Honey Pumpkin Brownies

With the babies' schedule I find myself having ridiculous hours, yet between 3:30 and 5am, I'm usually my most productive.  Yesterday morning I was able to get some of my NPS Foundation work done, and perhaps more significantly, create this easy one-bowl brownie recipe that is completely flourless/grain-free and a breeze to make.  The batter is mixed in minutes, and clean-up is quick; two musts when you're taking care of two little newborns!

Also since I'm obsessed with Squarebars (my go-to treat or dessert when I'm not making my own), I decided to create a fancy breakfast of a honey pumpkin brownie, dollop of plain coconut milk yogurt and 1/3 of a chopped up protein bar.  I have to say, my day became much better after that!  It looks and tastes pretty decadent, but is super filling, nutritious and protein-packed.  I promise you won't be disappointed with this easy healthy brownie...plus pumpkin.  Pumpkin in everything is usually a good idea in my world.

Honey Pumpkin Brownies

Ingredients:
1 cup pumpkin
1/2 cup raw honey
4 eggs
1/4 cup + 2 TBSP raw cacao powder
1/3 cup nondairy chocolate chips

Directions:

1.  Grease an 8" pan with oil, and preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
2.  Stir all ingredients well in a large mixing bowl, and fold chips in last.  Use 1/4 to 1/2 cup of chocolate chips depending on your preferred level of sweetness; I used 1/3 cup of Enjoy Life nondairy chocolate chunks, chopped up, and it was sweet enough!

3.  Bake 30-35 min or until an inserted toothpick or knife comes out mostly clean.  Let sit at least 15 minutes before cutting and serving.  Store leftovers in a sealed container in the fridge.

Topped with plain coconut yogurt and a piece of chopped up vegan protein bar

Vegan Gluten-Free Brookies (Brownie-Cookies!)

Oh my.  These are my latest obsession, and I could easily eat all of them myself in just a couple days.  The first time I made them I forced my husband to eat two so that I wouldn't eat them all.  Since then, I've made them when I've had company (my mother came to help out with our twins first, then my twin sister and her husband arrived--my lifesavers!!)  They all loved them, even though none of my family is gluten-free or vegan.

Actually, the fact that I have baby help right now is the only reason I have the time to bake these yummy things and write this post.  So, yes, having a twin has many perks including helping you when you have your own apparently.  I may post more about my twin birth story, so check back for that if you're curious about what it's like to have premature twins or are expecting twins yourself.  They are now 3 weeks old and it's hard but rewarding, and definitely makes a difference when I have time to pop out for a walk or get to bake something tasty.

Sometimes I loosely base recipes off ones I find online, and this recipe was inspired by this Brookie recipe by Jana of Nutritionicity.  My recipe is actually pretty close to hers and I have to say a big thank you to her for making what I didn't realize was my dream dessert.  Here's my version and feel free to get creative--the second time I made them, I added pumpkin to the brownie layer and reduced the oil, and it was even healthier, and very tasty.

Brookies
yields 8" pan (12-16 pieces)

Cookie layer ingredients:
1/2 cup almond flour
1 cup gluten-free oats
1/2 cup gluten-free oat flour
2 teaspoon maca
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup nondairy chocolate chips
2 TBSP sunflower seed or nut butter
2 TBSP coconut oil
2 TBSP maple syrup
1-1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
up to 1/4 cup water as needed


Brownie layer:
1/4 cup + 1 TBSP almond flour
1/3 cup gluten-free oat flour
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa
sprinkle sea salt
3 TBSP coconut milk or almond milk
1/2 TBSP vanilla extract
2 TBSP maple syurp
2-1/2 TBSP coconut oil, melted

Directions:

1.  Grease a 8" pan with coconut oil or line with parchment.
2.  Mix the dry cookie ingredients together with the nondairy chips, then melt the oil and sunflower seed or nut butter together.  Whisk in vanilla and maple to the wet ingredients, then add to the dry, stirring well.  Add water if mixture is too dry.
3.  Press cookie mixture into the bottom of the prepared pan.
4.  For the brownies, combine the dry ingredients, then whisk in melted coconut oil.  Stir in remaining ingredients and spread mixture over the cookie layer.
5.  Bake at 350 degrees for 15-18 minutes, then let cool and set for 10 minutes and serve warm or cool.

For this batch, I used chopped up Alter Eco quinoa chocolate instead of chocolate chips.  Delicious!