Fudgy Low-Carb Brownies

Fudgy Low-Carb Brownies

Low carb, gluten free and keto friendly

True confession: I don’t have a big sweet tooth.  I think I’d rather choose cheese and bread over dessert any day. But the bread is sugar, right?  So maybe I do have a sweet tooth after all.

Don’t get me wrong – I do enjoy dessert, but I don’t have those cravings like I used to. I’m convinced that consistently cooking healthier food gradually fades the sugar addictions.  But that doesn’t mean I don’t like a good brownie once in awhile! And I do eat some small bit of chocolate most days. I love Trader Joe’s Turbinado Cocoa Almonds with Sea Salt – yum! 

I notice when I do eat sugar – even in it’s most natural form (say maple syrup) it quickly shows up on my body.  So, I decided to try to make a brownie recipe that was lower in carbs using a plant fat. Here are the main changes:

  • Swap avocado for butter, a healthier natural fat alternative
  • On the sugar, side I used Swerve, the Erythritol brand that won’t impact your overall carb intake. Try the powdered variety for better blending. 
  • For flour, I went with almond flour but you could use coconut flour or other gluten-free flour
  • Chocolate chips – I used Lily’s low-carb chips made with Stevia

I was pleasantly surprised on the taste and the rich, fudginess. And, they fit in perfectly to a low carb or keto diet. Each clocks in at about 95 calories, 1.5 grams of net carbs, 3 grams of protein and 7.5 grams of fat.*

Hint: They are yummy heated in the microwave for about 10 seconds with a drizzle of natural peanut butter.

Recipe – Makes 9 Large Brownies

1/2 cup mashed avocado

3/4 cup powdered Swerve

2 eggs

1 tsp vanilla extract

1/4 cup quality cocoa

1/2 cup almond flour

1/2 tsp baking powder

1/8 tsp salt

1/4 cup Lilly’s low-carb chocolate chips (optional)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease an 8″ x 8″ baking pan. In a medium sized bowl, cream the avocado and sugar together until smooth. Mix in eggs one at a time until blended. Add vanilla and stir. In another smaller bowl, mix together the almond flour, baking powder and salt. Add the dry ingredients to the wet and stir until just combined. Fold in the chocolate chips.

Bake for 25 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean.

*Carb count is net carbs after subtracting the fiber and the Erythritol.