These flourless almond butter brownies are thick, dense, fudgy, and made with simple, wholesome ingredients in about as much time as it takes to make brownies from a box! The recipe yields small batch of 6-8 brownies, but can easily be doubled to feed a crowd!
**AUGUST 2019 UPDATE**
This recipe was originally posted in July of 2016, and is my go-to recipe for homemade brownies. I’ve made this recipe dozens of times over the years (sometimes exactly as written, sometimes doubled to make a bigger batch, sometimes baked into muffin tins for brownie bites, and even used as the base for these ice cream sandwiches), but I was never in love with the photos. So, today I’m re-posting the recipe with a fresh set of photos and slightly less wordy recipe instructions; I hope you love these brownies as much as I do! I’ve left the original blog post in tact below, for the sake of nostalgia (I wrote it right after my wedding!!). Feel free to scroll straight to the bottom to get the recipe, if you’ve already read this old blog post!
We just got home from a 2-day trip to Vermont, and I feel like it’s been aaaaaages since I’ve shared a recipe with you. Really, it’s only been three days, but time seems to be moving more slowly these days. Maybe it has something to do with our wedding on Friday, but I’m losing track of what day it is and just living in the moment.
It’s been so blissful.
I’ve been working on this recipe for a few weeks leading up to our wedding (in the middle of planning and making my wedding cakes, no less), and didn’t always get the fudgey brownies I was looking for. The first few batches were made with just coconut oil and ended up tasting like rich chocolate cake, which was good, but not brownies.
I know cakey brownie lovers exist, but here’s the truth about my brownie feelings: if it’s not fudgey I’m not interested.
Bold statement, I know.
I LOVE chocolate cake, but not when it’s pretending to be a brownie.
So, rather than accept these cakey bars of disappointment, I ended up going back to almond butter for most of the fat, which added the perfect amount of gooeyness I was craving.
I made several batches of these to make sure it wasn’t just a freak accident they turned out so well; verdict’s in, they’re prefect.
Excuse me while I bake a batch every weekend for the rest of forever.
These brownies require just a few simple ingredients to make (hi almond butter, cocoa powder, maple syrup, coconut oil, egg, and vanilla), and come out perfectly fudgy every time. The healthy dessert critic in my house (aka the man I married who isn’t really interested in eating almond butter or dark chocolate) deemed them to be delicious, so they aren’t just good for a healthy brownie. They’re good, period.
They’re also naturally gluten-free since there’s no flour in them, and they’re most likely paleo friendly. I’m not saying cavemen actually ate these brownies, but modern humans imitating them probably can. Either way, I’d never advocate for a lifestyle that doesn’t involve brownies, so you should probably bake up a batch today and share them with everyone you know.
It’s also worth mentioning that these brownies don’t taste super almond-y. After a day or two of sitting on the counter, I noticed they tasted more like almond butter. When they’re fresh out of the oven, though, no one will know. I’d even equate these to a fudgy boxed brownie, but without any weird ingredients or disappointing super sweet and barely chocolatey flavor. They have that shiny top, fudgy middle, and seriously make your whole house smell amazing.
If you’re like me and already have all the ingredients in your pantry, these really are just as quick as the ones that come from a box. Score!
Whether you’re looking for a healthier brownie, or just trying to figure out how to make a quick, easy dessert, these brownies are for you. The recipe makes a small, loaf-pan sized batch that I usually cut into 6 or 8 small-ish brownies, and is absolutely perfect for the two of us. If you’re looking for a more traditional sized batch of brownies, simple double this recipe and bake it in an 8×8 pan!
If you make these brownies, let me know! Leave a comment below or take a picture of your fudgy flourless almond butter brownies and share it with me on Instagram so I can see!!
Flourless Almond Butter Brownies
Time: 30 minutes
Yields: 6-8 brownies
Ingredients:
- 2/3 cup all-natural almond butter (the kind that’s just almonds and salt, no added oil or sugar)
- 1/3 cup maple syrup
- 1 egg
- 2 Tablespoons coconut oil, melted
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/3 cup cocoa powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/8 teaspoon sea salt
- 1/4 cup roughly chopped dark chocolate
- Flaky sea salt, for topping (optional)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Line a loaf pan with parchment paper and set aside.
- Whisk together almond butter, maple syrup, egg, coconut oil, and vanilla in a medium bowl. Add all remaining ingredients (except flaky salt) and stir to combine. Batter will be thick.
- Pour batter into prepared pan, and use a spoon to spread it out all the way to the edges.
- Bake for 16-19 minutes, or until brownies have risen and are just barely cooked through; do not overbake or these won’t be as gloriously fudgy! Sprinkle with a few pinches of flaky sea salt as soon as they come out of the oven, if desired.
- These brownies tend to fall apart if cut when fresh out of the oven, so if you can wait, let them cool at least 15 minutes in the pan before lifting the parchment out and slicing. Store leftovers in a sealed container at room temperature for up to 4 days.
NOTES:
- This recipe can be doubled and baked in an 8×8 pan for a more traditional-sized batch of brownies. Cooking time might be a few minutes extra, (more like 20-25) but keep an eye on them to make sure you don’t over bake them!
- For quicker, bite-sized brownies, spoon the batter into a greased mini muffin tin and bake for 5-7 minutes.