These are the most delicious fudgy paleo and vegan brownies that you’ll ever make! Raw cacao, unsweetened chocolate and chocolate chunks make them extra chocolatey with rich flavor and chewy fudge-like texture. Kid approved, gluten-free, dairy-free and great when you need a healthy chocolate indulgence!
Brownies are one dessert that everyone can get excited for, don’t you think? Even my 6 year old son, Drew, who claims to not like chocolate (okay fine, to not like DARK chocolate) is always up for a paleo brownie. Even the ones with sweet potato in them! Seriously, chocolate actually DOES win, every time.
I recently revisited one of my old favorite brownie recipes – these double fudge almond butter brownies – and decided to update them – mainly because I am nearly incapable of making the exact same recipe twice.
Plus, I’m truly horrible at following my own recipes to a T – sort of like those reviewers you see on recipe sites who change everything about the recipe and are then very confused/angry about what went wrong? Well, that’s me, except on my own flipping website. I’ll freak out that my own recipe sucks until I realize that I actually didn’t follow it. Oops.
That said, sometimes my impulsive recipe variations lead to good things – like in this case. I’d been DYING to try flax eggs in a couple of my recipes after hearing great reviews from readers who’ve subbed in flax eggs to make my dessert recipes vegan. I have a constant supply of ground flaxseed in my fridge anyway, so figured the easiest place to start would be with brownies.
So, I tweaked a couple of things about that old brownie recipe, plus subbed in 2 flax eggs for the egg + egg-yolk in the original. I got rid of the fudge topping because good ‘ol melted chocolate seemed just as delicious. Then, I prayed. Well, not exactly, because I don’t stress about brownie recipes all that much – they get eaten regardless of the result. I mean seriously, BROWNIES. How bad can they be?! The batter alone is worth eating, so, you really can’t go wrong, I think.
One thing I’ve noticed about all paleo brownies, is that they taste WAY fudgier when they get to set/chill for a good long while in the refrigerator before you dig in. I believe the coconut oil is responsible for this phenomenon, since it needs to be cooled for quite a while to solidify.
This can be a torturous wait, but try to put them out of your mind and let them chill for several hours, then have them return back to room temp for an hour or so. FUDGY BROWNIE HEAVEN! That said, they’re pretty darn tasty no matter when you dig in – I typically eat one (or a blob, spoonful, etc) right out of the oven, and then test again once they’re nice and cooled.
And let me be honest with you right now – my family liked these brownies BETTER than they’re non-vegan, egg containing counterpart. Truthfully, I liked them better too. The flax eggs somehow made them chewier and fudgier, and no one here complained about that!
I tend to go wild with my melted chocolate, if only for the photos (and because I like to make a mess and then lick the whole thing up.) Look, extra chocolate won’t hurt these or anything, but you don’t need to drizzle – they’re super fudgy and chocolatey as-is!
So, you might be wondering how the heck these are “triple” chocolate even without the drizzle. See now, this is because I legitimately cannot contain myself when it comes to adding different forms of chocolate to chocolate desserts. So, we start these out with unsweetened baking chocolate mixed with almond butter, we add plenty of raw cacao powder (or cocoa) to the dry ingredients, then, we whip out our dark chocolate chips. And add them to the batter, of course, if not only after eating several handfuls.
Now, I know many of you are not fans of “paleo” recipes that call for dark chocolate chips that contain cane sugar (like my beloved Enjoy Life morsels.) No worries though, because you can easily make your own 100% paleo dark chocolate chunks with this recipe from Bakerita. The chunks will give you the “triple” effect while still staying technically paleo and free of refined sugar. That said, add whatever chocolate you want for your personal triple effect. I will not tell 🙂
Are you ready to bake?! I want brownies! Let’s go!
Fudgy Triple Chocolate Paleo & Vegan Brownies
Fudgy Triple Chocolate Paleo & Vegan Brownies
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup blanched almond flour
- 1/3 cup raw cacao powder or unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 2/3 cup coconut sugar
- 1/4 tsp fine grain sea salt
- 3 oz unsweetened baking chocolate cut into small pieces
- 1/4 cup coconut oil refined to avoid coconut flavor
- 1/3 cup creamy unsalted almond butter
- 1/4 cup pure maple syrup
- 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
- 2 flax eggs: 2 Tbsp ground flaxseed mixed with 5 Tbsp water mixture needs to sit for 15 mins
- 1/3 cup chopped dark chocolate Enjoy Life Dark Chocolate Morsels, or Homemade Chocolate Chunks
- More dark chocolate melted with 1 tsp coconut oil for drizzle optional
Instructions
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Prepare the flax eggs as listed above, allow to sit for 15 mins while preparing the rest of the batter. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.
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Combine all dry ingredients including the coconut sugar in one bowl, then set aside.
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In a medium saucepan over very low heat melt the baking chocolate while stirring constantly, then stir in the almond butter to combine.
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Remove from heat and allow to cool for a minute, then stir in the coconut oil, then the maple syrup and vanilla, add the flax eggs* and beat until smooth and well combined.
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Stir in the dry mixture until no flour spots remain (if your saucepan was too small you can also stir the wet ingredients into the dry, either way will work.)
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Fold in the chopped dark chocolate (or morsels or chunks), then transfer the batter to a parchment lined 8x 8 inch baking pan, scraping to get all the batter. and bake in the preheated oven for 20-25 minutes or until just set in the center.
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Allow to cool completely to room temp before cutting into squares** Due to the coconut oil content I recommend chilling in the fridge to set prior to cutting. Drizzle with extra melted chocolate if desired.
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These brownies are at their fudgy-est after chilling in the fridge and then allowing to settle back to room temp for about an hour. Store leftovers covered in the refrigerator for up to 4 days, or freeze for later use.
Recipe Notes
* If you wish to make a paleo version with eggs, use 1 egg plus one egg-yolk at room temp and follow the same directions
**Time needed to cool is not included in "prep time"
Nutrition
What I Used to Make My Fudgy Triple Chocolate Paleo & Vegan Brownies:
Want more delicious Paleo & Vegan dessert recipes? Try one of these!
Easy Paleo & Vegan Chocolate Pudding
No-Churn Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Ice Cream
Chocolate Chip Cookie Vanilla Cheesecake
Soft Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies
Tell Me!
Are brownies best alone, frosted or topped with ice cream?
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Hmmm… So I usually LOVE brownies with ice cream, but the texture of these looks I could definitely do them alone. That is so cool that they’re paleo and vegan; I would love to make these for a friend.
I think you’ll really like them Emily 🙂
These look so delish! I have the same problem – I am too stubborn to repeat an exact recipe – so boring! The creativity in me just won’t allow it. But changing things up often leads to even better recipes, like these delectable brownies. That drizzle is wowza! Much better than frosting!
I’m definitely into drizzles over frosting lately! I agree the creativity is both bad and good 🙂
Looks and sounds yummy! I can eat that! One question:
Can I make then with chestnut flour or another NON NUT flour, my daughter has nut tree allergy.
She can have peanuts and brasil nuts.
Thanks for sharing it.
Sabrina
I think any fine nut flour will work, since there’s not a ton in there anyway 🙂
These brownies are amazing! Best paleo dessert recipe I have made! Even more delicious if you put them into freezer after cutting. Love love love!!
They are definitely fudgier after chilling! So happy you loved them 🙂
Any substitute for the almond butter? I have all the other ingredients. 🙂
Any other mild flavored nut butter will work well 🙂
I’m allergic to almonds,can I use apple sauce as nut butter substitute?
Thank you.
I don’t think applesauce would give you the right texture but you can use sunflower seed butter for a nut free option.
I have yet to be disappointed by one of your desserts! You create such delicious treats that don’t leave you feeling guilty afterwards. Thank you SO much!
Can I use regular eggs instead of flax?
I screwed up this recipe. I dumped everything in a bowl then realized I need to mix/melt things in stages. I melted the lump in a double boiler for a bit and then baked them. O.M.G. They are delicious. The flavor of the chocolates and almond butter and coconut is truly delicious. Thank you.
Well I’m so happy to hear they worked out well anyway! Awesome 🙂
Could you use canola oil, vegetable oil, or some other kind of oil in this recipe instead of the un-refined coconut oil? I am excited to make these, but I wanted to ask first before I make them. Thanks!
Sorry, I meant refined.
Are these brownies both vegan and paleo!??
Yup!
Wow! Really good brownies! Fudgy, chewy and rich!
*I modified the recipe – i left out the maple syrup as well as the chocolate morsels, as well as the chocolate drizzle on top (because i wanted it to be way less sugar). I used 3 oz of enjoy life brand for the melting part. And I used crunchy almond butter because I wanted little almond crunchy pieces in there. Came out awesome and perfectly sweet. I think even cutting it down to 1/3 cup of coconut sugar would be enough. Highly recommended!
Oh and refrigerating them overnight really makes a huge difference! So much better cold
I made these the other day and they are officially my new fave brownie!!!……and also my husband’s 🙂 He’s a hearty guy with big muscles, who only eats “steak and potatoes” and his exact words “THESE ARE LITERALLY THE BEST THINGS IVE EVER PUT IN MY MOUTH”.
Not to mention they don’t leave you feeling gross after 🙂
I had a go at baking this reduced the amount of sugar & subbed butter for the coconut oil they were delicious but not fudgy. Should this be cooked on a convectional oven setting or fan forced? I think that is where i might have gone wrong.
Nope I just cooked them in my regular oven. Butter doesn’t behave the same as coconut oil so that could be the issue, but really not sure about that.
I am not vegan; I made these for a party we had. One of the guests is vegan, but it turns out, she didn’t come. Anyway, these brownies are delicious, and those who tasted them had no idea they were vegan.
I do have one comment about instruction #6, which says to bake until just set in the center. My batter did not look set; it was moving from side to side when I picked up the pan. I baked the brownies longer than suggested, and the batter never looked solid. I finally took them out and cooled them, at which point they solidified.
Glad everyone liked them! And yes these do look wet before cooling, and they’re best after chilling in my opinion.
My kids don’t like when I make Paleo desserts (lots of groans).. but these, they loved! When I told them they are paleo brownies, they almost couldn’t believe it. I skipped the drizzle for timesake, and even without it, they were SO good! The fridge for a few hours was helpful to the texture. Thanks for a great recipe!!
BEST BROWNIES! I just made a double batch of these (with the flax eggs) for a 4th of July party yesterday, without the optional chocolate drizzle. There was a table FULL of desserts. These brownies were they only thing completely gone. Not a crumb left! My husband did not “want” to like these because they were paleo, vegan, etc. Even he admitted they are excellent!
p.s. – yes,I let them cool, then put them in fridge overnight, cut them up before party and by the time they were served….perfection!
I’m so thrilled you enjoyed them! My favorite brownie recipe!
Hi! These look delicious- I love trying your recipes and I’m really hoping to mix these up! I am allergic to flax seeds, though… can real eggs be a replacement? Thank you!
These are amazing! 🙂 They didn’t last long in our house!
Seriously, this recipe is THE best. Hands down. No modifications needed. I actually used this recipe to make the cutting cake for my wedding. Even non-gluten free, non-vegans consistently love this when I make it. Thank you so much for posting.