Valentine’s day is just around the corner and I thought it would be great to share with you one of my favourite low-sugar dessert recipes. The best part? You’ll need only 10min to prep, and there is no need for crazy niche ingredients – you probably have everything in your pantry already. Ready? Let’s get started!
Please note that this recipe isn’t fat-free: to obtain the fudgy, melting texture, there is a need to add a bit of coconut oil. The moisture is created by the grated zucchini, which can be replaced by Apple Sauce (100g) – but this will change the final taste.
Which liquid sweetener should you use? You can pick agave syrup, liquid stevia, maple syrup, honey or sugar-free options (like MyProtein sugarfree syrups) but bear in mind that it won’t work with dry sweeteners: the recipe calls for moisture, and this ingredient is key!
The quantities given are enough to make a 6slice brownie – if you desire to make a bigger cake, feel free to double the quantity of cocoa powder, flour & oil. Keep 1 egg only.
Healthy & Gooey Chocolate Brownie
Ingredients
- 1 grated zucchini
- 70 g wholemeal flour
- 20 g unsweetened cocoa powder
- 40 g melted coconut oil
- 20 g liquid sweetener see recommendations above
- 1 egg
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F (180°C). Grease a square cake pan with, and line with parchment/cooking paper. Parchment paper helps the cakes seamlessly release from the pans.
- Grate the zucchini on a hand gratter, or mix it quickly in a blender, in order to obtain a moist paste. Place it on a paper towel to take some of the moisture out, then store it in a bowl in the fridge. The objetive is to let the water get out, without drying the zucchini out completely.
- In a recipient, mix all wet ingredients: egg, liquid sweetener, coconut oil & vanilla extract.
- In another bowl, mix all dry ingredients: flour, cocoa powder, salt and baking soda.
- Gently incorporate the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients - you should obtain a dense dough.
- Get the zucchini paste out the fridge. Get rid of the water that has accumulated inside the bowl, then squeeze it gently one last time in a paper towl, before incorporating it to the dough.
- Take a spoon and taste the mixture - if it is not sweet enough, you can add a bit more of liquid sweetener or powdered sweetener (stevia, sucralose...) Then, pour in the cake pan and place in the oven.
- Bake for 27-30 minutes. The center of the brownie should be still very soft when you take it out (check with a knife). Let it cool for at least 1hr, before slicing it.
- The brownie can be stored in the fridge or at room temperature for 1 or 2 days. It tends to get fudgier if refrigerated. Alternatively, you can freeze some slices and keep them up to 3months (make sure you cut and separate the slices before placing them in the freezer).