I Need a Brownie!

Have you ever noticed how often people try to serve you brownies?  I have.  Since I went gluten free last August, I have passed on many, many brownies.  Just this week, there was a tray of mint brownies in the faculty room that I had to keep walking past.  Torture.  Today I had had enough.  I really needed a brownie.  I went on line and spent about an hour looking at different brownie recipes.  The gluten free ones had strange starches and flours and some of the paleo ones had some interesting ingredients, such as sweet potatoes.  I almost gave up.  I checked the Wheat Belly Cookbook and his recipe sounded closer to our traditional recipe than the others, so I decided to give it a try.  It calls for bittersweet chocolate.  I could only find some old bars of semisweet in the back of the cupboard--I didn't dare check the expiration date--but by this point I was desperate.   The brownies were amazing!

 Mocha Walnut Brownies

8 ounces bittersweet (85% cacao) chocolate, chopped

3/4 cup butter

2 teaspoon instant espresso powder (I did not add this.)

1/2 teaspoon liquid stevia 

4 eggs

1/4 cup canned coconut milk

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1/2 cup chopped walnuts

2 tablespoons coconut flour

1/4 cup ground golden flaxseeds

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Grease a 9" X 9" baking pan.

In a large bowl, combine the chocolate and butter.  Microwave on high power for 1 minute, stirring once halfway through the cooking time.  If not completely melted, microwave, stirring every 20 seconds, until melted.  Stir in the espresso powder (if using) until completely melted.

Add the stevia.  (My grocery store did not have stevia when I looked, so I used 1/2 cup of sugar.)

Add the eggs, one at a time, blending well after each egg.  Stir in the coconut milk and vanilla.

Stir in the walnuts, coconut flour, and flaxseeds until well blended.

Pour into the pan and bake for 25 minutes, or until a wooden pick inserted in the center comes out clean.  (Mine needed 10 extra minutes--I may have been using an 8" X 8" pan.")