
3 eggs
2 T peanut butter
1 tsp baking soda
PB Layer:
1 cup natural peanut butter
1 tsp coconut oil
1 tsp vanilla extract
Chocolate Layer:
2 cups Lily’s Dark Chocolate
2 tsp coconut oil
2 tsp vanilla extract
2/3 cup all-bran buds
Directions:
Preheat the oven to 350° F. Mix all brownie ingredients in a medium to large size bowl. Pour batter into a 8×8 baking dish and spread into an even layer with a rubber spatula. Bake 17-22 minutes. Remove from the oven and allow the brownies to chill.
In a small bowl, mix peanut butter, vanilla extract and coconut oil. Microwave for a few seconds if the coconut oil isn’t melted. Pour over the chilled brownies. Place in the fridge.
For the third layer, microwave the Lily’s Dark Chocolate with the coconut oil. Avoid over heating the chocolate because it will not spread and layer as well. When the dark chocolate is melted, mix in the vanilla extract and fold in the all-bran buds.
Again, when developing this recipe, I focused on using ingredients that are add nutritional value ( & that still taste dank ). Almond flour and oat flour are my two fave flour substitutes because they are easy to bake with. According to the TAND, almonds provide protein, fiber ( to keep you full ), and healthy fats. They also are a great source of vitamin E and magnesium! Today’s Dietitian notes that multiple studies find that oats may lessen the risk of Type 2 Diabetes because oats contain viscous soluble fibers that interact with bile acids to lower cholesterol and mediate the rise in blood glucose after a meal.
All-Bran Buds are an F-Factor favorite and for a good reason! Not only do they give this recipe an appealing “mouthfeel” crunch, but it also adds 26 grams of dietary fat to the whole batch.
And it literally doesn’t end there. The Lily’s Chocolate is also a great source of fiber. Just 40 grams of Lily’s provides a whopping 8 grams of fiber… HELL YAS!
I hope you enjoy this recipe.
xx hails
