“But there were no food stores in the town of Chewandswallow. They didn’t need any . . . The only thing that was really different about Chewandswallow was it’s weather. It came three times a day at breakfast, lunch and dinner. Everything that everyone ate came from the sky.”
~Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs
This is just a guess, but I think EVERY adult has probably fantasized about dinner falling from the sky at one point or another. We get home, slap our keys on the counter, and then realize the meat we meant to take out is still in the freezer.
Oops.
Wouldn’t it be great if a REAL mom wrote a REAL book for REAL families with REAL schedules who love REAL food? Yes, yes it would. And fortunately for you, it’s already happened.
The lovable Danielle walker of Against All Grain recently released Meals Made Simple, a collection of paleo-friendly recipes for easy weeknight meals.
Danielle has graciously given me a recipe from the book to share with you today, but before I do that I need to gush a little . . . or a lot.
Why I Love This Book
Meals Made Simple is more than a survival guide for moms. It’s an invitation to reclaim the joy of home-cooked dinners without the stress. How so? Well, for starters, it’s got a section which shows a color coded list of:
- All the recipes that can be made in 30 minutes or less (yes, please)
- One-pot meals (for easy cleanup)
- Slow cooker meals (to prep and forget)
If you have dietary restrictions, there’s no need to thumb through each page looking for something your family can eat. Danielle has made it easy with an chart that identifies recipes that are egg, nut, or nightshade free – or all three, if that’s what you need.
And as if that doesn’t make things easy enough, she’s also included an 8-week meal plan complete with shopping lists for each week.
The recipes are a mix of old favorites from childhood – breakfast burritos, chicken and “rice” casserole, shortcut spaghetti, strawberry shortcake, and of course brownies – with some new stuff mixed in. I’m especially excited about the chicken tikka masala and fish tacos.
And now, how ’bout that recipe?
Fudgy Brownies
(In Danielle’s Words)
There’s a cake brownie, and there’s a fudgy brownie. I love both, and the nut-free cake brownies from my first book are one of my favorites, but these fudge brownies are so rich and chewy, they make take the cake.
Fudgy Brownie Recipe From Against All Grain
Ingredients
- ½ cup sustainably harvested palm shortening (plus extra for greasing the baking dish)
- 8 oz unsweetened chocolate (chopped)
- 1 cup raw honey
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- ¾ cup coconut crystals
- ½ cup blanched almond flour
- 1 tbsp coconut flour
- 1 tbsp arrowroot powder
- ¼ tsp sea salt
- ¼ tsp baking soda
- 4 large eggs
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350F. Lightly grease and 8-by-11-inch baking dish and place a piece of parchment paper in the bottom with flaps on the side for easy release.
- Bring 1 inch of water in a saucepan to a boil. Reduce to a simmer and place a heatpoof glass or metal bowl over the top to create a double boiler. Slowly melt the palm shortening and the chocolate together, stirring constantly. Stir in the honey and vanilla, then remove from heat and let cool.
- In a food processor, grind the coconut crystals, almond flour, coconut flour, arrowroot powder, salt and baking soda for 30 seconds.
- Add the chocolate mixture and blend until smooth. Add 1 egg at a time, blending for 15 seconds between additions to fully combine.
- Pour the batter into the prepared baking dish and bake for 35 to 40 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean when inserted into the center. Allow to cool in the pan for 30 minutes, then release the sides with a knife and lift the brownies out of the pan with the parchment paper. Enjoy warm or let cool completely on a wire rack.
Nutrition
Click here to order Meals Made Simple.
More Delicious Paleo Desserts
Chocolate Chip Blondies Recipe – These chewy chocolate chip blondies are so easy to bake even a kid can do it. And I really mean that, because this recipe was created by my daughter Katie. It’s from Chef Junior, which she wrote with several of her friends.
Easy Paleo Chocolate Donuts With Glaze – These double chocolate cake donuts are easy to make and fun to decorate! I kid you not, they taste very similar to the Little Debbie snack cakes we (or at least I) grew up on.
Want more delicious, easy recipes?
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What are coconut crystals?
What are coconut crystals?
I think it’s coconut sugar.
Coconut crystal(s) is a sweetner made from the sap of coconut palm flowers (per Wikipedia). You can find them on Amazon. Would love to know what brand you use, oh wise and knowledgeable Mommypotamus! Could I find all of the ingredients from Whole Foods?
So it’s basically coconut sugar? But there is already 1 cup of honey in the recipe. I’m confused by the coconut crystals…
I agree this recipe has way too much sweetener added, especially for the Paleo diet. 1cupnod honey is like adding 2 cups of white sugar.
I wondered if these brownies would be overly sweet, but they’re actually just right. Like all treats, they’re meant to be enjoyed on an occasional basis. 🙂
Why do you say 1 cup honey is equal to 2 cups of white sugar? It is my understanding that they are used interchangeably in a lot of recipes on a 1:1 basis, with honey obviously being the preferred choice because it is less refined and contains more minerals. http://www.cooks.com/recipe/4516i4d5/substituting-honey-for-sugar.html
One cup of honey is one cup of sugar…once over that they suggest 3/4 cup per one cause it taste sweeter, but it is a taste thing not an actually doubling of sugar.
Wow! That doesn’t sound like a real recipe for real families! Yikes! The price of the honey alone makes it a recipe I may only use once a year!
Because of the unsweetened chocolate, you do need both sweeteners. Even then, it is still a dark, intense chocolate flavor. My husband thought they weren’t sweet enough, but then again, he only likes milk chocolate. I thought they were a touch too bitter, but I’d rather that than be too sweet.
Where do you get unsweetened chocolate? Also, do you know of a cacao option?
You can buy raw cacao paste, I use it like unsweetened chocolate…it is just the raw cacao bean mashed and dried…so it is truly unsweeted chocolate, nothing added. Azure coop sells it, I believe the brand is “The Grainery.” You might search online as well. Cheers!
Most health food grocery stores (Sprouts, Whole Foods, Natural Grocers, etc.) should sell bars of unsweetened chocolate in the baking section. Guittard and Dagoba both are brands to look for. Amazon has them too!
YUMMY!!! We love brownies
I LOVE this cookbook! I haven’t tried any of the yummy treats yet. I try not to often, but when I do, I will not hesitate to use the sweeteners as suggested! 🙂 I just won’t let myself be greedy and eat the whole pan myself…THAT would be too much. But tempting, yes? 😉
Haha! Yeah, that would probably be too much 🙂
A few years ago I came up with a brownie recipe modeled after Outback Steakhouse’s “Chocolate Thunder from Down Under” and holy smokes was it amazing (after much tweaking…)
I’m really not a fan of honey in anything other than tea so I used just a tad of maple syrup because the dark chocolate bars I used had some sweetener as well and I don’t really like an overly sweet treat.
It was similar to this recipe with just almond flour, ground pecans, and ground walnuts but I used lard (I always use lard..so yummy!)
It’s kind of hard to go wrong with brownies, but when you find the perfect balance of rich, gooey chocolate with the perfect texture and flavor…mmmm, heaven.
I can’t wait to see the other recipes!
Oo, you use lard? I’d love to see that recipe since I can’t do butter and buying shortening is insanely expensive. Can you post a link?
Wouldn’t it be better to leave the honey raw and unheated and then just drizzle on the top?
I just started on the paleo diet . Would substituting coconut oil for the palm shorteing be ok? And is coconut sugar allowed on the paleo diet?
All I could taste after making these was honey…not fudgey chocolate. Sadly, disappointed
These brownies look oh so perfect muah!
Super good! Fudgy and rich! I’ve made them twice. My co-workers are asking for the recipe, and they didn’t even know they were gluten/grain/dairy free! I think the 8 x 11 pan size is a little small–I used a similar size and decided to put some batter in a second pan so that they wouldn’t be too thick and cake-like (It worked great). I may even try a 9 x 13 next time. Thanks!
Glad you liked them, Cindy! Danielle really knocked this recipe out of the park 🙂
Hi everyone!Thank you for sharing the recipe. I made this brownies today, they taste is good but I’d like to add some type of extra moist or frosting on top( Of course healthy one) Cos I found the texture a bit dry and not fudgy. I put for my son and bf hazelnut chocolate butter on top and they loved it, but for me I need a dairy free topping. If anyone can share an advice or topping to make them more interesting, I’d really appreciate it!
Happy new year to all you healthy inspiring women!
I wonder if the chocolate is supposed the be measured or weighed. I have made these brownies at least 5-6 times since the recipe was posted and everyone loves them! I usually let them cool in the pan on the counter and then put them in the fridge for a couple hours. When they come out of the oven they are fluffy and cakey but after they come out of the fridge they are dense and moist and perfect. I just wonder about the chocolate…I have always used 1 cup (8 oz) but it dawned on me the other day that it may be referring to weight.
Do you have a suggestion for replacing the almond flour? My son is deathly allergic to tree nuts, so I can’t cook with it at all. This recipe sounds delicious and I would love to give it a try. Thanks.
Hello…instead of chocolate chips could I use raw cacao powder..and if so any idea how much? Thank you
I found this on the net for conversion. I have not tried it though:
To replace one ounce of unsweetened chocolate, use 3 tablespoons cocoa powder plus 1 tablespoon butter, shortening or oil. Dissolve the cocoa in liquid that is already used in the recipe.
This pan size really has me stumped! I can’t even find it on any conversion charts online. I want to try this recipe tonight, hopefully I can eyeball it and they will turn out ok
I can’t do almond flour… what could I use as a substitute? Would rice flour or more coconut flour work?
Could you use stevia in place of coconut crystals and honey?
i am nut free right now, is there a substitute for that almond flour that is still paleo?