I’m sorry that I am rather late for Valentine’s Day. (Or extremely early depending on how you look at it).
Will you except my apology with some homemade brownies made with love?
Who am I kidding-I’m not sorry. These brownies are wonderful. If you consider beets love, then yes, they are made with love.
I had a can of beets on hand, no flour, lots of unsweetened chocolate bars, and a craving for fudgy, dense, chewy, chocolate brownies. Combine these together and you get beet brownies.
I was aiming for a “red velvet” brownie, but I wanted it extra chocolate-y. Therefore, the extra cocoa powder took away from the gorgeous red color. If you want to keep the red, though, omit the cocoa powder.
~These beet brownies are made with whole grain oat flour and are vegan, gluten-free, dairy-free, soy-free, corn-free, and sugar-free.
Ingredients
- 1 cup pureed beets
- 1/4 cup applesauce (make your own in the crockpot!)
- 1/4-1/2 cup pureed dates*
- 1 Tablespoon coconut oil
- 3 ounces unsweetened chocolate
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 3/4 cup oat flour**
- 1 rounded Tablespoon cocoa powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup chopped walnuts, optional
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350*.
- In a small saucepan combine the unsweetened chocolate and coconut oil. Heat on low heat until completely melted.
- Combine all wet ingredients together in a bowl. In a separate bowl, combine dry ingredients. Then, mix these together until smooth. Add in chopped walnuts, if desired.
- Well grease or line with parchment paper a 8x8 inch pan.
- Bake for 30-35 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Let cool for 10 minutes before slicing and serving.
Notes
*Adjust date amount depending on how sweet you want the brownies. You can also substitute stevia for a lower fructose level. **Make your own oat flour by processing oats in a food processor or blender until smooth.
Health Benefits:
- Chocolate: Click Here for a post I wrote about the benefits of chocolate.
- Oats: Oats contain loads of vitamins and minerals to keep you full and energized throughout the day. They can lower cholesterol, burn fat, reduce risk of type 2 diabetes, regulate bowel movements, reduce blood pressure, reduce risks of cancer because of oat’s phytochemical, and reduce the risk of heart disease.
- Beets: The rich red color of beets shows the wonderful antioxidant content that helps the body fight free radicals. They contain betaine, the same substance that is used in certain treatments of depression. It also contains L tryptophan, which relaxes the mind and creates a sense of well-being, and they can lower your blood pressure.
If you follow me on instagram (@SugarFreeAlex) you might have seen this lovely mess over the weekend: leftover brownie scraps and a glass of ice cold almond milk. A perfect end to my Saturday.
Thought-provoking, mind-prodding question of the day:
Have you ever added vegetables to unsuspecting dishes?
Some of my favorite ways to “sneak” veggies is by adding spinach to smoothies, pureed carrots to burgers, or pumpkin to pancakes.
Michelle @ Eat Move Balance says
I’ve done the adding beans to baked goods, but never beets. And I love beets! I’ll have to try this!
Sugar Free Alex says
michelle,
i love beans in baked goods, too!
Jill says
Looks delist, and can’t wait to try it! I was curious if the recipes you post on your blog, get put into your recipe index on your site. Just curious to know if I need to pin recipes you blog so that I can go back to them at a later date, or if I can just go to your website anytime and see your newest creations.
Sugar Free Alex says
Jill,
Yes, they are mostly updated on my recipe page! I have just a couple I still need to put on there, but for the most part it is the best way to find recipes on my site.
Jill says
Delish…not delist! Oh auto-correct!
Jen @ www.existentialevolution.com says
Hi. I’ve been a long time fan but have never commented. Your grain free banana bread is a staple in our house. I can’t wait to try this latest recipe. Thanks and good luck to you in college. Hopefully meals have improved in college cafeterias since my day:-)
Sugar Free Alex says
Jen,
Thanks for commenting! I’m glad you enjoy my banana bread-it is a favorite of mine, too.
purelymichelle says
love beets, so love adding beets to desserts or donuts 🙂
Kathleen @ KatsHealthCorner says
Brownies made with BEETS?!?!?! What a great way to sneak in a veggie!!!! 😀 I bet you could also use pumpkin puree in place of the applesauce and make it doubled-veggie. 😉
Vicki says
I had the most fabulous brownie at a japanese restaurant made with green tea. What would you suggest to modify this recipe to use green tea instead of beets?
Sugar Free Alex says
Vicki,
It sounds like a good idea, but I really have no idea how to modify this because I feel like the chocolate would overpower the green tea too much. I would suggest using matcha tea powder, though, because it is a strongly-flavored green tea. I’ll have to do some tinkering and get back to you.
Teresa says
Thanks for your wonderful recipe. Here is another one I found. I think you do not use any type of sugar substitute, but maybe can use beets instead of xylitol in the 1 minute sugar free brownie recipe below:
1 Minute Sugar Free Brownie
Makes 1 serving
1 tablespoon coconut oil
1 tablespoon whole wheat pastry flour
1 tablespoon unsweetened cocoa powder
1 tablespoon xylitol OR 2 packets stevia (both have good results!)
1 tablespoon water
Put the coconut oil in small, microwave safe dish (you can use a ramekin or even a coffee mug). Microwave until it is melted, about 30 seconds. Add the rest of the ingredients and stir. Microwave for 30 seconds. Eat!
Source: http://happyhealthymama.com/2012/02/1-minute-sugar-free-brownie.html
Sugar Free Alex says
This looks great, Teresa! I’ll have to try it out.