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Over the last couple of years there has been a big move towards choosing healthier recipes over more traditionally indulgent ones. And these Healthy 20 Minute Brownies are perfect, as they use dates and honey for sweetness and oat flour to provide a more nutritious low GI base.
This recipe is great, because you just whizz up the ingredients together in your food processor (although an old fashioned whisk also works fine) then tip the mixture into a lined tin and bake until it firms up on top, but is still nice and sticky inside.
While I’m all for making a really special cake for birthdays or parties (check out my Beautiful Black Forest Birthday Cake) I do try to make healthy choices on a day to day basis therefore avoiding refined sugars and flours. I’ve tried lots of different alternatives, and even some more adventurous substitutes like sweet potatoes and avocados. But I found they don’t keep very well, and for me, somehow these versions can never quite lose their essential veggie nature. But using the dates and honey with lashings of dark cocoa gives them a gooey, chocolatiness that sends you off to brownie heaven.
And that’s what you want in a brownie.
- 75g (3 oz) Organic oats
- 100g medjool dates, pitted and roughly chopped
- 125g (41/2 oz) organic butter (or coconut oil)
- 75g (3 oz) organic cocoa powder (I used Green & Blacks)
- 2 free-range eggs
- 3 tbsp wild honey (make sure its pure and not a blend)
- 3 tbsp natural yoghurt ( or almond/rice milk)
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp vanilla essence ( or just scoop the seeds straight from a pod)
- A handful of roughly chopped toasted, hazelnuts or good quality dark chocolate wouldn't go amiss!
- Preheat the oven to 180C (fan 160C) Gas mark 4.
- Grease and line an 8 in square tin in advance.
- Blend the oats first until they resemble a fine, light flour.
- Add the rest of the ingredients and blend well, except the nuts or chocolate chips which you add last to the fudgey mixture and stir in.
- Spoon the brownie mixture into the lined tin, and smooth the mixture out even with the back of a spoon.
- Bake for 15 mins, or until the surface feels firm on top but still bit gooey inside.
- Remove from the oven, allow to cool for a few minutes before slicing into squares.
Yum – love a great brownie!
These look so good! Can’t wait to make them. Pinning now! 🙂
What a great recipe!! I love making things that my family likes, just a bit more healthy. Going to try these…sshhh…don’t tell my son what’s in them! 🙂 Thank you for sharing with us at the #HomeMattersParty
Oats and dates? Wow! That’s a great alternative combo for brownies – and definitely something I haven’t thought about before. The texture looks like the original, sinful brownies too!
I have to try this! yummmm!
20 minute brownies?? Say no more! These look fantastic and I love the ‘healthier’ twist on them
These look amazing! I love brownies and I love that you used dates. Yum! We’d love if you shared any of your recipes over at Savoring Saturdays linky party this Friday {it goes live at 7 p.m. EST}. Have a great rest of the week!
Thank for stopping by, and yes please, I’d love to pop over to savouring Saturdays!
These brownies look great. I love that you didn’t use processed sugar. Thanks for sharing these at the Let’s Get Real link party. You will be my featured recipe this week.
These sound great! I love that they are healthy… AND gluten free! 🙂
And nothing to feel bad about 😉
Wow Sara! These brownies look amazing. My daughter is going to love trying out this recipe with me. We are both chocolate lovers! Thanks so much for sharing this healthier version with all of our Let’s Get Real readers.
whoa…this looks amazing…so trying this! THanks.