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Grain-Free Fudgy Brownies // Welcome to our NEW site!

Hi folks – and welcome to the all new Primal Palate!

We’ve been hard at work over the last year to completely redesign and upgrade Primal Palate. If you’re completely new to our site, you’ll find out that cooking great food and sharing it with people is our passion, and we love hearing about how food has changed peoples’ lives for the better. When we set out to work on the latest version of Primal Palate, we knew we wanted to help better connect people to good food and great recipes. We wanted to make Paleo cooking and meal planning easy and accessible to everyone. We wanted to help bring people together and allow them share their recipes with one another. 

With the all new Primal Palate, it’s not just about us…. it’s also about YOU. Today, we are introducing user-uploaded recipes! We invite you all to share as many recipes as you’d like. The more, the merrier! Once uploaded and approved, you’ll be able to see your recipes on the site, use them for meal planning, and also see them on our smartphone app “myKitchen.”

It’s exciting for us to see how far things have come since our early days, and we can’t wait to see the new recipes you all will share on Primal Palate. We sincerely hope you enjoy the new website! It is our great pleasure to continue to do what we love, share it with you all, and see all the new dishes come to life. Feel free to send us an email anytime with suggestions, comments, or any feedback you may have. Thanks for stopping by, and thanks for sharing your passion with us!

Happy Cooking and Happier Eating,
Hayley and Bill

 

 

 

Don’t ask me why I decided to make brownies this week. I really don’t know. Maybe it was the jet lag from our whirlwind book tour with Diane Sanfilippo on the west coast. I mean, I really shouldn’t have made brownies after getting back from a week of “travel food” which is never as clean and healthy as “at home food.”  For some reason, a sweet woman that attended our signing in San Diego popped into my head. She told me that our Almond Fudge Brownies from Make it Paleo were her FAVORITE brownies ever. I was honored, and slightly embarrassed, and tried to hold back saying “Umm…for real? Ugh I could make those so much better now.” So I did… At 8 pm on Saturday night.

Our book tour was pretty crazy for us. That was the first time we had ever done anything like that, and we knew it would be hard, but nothing could really prepare us for that trip. It was exhausting, stressful, amazing, and exciting. I would say that I had to pinch myself at each signing, to realize that all of those people were there to see us and Diane. I think I just had myself convinced at each event that we were just there hanging out with all those people I had never met before. I kept telling people I felt like we were on the run from the cops, because we were in a different city almost every day. It was wild.

PDX Signing-21

San Diego-101

 

LA signing-2

PDX Signing-2

Portland showed up in unprecedented numbers! Thanks guys!

PDX Signing-130

PDX-6

We loved visiting the Cultured Caveman food cart in Portland. It’s a must-see (there are 3 in total).

SF Signing caption-24

SF Signing caption-25

I whined to Bill that I wanted to go home from sleep deprivation through some parts of California until we got to San Diego, and Kyle Maynard came to our signing. I had no idea who Kyle was, except that he did tons of motivational speeches all of the time. Then I found out that he was born with a condition called congenital amputation, and yet he doesn’t let it stop him from doing anything, including climbing Mt. Kilimanjaro BY HIMSELF. I could probably never do that, with all of my arms and legs. I felt like a huge jerk for complaining about anything on that trip after meeting him.

Charissa Kyle pics-50

It’s all relative, and what is difficult for one person shouldn’t be discounted because they haven’t done something as challenging as another person, but it at least gave me some perspective. Don’t get me wrong, I felt VERY VERY grateful during the entire trip, and was very aware of how lucky I was to be doing what we were doing, but it was a pretty emotional trip combined with the lack of sleep. It got to me, but I was still very grateful.

When we got home from our trip, I texted Diane and told her that the whole trip felt like our wedding. It was exhausting to get through, but after it was over I wanted to do it all again. Bill and I are so incredibly grateful that so many people support us and what we are doing. I know we publish cookbooks and have this website to help people eat better, but all of you came out of your way to support US, and to meet US. It was unbelievable! My favorite part of each signing was getting to talk one-on-one to each person who came up to get their books signed. That’s always been my favorite part about book signings. I love meeting new people, and hearing their stories, because usually I feel they are more inspiring than my own. Talking to the people who buy our books always feels like I’ve known each person their entire lives. They have a piece of our heart and soul in their kitchen, and we get to meet them and talk to them. Words really can’t express the thoughts and feelings that came with that trip, because they were overwhelming… In a good way.

San Diego-100

Okay, back to the brownies. I’ve been wanting to make a new brownie recipe for a while now, and when I realized I had all of the ingredients the other night, I just went for it. I used Eating Evolved baking chocolate, which Bill told me later on was the 72%, not the 100%. Somewhere along the line we lost the packaging for that, so it was in a ziploc bag. I still needed to use 3/4 of a cup of coconut sugar, and the brownies still weren’t overly sweet. I also did use butter in this recipe, but I think you could use palm shortening for a completely dairy-free version and it would turn out fine. When I detox from eating so many brownies I’ll give it a shot and let you know how it turned out. I also used chestnut flour in this recipe, because a little birdie told me that chestnut flour makes things really fluffy, and I didn’t think the flavor would affect the brownies in a bad way, but you could definitely use blanched almond flour if you don’t have (or can’t get, or don’t want) chestnut flour. I do recommend getting some chestnut flour for your grain-free pantry though. 😉

Coconut cream frosting

Coconut cream frosting

Coconut cream frosting

Coconut cream frosting


These brownies were AMAZING! They were the real deal, and I couldn’t believe it. They were fluffy, fudgy, and not dry at all. I sprinkled enjoy life chocolate chips over half of the batch of brownies, because I wanted to try a new dairy free chocolate frosting recipe for the other half, and I thought frosting brownies that had chocolate chips sprinkled on top, would have been overkill… haha! For the frosting I used Kara brand coconut cream (recommended by a follower of ours on Facebook), enjoy life chocolate chips, and a bit of vanilla extract. I scalded the cream, and poured it over the chocolate chips. Added the vanilla, and stirred it until smooth. Once it was smooth I chilled it in the fridge, and once it was completely cold I whipped it with a hand mixer until it was fluffy. It worked GREAT!

I highly recommend this brownie recipe if you really want to trick someone that they are eating real brownies. Unless they are allergic to nuts. Then don’t do that. 🙂

paleo-friendly brownies


paleo-friendly brownies

paleo-friendly brownies

3H5A6234

Grain-Free Fudgy Brownies

These brownies are the perfect combination of soft, chocolatey, and satisfyingly rich. You'll never believe they are grain-free!

Serves: 24

Serves: 24decrease servingsincrease servings

Ingredients

Process

Note, these instructions are written assuming the standard serving size, since you have modified the number of servings, these steps may need to be modified for best results
  1. Preheat the oven to bake at 350 degrees.
  2. Grease a 9"x13" glass baking dish with butter or palm shortening, and line with parchment paper for easy removal of the brownies.
  3. Melt the dark chocolate and the butter over medium low heat, while stirring frequently.
  4. Add the coconut sugar and the vanilla to the chocolate and butter, and stir until smooth.
  5. Remove the mixture from the heat, and allow to cool slightly.
  6. Blend the eggs, chestnut flour, salt, and baking powder in a separate bowl.
  7. Once the chocolate mixture is cool, pour into the flour mixture, and blend until smooth.
  8. Pour the batter into the oiled and parchment lined 9"x13" baking dish.
  9. Sprinkle the top of the brownies with chocolate chips before baking if desired.
  10. Bake at 350 degrees for 30-35 minutes.
  11. Allow the brownies to cool completely before frosting.

Dairy-Free Fluffy Chocolate Frosting

This creamy dairy-free frosting is the perfect complement to our fudgy brownies. It is soft, spreadable, and utterly delicious!

Serves: 24

Serves: 24decrease servingsincrease servings

Ingredients

Process

Note, these instructions are written assuming the standard serving size, since you have modified the number of servings, these steps may need to be modified for best results
  1. Heat the coconut cream over medium heat until scalded.
  2. Pour the scalded cream over the dark chocolate chips, and stir until smooth and creamy.
  3. Stir in the vanilla extract.
  4. Chill the mixture in the refrigerator until it's cool.
  5. Beat the frosting with a hand mixer until whipped and fluffy. Spread on your favorite brownies!

Notes

The Kara brand coconut cream comes in a 17 oz box. We used half the amount of cream for this recipe which is the perfect amount to frost our brownie recipe. You can use the whole box of coconut cream, and double (might need slightly more or less) the chocolate chips if you are making a two layer cake. If you can't get Kara brand coconut cream, you can also use the cream on top of chilled, canned full fat coconut milk.

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    COMMENTS

    1. HeatherH
      January 21, 2014

      These look so good! I’m currently doing a Whole 30, but that just gives me time to purchase some chestnut flour!!

    2. The Saffron Girl
      January 21, 2014

      First of all, congratulations on the new site. It looks great! And second, what a nice recipe. I use chestnut flour in many recipes and also have some chocolate favourites. I love the texture and flavour it adds. Great idea! They look delicious!!!

    3. TinaP
      January 21, 2014

      I made these today and they are heaven! First time I have used chestnut flour and I love the texture. You all hit the target on this one! Thank you!!

      1. January 23, 2014

        Thank you! I am really loving chestnut flour also! I’m looking forward to trying some other recipes with it as well 🙂

    4. January 21, 2014

      Thanks for the kind words everyone!

      @TinaP- I’m so so happy they turned out well for you! Thanks for trying them out!

    5. mmarra
      January 21, 2014

      Thank-you for this yummy recipe! Do you have to purchase chestnut flour online or can you get at Whole Foods? Looking forward to trying this!

    6. January 21, 2014

      @mmarra- I ordered from Amazon. Sorry we didn’t link! Will add that into the post.

    7. Pam957
      January 22, 2014

      Will they turn out right if I make half of a recipe?

      1. January 23, 2014

        Hi Pam. I have not tried making half a batch, but I would assume it would be okay to just cut the ingredient amounts in half. I would watch the cook time just to be safe. They cooked in a thin layer, so I don’t actually think you would need to reduce the cook time, but I would definitely check them after 15-20 minutes just to be safe. In the 9″X13″ baking pan, this recipe smoothed out to be about 3/4 of an inch high, so you would definitely want to use a smaller baking pan. If the brownies end up being a thicker layer, then they will need to cook a little longer, even at half a batch. Your other option is to freeze half. I did freeze some and they did freeze okay, even frosted. I probably wouldn’t serve them to guests if they had been frozen, but if you want a treat one night, you could take them out of the freezer. If you make half a batch, let us know how it turns out! Thanks!

    8. rach5834
      January 22, 2014

      Just made these! I used the almond flour and subbed enjoy life chips for the chocolate. Cut the sugar down to 1/4 cup since the chips are already pretty sweet. They.are.amazing. Making the frosting now, I can’t wait! Thanks for the recipe!

      1. January 23, 2014

        So glad to hear it! I love that they turned out well with your substitutions! Great job improvising 🙂

    9. jacquie0721
      January 23, 2014

      I plan on making these tomorrow for a dinner we’re hosting and I’m very excited about it! I have a rookie-chef question though. I’ve made coconut whipped cream plenty of times but never where you scald it. Can you elaborate on scalding? Is it just heating it until it browns a little or heating it until it bubbles? How will I know when it’s scalded?

      1. January 24, 2014

        That’s a great question! And I should probably make note of it in this post. Scalding is basically when the milk or cream starts to have heat rising from it, but is not bubbling yet. You really just want the cream hot enough to melt the chocolate. If it starts to bubble don’t worry, it will be okay! Hope that helps!

    10. jacquie0721
      January 24, 2014

      Thanks so much for the explanation on scalding. I used coconut cream from a chilled can of coconut milk and made these tonight. WOW. I think this is the best paleo dessert recipe I have ever made! It helps to let the frosting hang out a minute after you whip it. It’s difficult to spread when it’s still really cold post-whip. Soooo good! Thank you!

      1. February 3, 2014

        So glad to hear it!!

    11. amboyd721
      January 27, 2014

      I tried these with almond flour and found them to be dry and bland. Maybe I need to try chestnut flour? I’ve also been eating raw brownies lately so anything is dry compared to raw brownies 😉

      Where did you get chestnut flour?

      1. January 28, 2014

        @Amboyd721: I would ask what brand of almond flour you’re using. We recommend Honeyville Farms Almond Flour. The texture of the almond flour can greatly affect the texture of the baked goods. Honeyville is available via Amazon.

      2. February 3, 2014

        @amboyd721- yes the almond flour can really make a big difference! We only recommend using Honeyville or Wellbee Foods, or any other SUPER FINE ground almond flour. If you accidentally used too much almond flour, then that would have made a difference as well.

        Chestnut flour can be found on Amazon. The brand I use is Hoosier Hill Farm, Premium Chestnut Powder Raw (flour). Good luck!

    12. torryc
      February 3, 2014

      The new site is gorgeous and I absolutely love Bill’s photography. I made these brownies for the Super Bowl and they were fantastic. I used almond flour and had no issues. They were so fudgy! I used 100% cacao because that’s all I had. It made a dark chocolate brownie that was so rich. It could have used a nice big scoop of grass fed ice cream while still warm…next time!

      1. February 3, 2014

        @Torryc- Thank you!!! So glad you loved them. Ice cream on top sounds AMAZING!!

    13. Marielle@PaleoTreats
      Marielle@PaleoTreats
      February 27, 2014

      For sure can’t resist the brownie recipe, will give this one a go asap, but definitely can’t resist expressing my admiration for your beautiful new site! Love your format and intention behind it! Greetings from Marielle and your friends at Paleo Treats 🙂

    14. February 28, 2014

      Hi Marielle! Thanks for the love! <3

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