Gluten-free, Low Carb Almond Flour Double Fudge Macadamia Nut Brownies

Chocolate. I dream about this stuff. What is it about that "dark-lord of all things evil" that just calls to me? Maybe the name says it all, eh?  It's my kryptonite. For reals.  I love chocolate. LOVE.  Sometimes a girl just needs some brownies, but being converted to a healthy lifestyle, I have to actually make my own treats. Granted, the old me would have just gone to the grocery store and had a carb and sugar loaded brownie and not really thought too much about it, but I'm not the old me.  Chocolate crisis averted with these bad-boys! They're rich and thick and fudgy. Mmmmm. Mama neeeeeeeeds....

 I used low impact carbohydrates that won't make your blood sugar trip out, and the sweeteners are from natural sources.  I also use almond flour in this recipe, making it a great source of fiber, good fats, and protein. 

 In this recipe I be using the healthiest oil on the planet! Literally. It's the healthiest.  Thanks to our friends at Ahuacatlan Pure Avocado Oil for sending me all the beautiful samples! We've had so much fun exploring this awesome stuff! I think you'll see why. The flavor is super buttery and perfect for awesome brownies!

So, without further introduction, here's today's recipe...

Gluten-Free Almond Flour Double Fudge Macadamia Brownies

Ingredients:
1/2 cup Ahuacatlan Avocado Oil
½ cup  Pyure Sweet Stevia Erythritol Baking Blend

½ cup coconut sugar
2 Eggs
1 Tbsp Vanilla
1 cup almond flour
1/2 cup organic baker’s cocoa
2 Tbsp Arrowroot
1/2 tsp fine Sea Salt
1 cup chopped macadamia nuts

Directions: Cream together the oil, sugar, vanilla and eggs. Combine the dry ingredients and fold into the oil mixture. Spread into a greased 8 x8 baking pan.  It is going to be pretty thick. Sprinkle the chopped hazelnut over the brownies. Bake at 325° 20-25 minutes until outside edges are almost dry.  The middle will look a little moist.   Remove from oven.  The secret is to allow them to cool 1 hour before cutting.  Cut into 20 brownies.

My Fitness Pal Nutritional Information: Serving 1 brownie. 168 calories, 14 g fat, 8 carb, 2 fiber, 3 protein
  
Always My Very Best,
Your Friend Chef Tess

Easy Fresh Berry Brownie Pie

 Every single day I bake pies. I know. It's awesome!   At Bistro 'a la mode, they change every single day as the pie Du jour so I have the chance to come out with remarkably delicious concoctions. It's an Evil Think Tank every day of the week. I wish you all could be there with me! One of the pies from this week was the fresh berry brownie pie. Usually we serve the Black Forrest Brownie Pie where there is a full enshrinement of flaky buttery crust around the brownie and pie filling. Usually people freak-out and cry tears of joy at the warm brownie and tart cherry filling with nuances of citrus and amaretto. I always, always get asked how I bake a brownie inside a crust like that. It's top secret my darlings. 

This week I just baked the brownie in the pie shell open so I could top it with gobs of ridiculous dark chocolate orange truffle ganache and bury luscious fresh berries in the gooey ridiculousness.   It was quite successful. 

 The top secret trick? Bake your brownies first.  I use my  Tried and True Evil Brownies topped with the ganache from the original recipe on the blog. They are always moist and remarkable. When chilled, they cut up perfectly and the ganache has its own distinct layer of love. See?

My Chef Tess Brownies
1 1/4 cup butter
4 cups sugar
1T vanilla,
2 tsp rum extract
1 T cinnamon
1 T orange zest
1/2 tsp ground Cayenne pepper
8 eggs
2 cups flour
1 1/2 cup dark cocoa powder
1 T salt

Directions:
Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Cream the butter,sugar, eggs, vanilla, and spice until light. Add the flour, cocoa, and salt, mixing 2 minutes. Pour int a lightly greased bar pan (at least 9inch by 13inch by 3) Bake 40-45 minutes--slightly under-cooked is better than overdone and dry. Cover with ganache and toasted almonds:

Ganache
16 oz. high quality chocolate chips
1 cup heavy cream
1 tsp orange zest
1 tsp almond extract 

Directions: Boil cream with the zest and almond extract. Place chocolate in a metal bowl and pour hot cream mixture over the chocolate. Stir with a wire whisk until smooth. Pour over brownies when they are cool. Allow to cool...if you can wait that long and cut into squares.

For the pie, cut into squares and strips and mold them into the bottom of an unbaked pie shell. See: My perfect pie crust recipe there's also a tutorial there on how to make my crust. 

 Bake at 375 degrees for 17-20 minutes, until the crust is golden brown and the brownie ganache has melted. The brownie will appear to have been baked in the shell. 

 Top with fresh berries of your choice.  I used fresh strawberries, rasberries, and blackberries and then I drizzled them with Melba sauce. 

That's it! Easy and delicious!

Have an amazing Memorial Day weekend my darlings!

Always My Very Best,
Your Friend Chef Tess

Gluten-Free, Sugar-Free Almond Flour Macadamia Fudge Brownies

For his birthday, my now eleven year old son {ask me how I feel about my baby being that old}, wanted something healthy, sugar-free, and made with almond flour. I can't help but think I'm doing something right when he wants that for his birthday. Not that there's anything wrong with having cake, but he's become such a healthy guy.  I first introduced him to these about a month ago and he's asked for them every day since...so maybe it isn't even so much a "birthday wish" as it is an "every day of the week wish".  I don't even feel guilty making them. They're a good source of vitamin E, high in protein and fiber...and sugar free, gluten-free, and very high in vitamin Chocolate {Don't mock vitamin chocolate...it is real}. . I use Almond flour because it is just almonds. It doesn't cause a spike in blood sugar and because it bakes just beautifully in these brownies.

  I also opted for the granulated erythritol because of how well it does in baking sugar free without the aftertaste of a lot of other sugar-free products.  Erythritol occurs naturally in some fruits and fermented foods. It has all the benefits of table sugar without all the harmful side-effects. This sweetener is almost 70% as sweet as table sugar and is also non-caloric, does not affect blood sugar and does not cause tooth decay.
Sugar Free Almond Flour Macadamia Fudge Brownies

1/4 cup extra virgin coconut oil
3/4 cup granulated erythritol or  Truvia Baking Blend
2 eggs
1T vanilla
1 cup almond flour
1/2 cup Dutch Baker's Cocoa
1/2 tsp fine sea salt
1/2 cup fine minced macadamia nuts (optional)

Directions: Cream together the the coconut oil, erythritol, vanilla and eggs. Combine the dry ingredients and fold into the butter mixture.  Spread into a greased 8 x8 baking pan.  Sprinkle with macadamia.  Bake at 325 degrees 25-30 minutes until outside edges are almost dry.  Remove from oven. Allow to cool 1 hour before cutting.  

Nutritional information (without macadamia nuts):

Yield 1 dozen brownies:

 125 calories, 10g carbohydrate (5 net carbs), 5 g fiber, 10 g fat, 6 g protein

Always My Very Best,
Your Friend Chef Tess

The Skinny on Brownies! Today's Valentine's Brownie Segment

Okay, are you looking for a great Valentine's brownie recipe? This is my Chef Tess Gourmet Brownie Recipe! It is by and far my favorite! Oh...and we shared it on 3TV this morning!

Ingredients
1 1/4 cup butter
4 cups sugar
1 T vanilla,
2 tsp rum or amaretto extract
1 T cinnamon
1 T orange zest
1/2 tsp ground Cayenne pepper
8 eggs
2 cups flour
1 1/2 cup dark cocoa powder
1 T salt

Instructions
Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Cream the butter,sugar, eggs, vanilla, and spice until light. (Everything should be at room temperature for best mixing.) Add the flour, cocoa, and salt, mixing 2 minutes.

Pour int a lightly greased bar pan, at least 9-x13. Bake 40-45 minutes -- slightly undercooked is better than overdone and dry.

Cover with ganache and toasted almonds.

Ganache

Ingredients
16 oz. high quality chocolate chips
1 cup heavy cream
2 cups toasted almonds

Instructions
Boil cream.

Place chocolate in a metal bowl and pour hot cream over the chocolate. Stir with a wire whisk until smooth. It doesn't take long.

Pour over brownies when they are cool and cover with toasted almonds.

Allow to cool -- if you can wait that long -- and cut into squares.

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The Evil Brownie...

Meet my friend.

We have a LOVE-HATE relationship.

His Royal Evilness...Baron Brownie.
Stop staring at me with those piercing eyes!

This is an entry on THE evil Brownie. Really sick and wrong...in a good way. So deathly delicious they kill any effort to lose weight and have to be banished to the tower... and even then I manage to find the locked door and fight off the bats and fairy dust to get to them! Here is my favorite brownie recipe, for good reason. I doubt you will be able to keep the munchkins at bay...or giants for that matter. There is a reason why I only make these when I can take them somewhere. Otherwise they stare at me all day. How rude. Don't make these...save yourself!!!Okay, make them. You have been warned.

My Chef Tess Brownies
1 1/4 cup butter
4 cups sugar
1T vanilla,
2 tsp rum extract
1 T cinnamon
1 T orange zest
1/2 tsp ground Cayenne pepper
8 eggs
2 cups flour
1 1/2 cup dark cocoa powder
1 T salt

Preheat oven to 325degrees. Cream the butter,sugar, eggs, vanilla, and spice until light. Add the flour, cocoa, and salt, mixing 2 minutes. Pour int a lightly greased bar pan (at least 9inch by 13inch by 3) Bake 40-45 minutes--slightly undercooked is better than overdone and dry. Cover with ganache and toasted almonds:

Ganache
16 oz. high quality chocolate chips
1 cup heavy cream
2 cups toasted almonds

Boil cream.
Place chocolate in a metal bowl and pour hot cream over the chocolate. Stir with a wire whisk until smooth. Pour over brownies when they are cool and cover with toasted almonds. Allow to cool...if you can wait that long and cut into squares.