These are the absolute best dark chocolate brownies EVER! With a deep fudgy texture, rich chocolaty flavor, and a crackled top, these brownies just can't be beat! Made paleo-friendly, gluten-free, and dairy-free, I consider them better than boxed brownies.
What Makes These Brownies The Best?
I get it, declaring a brownie recipe "the best" if pretty forward of me. But I'm telling you, these call for it. They encompass all the essential elements of a life changing brownie:
- Taste - rich dark chocoalty
- Texture - crispy edges with a crackled top
- Density - super fudgy
Are These Brownies "Healthy"?
While the term healthy has a different definition for everyone, I the answer to this question is yes and no.
Yes, they are made with wholesome, natural ingredients. You won't find processed sugars, hydrogenated oils, or preservatives in this recipe.
However, these brownies do fall into the indulgent bucket in the healthy scheme of things. They have a good amount of high-quality dark chocolate and an entire cup of coconut sugar.
So are these brownies "healthy"? Like I said, yes but also no. BUT THEY ARE ABSOLUTELY MIND BLOWINGLY DELICIOUS!
Ingredients for The Best Paleo Brownies
High Quality Chocolate
Coconut Oil
Coconut Sugar
Eggs
Almond Flour
Cacao Powder
Espresso
Dark Chocolate Brownie Baking Tips
Although this recipe isa simple, one-bowl-style recipe, there are a couple tips and tricks to ensure your brownies are fudgy and rich with that marvelous crinkle top layer:
- Beat your eggs and coconut sugar together. This is the key to the cracked top layer. Beat your eggs and coconut sugar until they almost double in size. This can take anywhere from 3 - 5 minutes and can be done with a stand mixer, hand mixer, or whisk (if you want a good arm workout)
- Use high-quality chocolate. This is a no-brainer as high-quality chocolate really has no substitute. I love using a super deep dark chocolate bar (think 90% cacao) to really make them a 'dark chocolate' brownie. You could also use chocolate chips! If you want to go that route, these are my favorite paleo and vegan chocolate chips and work well in this recipe!
- Fold in the dry ingredients. This prevents dry brownies. Slowly fold in about ⅓ of the flour mixture at a time with a rubber spatula and don't over mix.
Looking for more chocoholic-style treats? Here are some of my favorites:
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The Best Dark Chocolate Paleo Brownies
- Prep Time: 15
- Cook Time: 30
- Total Time: 45 minutes
- Yield: 16 Brownies 1x
- Category: Brownies
- Method: Bake
- Cuisine: American
- Diet: Gluten Free
Description
These are the absolute best dark chocolate brownies EVER! With a deep fudgy texture, rich chocolaty flavor, and a crackled top, these brownies just can't be beat! Made paleo-friendly, gluten-free, and dairy-free, I consider them better than boxed brownies.
Ingredients
- 1 9-oz bag dark chocolate chips or 9-oz dark chocolate bar
- ⅓ cup coconut oil
- 1 cup coconut sugar
- 3 eggs, room temperature
- ¾ cup almond flour
- 3 Tbsp cacao powder
- 1 tsp espresso (sub. 1 Tbsp strong coffee)
- ¼ tsp sea salt
Instructions
1. Preheat oven to 350 F. Melt 1 ⅓ cups of the chocolate (or ~7-oz of the chocolate bar) and the coconut oil; stir until glossy
2. While the chocolate is melting, beat the eggs and coconut sugar in a bowl using a stand mixer, hand beater, or whisk. Whisk until the mixture has doubled in size, about 3 - 5 minutes (this is the key to the crackled top layer!)
3. Mix in the melted chocolate into the bowl with the eggs and stir until fully incorporated
4. Whisk the almond flour, cacao powder, espresso, and sea salt in a separate bowl. Slowly fold into the bowl with the chocolate, a little at a time using a rubber spatula; don't over mix
5. Fold in remaining chocolate chips or chocolate bar and pour the batter into an 8 x 8 lined baking pan*. Bake for 24 - 28 minutes until you can insert a toothpick into the middle and it comes out clean
Notes
* Note : If baking with glass, increase the baking time to 30 - 35 minutes. Check the brownies by inserting a toothpick in the middle. With a glass baking pan, they will continue to cook for a little longer once pulled out of the oven
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 Brownie
- Calories: 193
- Fat: 13
- Carbohydrates: 24
- Protein: 3
Keywords: Paleo Brownies, Healthy Brownies, Dark Chocolate Brownies, Gluten-free, Paleo
Hey, the brownies look beautiful. I was wondering what can be a replacement for the eggs? Also, if I can use oat flour instead of almond flour or a combination of both.
Hi Heena! Thank you so much! I haven't tried this but you could probably replace the eggs with flax eggs and/or applesauce. I would try doing 2 flax eggs and 1/4 cup apple sauce at first. I have tried this with oat flour and it's not as fudgy. If you wanted to try 1/2 cup almond flour + 1/4 cup oat flour that may help with the texture. Hope this helps!
★★★★★
Delicious with a deep chocolate flavour! I just felt that 180g of coconut sugar was a lot, so used only about half the amount and they turned out great!
Hi Eva!
The rich chocolate flavor is my favorite part! I'm a sucker for dark chocolate. Good to know the recipe works with reduced sugar! Thanks for mentioning that, I'll have to put that in the notes 🙂
Hi. We’ve just made these brownies this weekend and they are absolutely delicious! I was just wondering how long these last for after the day you’ve made them. ❤️
Hi Annabel!
Yay I am so glad you enjoyed them! They should keep for about 4 days in an airtight container on the counter and about a week in an airtight container the fridge. The fridge is my favorite way to store them - they are awesome heated up slightly 🙂