Okay, before you click out of this post because you're offended about the inclusion of mint in a brownie, don't worry - you can omit the mint and the brownie will still be delicious. I promise.
Secondly, people ask me all of the time if this is a "healthy" dessert recipe. If I am comparing it to a box of brownies that is found in the store (even in the organic junk food aisle), then yes. Every ingredient that I choose to put in these brownies is recognizable and easily found in my fridge or pantry. Is this also a treat that has sugar and butter in it? Absolutely. But this is a treat that I feel good about feeding my family.
When our family switched to whole wheat flour and honey or maple syrup as a sweetener as the rule in our house, it meant saying goodbye to some of our favorite recipes, for a while. Granulated sugar and white flour produce beautiful creations with a great variety of textures that are pretty easy to achieve. Whole wheat flour tends to make a more dense creation, and it takes some getting used to when learning to bake with. However, Shane's favorite dessert is brownies, so it was worth the time and effort of trying less-than-perfect brownie recipes to find this one. After all, even a less-than-perfect brownie is still likely delicious. While I love the crunchy/chewy edges of a brownie, Shane enjoys the fudgy, rich brownies - that's what you'll get with this recipe.
Don't be intimidated by the thought of replacing the box of brownies in your pantry with a few staple ingredients. Give this a try and I think you'll be sold.
Ingredients in Real Food Brownies
Butter - look for salted butter. I know this is controversial, but unsalted butter typically adds in other ingredients to get the salt flavor without the added sodium. We prefer to stay away from those artificial ingredients and just lessen the amount of salt in the rest of the recipe.
Maple Syrup - Shane's all time favorite sweetener, a great local alternative to sugar. You can find this at most grocery stores from local producers (read the label to see where it's from) or purchase it at the farmer's market!
Eggs - farm fresh, obviously. :)
Vanilla - I've heard it said that you can't have chocolate without vanilla. Omit at your own risk.
Whole Wheat Flour - This recipe is written for whole wheat flour. We love to source our flour from smaller farms whose practices align more closely with ours than those you might find in traditional grocery store aisles. I purchase our flour from Meadowlark Organics or Heartland Craft Grains.
Chocolate Mint - Finely chop chocolate mint to add to these brownies for a mint flavor from a source you can trust! Don't like mint? Think of other creative additions... we've added raspberries to the batter as well with wonderful results.
Cooking Instructions
Step One: The Bowl
Mix together the dry ingredients.
Step Two: The Stovetop
In a saucepan, melt butter with chopped chocolate mint until just warm, then add maple syrup, vanilla and eggs. Make sure the butter isn't too hot that the eggs will scramble. Stir continuously while adding to lower the risk of scrambled eggs in your butter.
Step Three: Back to the Bowl
Mix wet and dry ingredients together.
Step Four: The Oven
After it's well mixed, simply add to a greased 8x8 pan and bake at 350 degrees for 25 minutes, or until a fork comes out clean when inserted into the middle.
I told you this recipe wouldn't be super complex. Give it a try, and invite me over to try the results.
Happy Cooking!
Kenna