Chocolate Caramel Coconut Flour Brownies
My coconut flour brownies are packed with antioxidants and healthy ingredients that boost energy levels and aid digestion. The combination of cacao powder, dark chocolate chips and maple syrup is rich and sweet — but heart-healthy too! And, the star ingredient of this recipe, the coconut flour, is gut-friendly and won’t leave you feeling drowsy an hour after eating these brownies.
I’m always looking for new coconut flour recipes because coconut flour doesn’t contain any grains, making it completely gluten-free. Plus, coconut flour is high in fiber, easy to digest and it doesn’t lead to blood sugar spikes like white, processed flour does. So, if your looking for a dessert that comes with a range of health benefits, look no further than these delicious coconut flour brownies.
Regular Flour vs. Coconut Flour
I’m excited that coconut flour is becoming easier to find in local supermarkets and health food stores because it’s one of my favorite gluten-free flours out there (along with almond flour). A major benefit of choosing coconut flour for your baking instead of regular, processed white flour is that coconut flour has a lower glycemic index, and it won’t lead to blood sugar highs and lows.
Research shows that coconut flour is actually beneficial for patients with diabetes because it contains a high dietary fiber content and doesn’t alter blood glucose levels the way that regular flour does. Coconut flour also aids your metabolism, energy levels and digestion.
And don’t worry. Making your chocolate brownies with coconut flour may make them a little more dense than traditional brownies, but it won’t take away from the desired fudgy texture and chocolatey taste.
Key Ingredients
Aside from the No. 1 ingredient in this recipe, the coconut flour, here’s a quick glance at some of the top health benefits associated with the other ingredients in my coconut flour brownies:
1. Dark chocolate
A little dark chocolate is more than just a delicious treat, it’s good for your health too. Studies show that the benefits of dark chocolate include protection against disease, due to its antioxidant content, improved heart health, promoting healthy cholesterol and better brain function. Dark chocolate also has a richer flavor than milk chocolate because of its cocoa content.
2. Cacao powder
Cacao is considered a superfood because it contains powerful bioflavonoids that have been shown to exhibit anti-inflammatory, anticancer, antidiabetic and neuroprotective properties. When added to smoothies, baked goods and trail mixes, cacao nibs and powder help to maintain muscle and nerve function, reduce the risk of heart disease, correct digestive issues and boost your mood.
3. Coconut sugar
Coconut sugar is one of my favorite natural sweeteners. It comes from the sap of the coconut tree and is then dried to form sugar. Coconut sugar contains the same amount of calories as granulated sugar, so you don’t want to eat a ton of it, but it also provides trace minerals and antioxidants, making it the healthier choice.
How to Make Coconut Flour Brownies
To make these delicious coconut flour brownies, start by preheating your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit and take out one bowl for mixing your ingredients. First, mix your wet ingredients, which includes 4 eggs, half cup maple syrup, one tablespoon vanilla extract and one-third cup of coconut oil.
Next, mix in your dry ingredients, which includes one and one-fourth cup coconut flour, one-fourth cup cacao powder (or cocoa powder, if you prefer), one-fourth teaspoon sea salt, one teaspoon baking soda, one-fourth cup coconut sugar and one-third cup of dark chocolate chips.
Stir until all of the ingredients come together. Pour the mixture into a greased 8 x 8 brownie pan, top it with chocolate chips and nuts, if you’d like and bake the brownies for 25–30 minutes.
After letting your coconut flour brownies cool, drizzle on some of my caramel sauce that’s made with coconut milk, maple syrup, coconut sugar, coconut oil and vanilla extract. And just like that, your gluten-free and gut-friendly brownies are ready to enjoy!
Even those picky eaters in your life who don’t love trying gluten-free recipes will want these coconut flour brownies.
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Coconut Flour Brownies
- Total Time: 35 minutes
- Yield: 12 1x
- Diet: Gluten Free
Description
My coconut flour brownies are packed with antioxidants and healthy ingredients like cacao powder, dark chocolate chips and maple syrup. They’re as tasty as they look!
Ingredients
- 1¼ cup coconut flour (or use Paleo flour)
- ¼ cup cacao powder
- 4 eggs
- ¼ teaspoon sea salt
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ½ cup maple syrup (for sugar-free, go with applesauce here)
- ¼ cup coconut sugar (for sugar-free, go with monkfruit)
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- ⅓ cup coconut oil
- ⅓ cup dark chocolate chips
- 1 homemade caramel sauce recipe (optional)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 F.
- In a medium bowl, add the wet ingredients and combine.
- Next, add the dry ingredients.
- Stir until all ingredients are incorporated together.
- Pour the mixture into a greased 8 x 8 pan.
- Top with chocolate chips and/or nuts if desired and bake for 25–30 minutes.
- Let cool and then drizzle with caramel sauce.
- Prep Time: 10 min
- Cook Time: 25 min
- Category: Desserts
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 brownies (59g
- Calories: 208
- Sugar: 14.8g
- Sodium: 185mg
- Fat: 10.5g
- Saturated Fat: 7g
- Unsaturated Fat: 3.4g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 23.8g
- Fiber: 2.4g
- Protein: 5.4g
- Cholesterol: 55mg
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70 Comments
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Why have you changed the recipe? :( I haven.t made it in a while, and I just made a double batch, as it turned out very good with less coconut floour and more cocoa… I thought I did not remember well the quantities, but it turned out so so thick I had to add water, 2 more eggs, more oil…. Still baking it but I am so dissapointed. I hope it will be at least a little bit good, and did not waste so many expensive ingredients. Why not put a warning at the begining… Revised recipe or aomething
Too much sugar.
I made this brownie recipe with the exact ingredients and it turned out extremely dry and crumbly. I was very disappointed .
They changed it from 1/4 cup coconut flour to 1 1/4 cup coconut flour, which was a mistake.
I followed this recipe exactly as printed and my batter was not batter but instead it was dry, crumbly dough that I had to press into the pan with my fingers. I baked them for 25 minutes which brought the internal temperature to 190 degrees Fahrenheit. They are very dry and crumbly. I should have followed my instincts and added some coconut milk for additional moisture. These were very disappointing compared to the sweet potato brownie recipe and the black bean brownie recipe on this website. These probably would have turned out fine if I’d used paleo flour blend instead of 100 percent coconut flour as the recipe calls for. I noticed this recipe has been modified over time and I feel some moisture may have gotten lost in those modifications.
When I made it I used an almond/coconut flour mix. It turned out perfectly.
He switched from 1/4 cup coconut flour to 1 1/4 cup coconut flour, so he added 1 cup of coconut flour to the recipe!! After I made it now I remembered that a year ago I made a couple of times with 1/4 cup, and it was really good, I used in a cake
Is it really 1/4 cup coconut flour and 1 1/4 cup cacao . Not 1 1/4 cup coconut flour
Hi Shaheeda … the original recipe had those amounts reversed. Ugh! And it also included honey, which isn’t ideal heated up … and it had too much salt! We’ve already made some adjustments and will be re-testing and updating this recipe very soon.
Bad idea, you ruined what was a good recipe before!!
so soft…. so gooey….
I only ended up with a 1/2 batch, though, because my 5-year-old would not let me put them in the oven (I know, I know… raw eggs).
Other problem: the caramel never made it onto the brownies either because I left it unattended in the saucepan and it somehow “evaporated” in an hour!!
I’m mixing it up before I pick my 4 and 5 year old granddaughters up! Lol
These look delish! Is there any way to make them without eggs, I had to cut them out due to asthma.
What is the amount of sugar in grams per serving?
Look delish & MUST KNOW how much SUGAR PER SERVING.
Thanks
Thank you for your healthy recipes.
I break out in rosacea when I eat chocolate🤪…will the recipe work if I replace the cocoa powder and nibs with carob? Or would the flavour be too altered. I am very dairy and gluten Sensitive …casine is my main allergy but am (66) and very sensitive to food colouring and artificial sugars. As these pure foods are so expensive I need to be careful. Thank you for any suggestions, I love your work and cherish advise. 😍
I have type 2 diabetes and Neuropathy in my feet and lower legs. Are you sure your brownie and caramel recipe won’t harm me? Do you have a solution to Neuropathy?
Thanks for showing the pictures of what the materials look like during the steps to the brownie recipe. We have found that the young people are fearful of cooking because the materials look so different from the final product that comes in a plastic bag.
At first sight, this recipe looks amazing! BUT…..Maple Syrup, Coconut Sugar and Dark Chocolate all contain sugar, which of course spikes insulin kicking you out of Ketosis. Once it passes through the the ol’ pie hole and assimilates into your system, sugar is sugar is sugar.
Can you substitute the eggs for only egg whites?
Can u freeze this brownie and how long for
You wouldn’t be able to use 1 1/4 cups of coconut flour and get enough moisture or liquid into it. It sucks up way too much moisture. The 1/4 cup coconut flour and 1 1/4 cup of cocao powder is correct. Have seen other brownie recipes using reg flour with this ratio as well. Not a typo
I tried this recipe minus the sugar/syrup and that is A LOT of salt.
Hi i am wondering about substituting honey with agave or applesauce or sour cream or even coconut milk. Thoughts?
I get mine from Tropical Traditions.com I believe the taste depends on the process they use to collect the oil. One will taste like coconuts but will have more of the benefits of coconut and the other will be bland tasting but lose some benefits. I use them both depending on what I’m using it in.
Thank You very much Dr. Axe for this great recipe!!
Like using coconut flour and trying to use it for many gluten free fooods.
Looking forward for more coconut flour recipes!! ;D
I am making these now and substituted 1/4 c pure maple syrup and 1/4 c organic applesauce for the honey. In Ayurveda honey is not heated and I think over 160degrees had something to do with taking away its medicinal benefits. According to this philosophy even adding to tea, if it is over that temp it loses some of its good benefits.
Agave on the other hand acts the same as regular sugar in the body. Most agave syrups are processed so all the same issues apply.
Eileen, does that mean that honey put into a hot tea is poison or does it have to be baked at a higher temperature? I drink a cup of hot matcha tea each morning so this is very concerning.
Also, this recipe looks lovely, what would you recommend to replace the honey with?
Thank you.
I am pretty sure that eating cooked honey is not like putting poison directly into your viens.
Mmmmm, these brownies are good! Yum. I might shoot up arsnic next; see what happens. Yep, exactly. You’re not being blunt, you’re exaggerating. A lot.
Just made a batch following the recipe, I didn’t read below about the honey thing I had no idea ahhh well? turned out….yummmy!! I baked them for 23 minutes and they came out moist!!
NOT POISON!!!! While cooking with honey CAN be problematic, recipes calling for honey are usually chemically balanced to allow for the cooking, or more so, baking with honey. It is not a black and white line. The big thing to remember is you should never substitute honey for white sugar – THAT is not a good idea.
If feel writing such a strongly worded post should come with more cooking and baking knowledge!
I just bake everything with no sugar or any other sweeteners and when it’s s done I let it cool off and then cover it with honey.
Honey afterwards is a great idea!
I usually use bananas or applesauce to sweeten my baking desserts if anyone was wondering. ?
Thanks Dr Axe for this recipe.I made the brownies and they came out amazingly delicious, but i did use coconut syrup instead of honey
Has anyone tried using Brown Rice Syrup? It is supposed to be low glycemic.
Did anyone read recipe about the caramel sauce Dr Axe didn’t say to cook or heat the caramel sauce he said to let the brownie cool then drizzle the caramel sauce over it he DIDN’T heat the honey read what’s there before you fine fault. Life is to short just treat yourself sometimes
What about rice malt syrup
I haven’t tried this recipe with but I made brownies yesterday with flax egg instead to make it vegan. Worth a shot perhaps?
Whenever a recipe is posted online, most everyone seems to have their own opinions and substitutions. And that is OK. Because we’re all different and we all think differently about food. I just want to thank Dr. Axe for taking the time to post a recipe.
Was just thinking the same thing about thanking Dr. Axe for the post.
I agree. Questions about substitutes are understandable, but opinions that criticize seem inappropriate. Thanks for the recipe, Dr. Axe.
Ginger, your reply is gracious and I also agree with you. I think it can be a good idea for us, as a community to be thankful and tweak as we like and share the results. We can’t expect Dr. Axe and his team to tweak every recipe for every preference. Thank you Dr. Axe & Team!
Maple syrup or dates would work and so would flax eggs or chia. The amount of cacao powder doesn’t seem excessive considering the amount of sweetener there is.
What I need to know is the fiber content to be taken off of the carbs for diabetetic diets.
The honey maple syrup, and dates all make it WAY too many carbs for ME!
I think it would depend on the diabetic diet they put you on. I know they’ve revised some of them, but they actually at least used to be WAY too many carbs not only allowed, but suggested for diabetics.
Tho I’m not diabetic, I am per-diabetic, and I follow a low carb diet. I consume many less carbs than most of the diabetic diets I’ve seen. I do subtract the fiber from the total carb count, but have no idea what any of the “diabetic diets” out there do.
Agave should be avoided if one is on an Autoimmune Paleo diet or on a SIBO diet.
The high carb content in this recipe puts this in the “forbidden food” category for anyone fighting significant Candida.
I agree with Marie , use date for sugar , definitely not honey .
Also while you are eating , eat with pleasure , without thinking about calories etc , just enjoy what you are eating , the digesting system will love you and do their work fully .
I use Dates instead of sugar or any sweeteners. Works great
How may dates did younuse?
Agave nectar caused all kinds of pain, swelling and inflammation in my joints. Stopped using it and did some reading to find out it is a horrible sweetener to use. I would choose regular sugar instead of agave if that were my only choices.
I just made up the batter – and then read about the honey – so I am making brownie cookies in the dehydrator at 115- hope they come out good.
I would LOVE to know how they turn out!!
I have an egg allergy, so How could you make this recipe work without eggs? Would flax eggs work well?
No honey, no agave. Just stevia or handful of dates
Agave nectar is not good for you
I’m going to make with Agave instead of honey. Thanks for the info on cooking with honey!
Have you checked out the amount of fructose in Agave?! After researching it further and gaining weight every time I used Agave, I’ll stick with the honey.
Too many carbs. Use powdered stevia instead to lose the high carb content
I’ve heard the same thing…
Another problem is the number of carbs. A diabetic is allowed 15 grams of carbs per meal, or 7 per afternoon snack. At 23 grams, this is more than is allowed for a whole meal! I certainly would not put caramel sauce on it, which would help. Maybe the honey and coconut sugar could be replaced with Stevia?
I’d like to see the nutritional info expressed as “total carbs” “fiber” and “sugars” so that
it’s more obvious if this is suitable for a ketogenic diet.
The Honey and coconut sugar make it un suitable for keto diet. Would need to experiment with other natural low-glycemic sweetners (stevia, swerve, etc) to see what would work best. Also the total carbs might be too high if you are trying to loose weight.
I don’t use sugar/sweeteners at all but I have seen that many keto dessert recipes use erythritol
Do you mean 180º? It seems I’ve heard that’s the temperature that destroys the raw benefits.
118 degrees and over kills all beneficial enzymes
Interesting. Is there actually evidence to support that claim?
Sounds delicious! How would Sucanat work instead of the coconut flour?
Maybe you meant instead of the coconut sugar. Sucanat is a sweetener, and coconut flour is, well the flour in the recipe.
Oops! I did mean instead of the coconut sugar.
This brownie can it be frozen and for how long