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These super fudgy almond flour brownies are made with plenty of chopped chocolate, finely ground almond flour and a touch of coconut flour for structure, and no refined sugars.
Why I love this almond flour brownies recipe
These brownies are dark, delicious, and for chocolate-lovers only! Dense and rich, I find that I'm satisfied with less of this brownie than with a classic one with refined flours and sugars.
They're a treat, and not exactly “health” food. But the sugars in them are unrefined coconut sugar and honey, which both have some nutrients. Plus, the recipe calls for less sugar than many other brownie recipes.
Key ingredients
Most of the ingredients in this recipe are very classic Paleo-style baking ingredients: coconut oil, almond flour, coconut flour, coconut sugar, honey. Here are a few notes on each ingredient and what you should know about it:
- Chopped chocolate – I like to use a combination of unsweetened chocolate and a Paleo-friendly dark chocolate with some unrefined sweetener. “Dark chocolate” is the term used to describe chocolate that has cocoa but no milk solids. If you don't care whether these brownies are strictly Paleo, you can use whatever chocolate you like here.
- Virgin coconut oil – Virgin coconut oil is the type of coconut oil that is solid at cool room temperature. If you are at all concerned about coconut flavor, try using a “triple-filtered” variety, which removes all traces of coconut flavor.
- Coconut sugar – This granulated unrefined sugar adds a lot of sweetness and some depth of flavor to these brownies. It tends to have a much coarser grind than refined granulated sugars, so it has to be dissolved in the warm melted chocolate and coconut oil.
- Honey – Honey adds liquid sweetness and some nice flavor to these brownies.
- Eggs – Eggs add lift, structure, and help balance the coconut flour, which tends to absorb a lot.
- Almond Flour – You must use finely-ground almond flour that has been “blanched,” which just means that the skins of the almonds have been removed. I like Honeyville brand or to order from Nuts.com. Almond meal will not work as it's too gritty to combine properly and to make a smooth brownie.
- Coconut Flour – One single tablespoon of coconut flour really helps add a lot of stability to these brownies without adding any flavor. It does make the brownies absorb more liquid, so we need one more egg than we otherwise might.
- Salt – Salt balances the sweetness and brings out the flavor of these brownies.
- Baking Soda – Baking soda helps to neutralize the acidity of the honey and cocoa powder, if you aren't used Dutched cocoa powder.
- Cocoa powder – Cocoa powder adds lots of chocolate flavor to these brownies. Mixed with melted virgin coconut oil, it makes a creamy chocolate flavor.
How to make almond flour brownies
These brownies are made similarly to how we make our chewy gluten free brownies recipe. Here's how, step by step:
Melt chocolate, add sugar, prep eggs
Melt chopped chocolate and the virgin coconut oil, then whisk in the coconut sugar and honey so that it begins to dissolve. Place the eggs in a large separate mixing bowl.
Beat eggs & combine wet ingredients
Beat the eggs very well, add the melted chocolate mixture slowly, and beat everything together to combine fully.
Add the dry ingredients
Add the cocoa powder, then the almond flour, baking powder, salt and coconut flour, and mix until combined.
Bake the brownies, then slice & serve
Transfer the thick, sticky brownie batter to a lined square baking pan, and spread it into an even layer. Bake the brownies just until they're fully baked in the center. Let them cool, chill, slice and serve.
Tips for making the best almond flour brownies
Melt the coconut sugar for a smooth batter
Granulated coconut sugar is much grainier than refined sugars, and it can make these brownies a bit grainy. We avoid this problem by melting the coconut sugar in the liquid chocolate and coconut oil while they're still warm. The smoothest dough makes for the most gorgeous brownies.
Make sure your oven is not too hot
Be careful about a too-hot oven. Almond flour tends to burn at higher temps, and you want these to stay fudgy, soft and tender. Most ovens run hot, so be careful that yours doesn't go above 325°F/163°C by using a standalone oven thermometer.
Don't omit the bit of coconut flour
And I know it's only a tablespoon of coconut flour, but it's worth buying some to use in this recipe. I've also made the recipe without it, and they just don't have the same texture. You don't need to buy a ton of coconut flour; I keep it in the refrigerator, and it takes me forever to make it through a 1 pound bag.
Use only finely ground blanched almond flour, not almond meal
Finely ground almond flour that has had its skins removed (blanched) is the only sort of almond flour that will work in this recipe. Almond meal is coarsely-ground almonds that haven't had their brown skins removed. It won't work in recipes like this, as it won't combine properly with the other ingredients and is gritty.
Almond flour brownies substitution suggestions
Can you make almond flour brownies without eggs?
It would be difficult to make these brownies without eggs, since there are 3 in a relatively small pan of brownies. You could try using 1 “chia egg” each per egg (1 tablespoon lukewarm water mixed with 1 tablespoon ground white chia seeds and allowed to gel per egg), but I'm not certain it would do the heavy-lifting that eggs are doing here.
Almond flour
To make these brownies without almond flour, you might try using finely ground cashew flour or even finely ground hazelnut flour in its place. The taste would likely change.
Nut free
In place of any sort of nut flour, try one of the following recipes:
- Flourless brownies if you don't want to find any alternative flour.
- Oat flour brownies for brownies with alternative to almond flour.
- Gluten free brownies a classic brownie made with an all purpose gluten free flour blend.
Almond flour brownies without coconut
The coconut flour really adds quite a bit of structure to these brownies. If you don't want to use it at all, you can try replacing it with more almond flour, but they will be more fragile. If you'd like to replace the coconut sugar you can try using date sugar.
For the coconut oil, you can try using Spectrum brand nonhydrogenated shortening. There are a lot of coconut products in this recipe, so you'll have to experiment!
FAQs
You can store these brownies, once sliced at room temperature for up to 3 days as long as they're covered. You can also place them in a sealed container in the refrigerator, since they're moist enough to handle the drying effect the refrigerator tends to have.
Yes! Wrapped tightly in freezer-safe wrap or in a sealed freezer-safe container, they freeze very well for longer storage. They won't even freeze solid, so you don't even really need to defrost them very much before they're ready to enjoy again.
Yes! I have made these brownies with dry mix-ins like chocolate chips and nuts. I wouldn't mix in more than 4 ounces of either one, and reach for soft raw nut pieces like almonds or pecans over walnuts, which tend to be a bit too hard in brownies.
Absolutely! You can replace the coconut sugar with an equal amount, by weight, of dark brown sugar.
Almond Flour Brownies | Super Fudgy
Equipment
- Handheld mixer
Ingredients
- 5 ounces dark chocolate, chopped (I like to use a mix of unsweetened chocolate and dark chocolate, for a richer, less sweet brownie)
- 6 tablespoons (84 g) virgin coconut oil
- ¾ cup (120 g) coconut sugar
- ¼ cup (84 g) honey
- 3 (150 g (weighed out of shell)) eggs, at room temperature
- ¾ cup (60 g) unsweetened cocoa powder, (either natural or Dutch-processed)
- ½ cup (56 g) blanched finely ground almond flour
- 1 tablespoon (8 g) coconut flour
- ¼ teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 325°F. Grease an 8-inch square baking pan, and then line it with overhung sheets of crisscrossed unbleached parchment paper. Set the pan aside.
- Place the chocolate and coconut oil in a small, heat-safe bowl and then place the bowl over a small pan of simmering (not boiling) water, taking care that the bowl doesn’t touch the simmering water.
- Melt the chocolate and coconut oil, stirring occasionally, until smooth.
- Remove the bowl from the heat, and add the coconut sugar and honey to the mixture.
- Whisk to help the coconut sugar to dissolve in the warm mixture, and to integrate the honey.
- Alternatively, the oil and chocolate can be melted in the microwave in 30-second bursts, stirring in between until melted and smooth before adding the coconut sugar.
- In a large bowl, place the eggs, and whisk or mix until well-beaten and combined.
- Add the melted chocolate, oil, and sugars to the bowl slowly, whisking constantly.
- Add the cocoa powder and whisk until the cocoa powder has been absorbed. Using a handheld mixer, beat until very well-combined.
- Add the almond flour, coconut flour, baking soda, and salt, and mix with a silicone spatula or spoon until just combined. The batter will be thick and sticky.
- Transfer the brownie batter to the prepared pan and, using an offset or silicone spatula, spread into an even layer. It helps to moisten the tool you are using to smooth the top a bit to prevent it from sticking.
- Place the pan in the center of the preheated oven. Bake just until the brownies are no longer wet in the center, about 25 minutes. The brownies will not appear wet and as shiny in the middle, and a toothpick inserted there will come out with only a few moist crumbs, but not wet.
- Remove the brownies from the oven and allow them to cool in the pan at room temperature until the pan is no longer hot to the touch.
- For clean lines when you slice the brownies, place the brownies, still in the pan, in the refrigerator to chill for about an hour before slicing them.
- When you’re ready to slice the brownies, remove them from the pan and peel away the foil. Slice the brownies into 9 or 12 equal rectangles or squares.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Is there a difference between coconut sugar and regular granulated sugar???
Yes, there is, Danelle. Coconut sugar is made from sap collected from the flower buds of the coconut palm tree, the buds that would form coconuts if allowed to mature. It is lower-glycemic, and has a number of nutrients. Regular granulated sugar is crystallized sucrose, extracted from sugar cane or sugar beets. The juice is extracted and boiled down to reduce the water, and separate it into sugar crystals and molasses. The crystallized sugar, without the molasses, is what we call granulated sugar. It has no nutrients and is high-glycemic.
Thank you Nicole on explanation for coconut sugar. I may try some. I’ve also made my own almond flour by grinding it up in a chopper that totally makes it into almond meal/flour. I assume that would be OK to use?
I’m afraid not, Marilyn. This recipe calls for blanched almond flour, which is finely ground blanched skinless almonds. Grinding up whole almonds makes almond meal, which is much coarser and behaves quite differently in baking.
Thank you Nicole! That’s good to know. Marilyn
I finally got some almond flour from nuts.com, after starting out using Bob’s Red Mill almond “flour.” What a world of difference!
I’m diabetic. You’ll find that there is not that big of a difference for a diabetic in coconut sugar and white sugar. Those micronutrients still have lots of glucose/fructose, and coconut sugar is mostly fructose. Not a good dietary choice for most people who have diabetes or excess weight.
These brownies are not intended to be safe for those with diabetes, Kelli. Nothing with this much sugar in any form, as opposed to a sugar substitute, would be. And this recipe would not work well with a sugar substitute.
Sucrose is half fructose, half glucose. The single study finding that coconut sugar is low-GI was comparing coconut sugar to pure glucose, not to sucrose.
If coconut sugar is about 80% sucrose 7-9% fructose, (which is what a cursory web search suggests, as I haven’t gone deeply into this) then it is, in fact, mostly fructose.
Only glucose registers on the glycemic index, but fructose is still important as a source of calories and inflammation.
That said, I think all things are good in moderation, including brownies.
Definitely want to add walnuts to it. Do you think that would change anything in preparation. Also, I have some semi-sweet chocolate. Will this be fine?
That should be fine, China. Semi-sweet chocolate will make the whole thing much sweeter. If Paleo is not something you’re interested in, I’d suggest trying the Gluten Free Super Fudgy Brownies linked to in the post above.
I don’t keep unsweetened chocolate around, but must have these right now. So I’m going to see if using the cocoa container’s substitution recipe for unsweetened chocolate will work. I will report back!
If that suggests a mix of oil and cocoa powder, Donia, I wouldn’t bet on a good, nonoily result. I’d recommend more shortening rather than oil.
Yes, I used shortening (1 T shortening and 3T cocoa = 1 oz chocolate). They were way too dry to even mix in the blender, so I added water. They are cooling now. They may not cooperate in texture, but I’m guessing the taste is good. I will try the recipe the right way sometime, too! When the weather is warmer and I don’t mind going to the grocery store… ;)
Do you think a food processor would work to blend them in? (Would it remove the graininess you mention?) I really despise trying to get the batter out of a blender (even if it had been the right consistency), and for all the cleaning woes of a food processor, it is at least more friendly in that respect.
That should work, Donia, but I haven’t tried it so you’ll have to experiment!
These turned out really nicely. I love how cleanly they cut! Not like regular brownies that like to crumble as you slice them. Very tasty. Thanks for a great recipe!
Just a fun tip for “regular brownies” (gluten-free and otherwise), if you’re struggling to get them to cut nicely, use a plastic knife. Works beautifully. :)
Thanks Nicole. I’m not Paleo yet–more Primal. I’m low carb but I eat whatever I want one or two days a week, gluten free of course where I get to try many of your delectable looking recipes. I guess I’ll use my Ghiradelli bittersweet 60% cacao chocolate then. Off topic, can’t wait to hear how to use my new Bron and Taylor proofer for your bread recipes. I just purchased your Bakes Bread cookbook. :-)
60% cacao chocolate would be great in this, China!
I am so excited to make these!! I just finished the last of my GF fudgy brownies and am intrigued by this recipe…since you’ve now made this your “go-to” brownie. It took me a while to fully stock my pantry, but I have all of the listed ingredients, and then some. Just ordered navy bean flour yesterday to make the paleo PB choc chunk cookies too. Thank you again for all of your submissions!!
So glad you’re stocked and ready to go, Kristen!
Holy chewy, yummy, chocolatey goodness Batman! I am salivating!
Have you ever tried using tapioca or coconut flour instead of almond flour (almonds are nut allergens in the family).
You cannot replace almond flour with either tapioca flour or coconut flour, I’m afraid, Amy. See below for another reader’s suggestion to try sunflower seed flour, but I can’t vouch for it myself!
I will likely make these today while waiting for the “polar vortex” to head on its merry way. (Will my kids ever return to school?) Polar vortex, everybody else may be too polite to say this to your face, but we all hate you. Polar bears, cute. Polar vortex, not so much.
Mmmm…these look incredible! I will try them…just as soon as I’m done eating my decidedly un-paleo-but-still-GF Chocolate-Whiskey Bundt Cake! I used your mock C4C blend, and it made the cake so decadently fudge-y! But now I need these brownies! OXO Allison
For a nut allergy you can sub sunflower seed flower cup for cup with almond flour. I will try this with these & let you know how it goes. Just run unsalted raw seeds thru a Ninja or Vitamix and BOOM, flour.
Interesting, Shannon. Definitely report back, if you would!
Sunflower flour may give the brownies a green tinge but should work well as a substitution. They are so dark that it might not even be noticeable. I love that you have ventured into paleo baking. I have some of your cookbooks and love your recipes but try to keep paleo as much as possible. Thanks for all you do!
Had NO idea there was such a thing as Sunflower Flour. Thanks for the suggestions for how to go about making it. I need a food processor.. Really do. <3
Costco had a small Cuisinart about 4c i think … It works well.
Me either! I’m excited to try using it, since I’m allergic to almond anything and peanut anything. LOL THANK YOU Shannon Williams for the information!
Shannon, where are you and what is the name of your bakery in Bradenton? I am gluten free and lactose free and I live in Venice, just down I75 from you.
Has anyone made these with egg substitute by any chance? We can’t have eggs.
I’m afraid I don’t know if that would work, MMig.
I made GFShoestring’s gingerbread cake with chia seeds for egg substitute and it turned out fairly well (egg allergy for nephew). I would think it’d work well in this as well.
Paleo baked goods don’t generally work as well with egg replacements, Amy, as conventional rice-based gluten free baking. I’m afraid I’m not that optimistic that it would work for this recipe.
I use a basic egg replacer. Found this one at Whole New Mom, and I have had success with it..More success with some things than others, but it works pretty good–I just try to limit the number. IE) I can’t even try to use it for a yeastless bread even if I wanted to (It wouldn’t turn out..). Try to limit it to only using 2-3 eggs per recipe to ensure success…
Wow – these look so yummy. I just had a brownie like this at the Good Earth that they turned into a turtle brownie with melted caramel, pecans, and melted chocolate on top -it was the best. You’ve inspired me!
That sounds fabulous, Jennifer!