Freedom Fudge Brownies

Gluten-Free, Dairy-Free, Egg-Free, Sugar-Free-ish (at least the traditional granulated kind)

In honor of Independence Day, I have been working hard to develop a recipe that is as "free" as possible from the typically sensitive ingredients.
Trust me though, these are not free from taste!! They are rich, fudge-y, moist, and delicious.

This recipe was inspired by a fudge brownie recipe I found when I was deep in the middle of a weight-loss program and was craving, no, NEEDING something sweet that wouldn't wreck all of my progress. It has evolved into my own recipe, but check out Recreating Happiness's post if you want a different take on another "healthy" brownie!

Although it may seem like there are many ingredients to this recipe, it is very simple to get your hands on all of these items. I have found all of these things at Walmart or Sprouts.
Also, if you can, find a store that sells the flours and nuts in bulk, you can portion out what you need and pay much less! Most of these ingredients are reusable in other recipes, especially if you are trying to move towards a healthier lifestyle!

Melt these two together to create your velvety, melted chocolate mixture. 

Don't worry, it doesn't make it taste any better if they are separated or all piled on top of each other

This stuff always makes me think I'm putting sand into my brownies. Coconut sugar is a natural, low glycemic sweetener that comes from the nectar of the coconut flower. It adds the same type of deeper flavor as brown sugar. 

It is a more natural and alternative to regular sugar, but it is not a "sugar-free substitute" like Splenda or Stevia. I actually have tried these brownies with Stevia, and they still come out pretty tasty! 

(You can detect a hint of it, but hey, it's sugar-free!)

Why is my coconut sugar so low even though I just bought it you ask? Well, right before this shot, half of it ended up on the floor... in the carpet... 

...

Quick! Look back to the organized bowl of dry ingredients to make you forget about the realness of life.

Time to add a workout to these brownies! Whisk the sugar together with the melted chocolate mixture until smooth.

*Not pictured: My shirt covered in melted chocolate along with the table and the wall behind me and the floor from adding the honey too early and ferociously trying to whisk away some calories. 

   Now it's time to add the honey to the chocolate.

Honey is a real star of this recipe. Not only does it keep the structure of the brownie, but it also makes these super moist and extra fudge-y.

Okay, so it's not exactly pretty looking, but this stuff works just like eggs in baking! Whisk it well with the chocolate mixture, but only for a little!

Feel free to dump the dry mixture right into the melted chocolate mixture or add it in portions if you are still into your high intensity whisking workout (HIWW). 
I like to live on the edge, so I just went for it.

Just a little behind-the-scenes peek at my assistant during this documenting process

Now it's starting to look like brownie batter, just in case you were starting to doubt.   :)

I didn't use foil with this batch because, again I like to live on the edge  - - Good thing it turned out well.

I used walnuts for this batch which added a nice, soft crunch, but I have to say... my favorite so far is adding more chocolate chips to the batter. Or, you can do both! Pecans, almonds, hazelnuts, chocolate chunks, or nothing, whatever makes you happiest - stir in that!

I also chopped up more walnuts to top the brownies. Again, another GREAT time to add MORE chocolate chips. But I do have to burst your bubble at this point... the more chocolate chips you add, the less "free" these brownies get. I'm sorry... I felt like I should remind you.  

Time to put these in the oven!

Pro tip: (not really) When you can start to smell the brownies from outside of your house, you know they are almost done.  :)

Let the brownies cool in the pan, if you can wait. They are good warm, just more of a fork/spoon and plate kind of dessert.

Try to control yourself, but feel free to have more than one.

Ingredients:

1 cup Coconut Oil (I used refined. You can use unrefined if you prefer, but it will give the brownies just a slight coconut taste
2/3 cup Dairy-Free Chocolate Chips (I used Enjoylife mini chips)
2/3 cup Coconut Sugar
1/2 cup Honey
1 cup Cocoa Powder
2/3 cup Almond Flour
2/3 cup Coconut Flour
1/2 teaspoon Baking Soda
1 teaspoon Salt
Egg Replacer - 4 eggs worth (I used Ener-G)
2 teaspoon Vanilla Extract
1/2 cup chopped nuts or dairy-free chocolate chips

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Line a 9x9 inch baking pan with foil or grease the sides and bottom. I used some baking spray and it worked perfectly if you don't have any foil.
2. In a microwaveable bowl, melt coconut oil and chocolate chips until smooth. It only takes about 1 minute and some stirring! Set aside and let cool slightly.
3. In a small bowl combine cocoa powder, almond flour, coconut flour, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.
4. In a medium bowl whisk the coconut sugar with the melted chocolate mixture until smooth (1-2 minutes by hand). Add honey to sugar and chocolate mixture and slowly whisk (1-2 minutes by hand). The mixture may not completely combine at this step yet.
5. Prepare egg replacer and whisk into melted chocolate mixture (1 minute by hand). Stir in vanilla extract, then flour mixture until smooth. Stir in chopped nuts or more chocolate chips.
6. Pour batter into prepared baking pan. Bake for 24-27 minutes just until set. Do not over bake! It may look as though it is not cooked all the way yet, but it will set as it cools!
7. Let cool completely in pan before cutting into squares.

Comment below if you tried any other variations or if you have another recipe to share!

Thanks for reading and happy baking!