Fudgy Salted Caramel Brownies (Paleo, Gluten-free)

paleo brownies with almond flour cut into bars on parchment paper

5 from 7 votes

Fudgy Salted Caramel Brownies (Paleo, Gluten-free)

Rich and indulgent, these easy brownies will seduce anyone who tries them. Plus they happen to be Paleo, gluten-free, dairy-free and refined sugar-free!

Prep Time20

Cook Time37

Total Time57

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Servings: bars

Calories: 298kcal

Author: Don Baiocchi

Ingredients

For the brownies:

1 cup very warm water
1 cup dates
¼ cup chopped unsweetened chocolate
¼ cup palm shortening, plus more for greasing the pan
1½ cups superfine blanched almond flour (not almond meal)
⅓ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
¾ teaspoon fine sea salt
2 large eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla

For the salted caramel sauce:

1 tablespoon honey
1 tablespoon maple syrup
1½ teaspoons ghee or grass-fed butter, softened/room temperature (not melted)
1 teaspoon full-fat, canned coconut milk, room temperature (very important)
⅛ teaspoon fine sea salt

For the chocolate sauce:

2 tablespoons chopped unsweetened chocolate, melted and cooled
1 tablespoon honey or maple syrup
1-2 teaspoons full-fat, canned coconut milk, room temperature (very important)

Instructions

For the brownies:

Heat the oven to 350°.
Pour 1 cup very warm water into your blender jar. Add the dates and make sure they're as submerged as possible. Let them soften for 15-20 minutes, depending on how dry they are.
Meanwhile, in a small, microwave-safe bowl, melt the chocolate and palm shortening (separately) by microwaving for 30 seconds at a time, stirring after each round. It will probably take about 60-90 seconds.
Alternately, add them to a small, heat-proof bowl set over a small saucepan filled with 1" water (make sure the water isn't touching the bottom of the bowl) and heat over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until melted. Let cool to room temperature.
In a large bowl, stir together the almond flour, cocoa powder and salt.
Blend the dates and water until totally smooth, stopping to scrape down the sides of the jar as necessary.
Add the cooled chocolate, palm shortening, eggs and vanilla to the date paste. Blend until smooth.
Pour the date mixture into the dry ingredients and stir until smooth.
Grease a 8x8" pan with avocado oil, palm shortening or coconut oil. Pour the batter into the pan and bake for 32-37 minutes. At 32 it'll be fudgy with slightly dry edges. By 37 minutes it'll be even dryer around the edges but still fudgy. Let cool to room temperature. Drizzle over the caramel and chocolate sauces and slice (see notes below).

For the caramel sauce:

In a small bowl, stir together the honey, maple syrup, ghee or butter, coconut milk and salt. Use immediately.

For the chocolate sauce:

In a small bowl, stir together the melted, cooled chocolate, honey or maple syrup, and coconut milk. Use immediately.

Notes

These brownies are very rich so cutting them into 9 bars is very generous. You can cut those bars in half diagonally for 18 triangles. Or you can cut the pan into 16 smaller brownies instead (cut 3 rows down, 3 across).

You can leave off the sauces and enjoy the brownies on their own.

Chill the brownies, pre- or post-sauce, in the fridge for up to 5 days. If eaten straight from the fridge the sauces will be a little firm.

You can freeze the brownies pre-sauce. Cut into 9 bars and wrap them individually in plastic wrap. Store in a freezer-safe container for up to 3 months. Thaw in the fridge overnight. Add sauces once thawed, if desires. If the brownies are fridge-cold, the sauces will set up somewhat firmly.

Nutrition