Spinach “Sore Leg” Brownies
March 14, 2012 in Cakes and Cupcakes, Cookies, Decadent Desserts, Hidden Veggies
We call these “Sore Leg Brownies” in my house because I developed them for my oldest daughter when she has having growing pains. She’s not a good eater and especially dislikes anything green (okay, that’s an exaggeration, the walls of her bedroom are green and she seems to like those). Growing pains are typically caused by a magnesium deficiency, which is abundant in green foods, especially dark green leafy vegetables. Yes, I admit it: I am not beyond hiding some good green nutrition in my daughter’s treats. And these brownies are awesome! Like all paleo brownies that I’ve tried so far, these are more like a thin piece of cake than a brownie. The spinach, which you can’t taste, actually helps keep them moist and less dense than a lot of paleo brownie recipes I’ve tried. But, if anyone figures out how to get that crunchy crust and chewy middle without gluten, please let me know!
Ingredients:
- 1 ¼ cups frozen chopped spinach
- 6 oz semisweet chocolate
- 1 cup extra virgin coconut oil
- 5 eggs
- 1/3 cup honey
- ¼ cup cocoa powder
- ¼ cup coconut flour
- ¼ cup ground flax seed
- 1 cup blanched almond flour
- 1 Tbsp vanilla
- ¼ tsp baking soda
- ½ tsp salt
- ½ tsp cream of tartar
1. Preheat oven to 325F. Line a 9”x13” baking pan with wax paper.
2. Melt coconut oil and chocolate together over low heat on the stove top or medium power in the microwave. Add vanilla and honey; stir to incorporate. Let cool.
3. Blend spinach and egg together in a blender or food processor, until smooth. Add flax meal and pulse to incorporate. Pour out into a big bowl.
4. Mix cocoa powder, coconut flour, almond flour, baking soda, cream of tartar and salt.
5. Add melted chocolate mixture to egg mixture slowly and stirring constantly.
6. Mix in dry ingredients and stir to fully incorporate. Pour batter into prepared baking pan.
7. Bake for 35-40 minutes. Cool completely in pan. Cut into squares. Enjoy!
Do you need help finding any ingredients? Check out Important Pantry Items for the Paleo Baker.
YUM!
Looks great! Quick Question: Do you thaw your spinach before blending? And do you measure it frozen or thawed?
Thanks so much!
I measure it frozen (I buy the organic chopped spinach from Trader Joe’s).
I take it not all your recipes are paleo? Ie. semisweet chocolate. That’s full of sugar and chocolate, right?
My recipes are all grain-free, dairy-free, and legume-free. There are some sugars like maple syrup, honey, and evaporate cane juice/sucanat in my treats, but I have made it clear in many posts that I recommend these only for special occasions.
Cook’s Illustrated did a piece on making chewy brownies. They discovered that the ratio of saturated to unsaturated fat is key–you need about a 1:3 ratio of saturated to unsaturated fat. Too much saturated fat is apparently the reason why so many homemade brownies, not just paleo ones, turn out too soft. I’ve tried their recipe (before I went paleo) and it worked really well! Brownies with some kind of nut oil instead of part of the saturated fat might be something to experiment with. Email me if you want a copy of the article or their recipe.
I made these for my daughter and she loved them. I found it came out really dense, but then I realized my husband had picked up blanched almond meal, not flour. After it chilled in the fridge, it was amazing. I’ve made another batch tonight to make as cupcakes. I added 1/4 cup arrowroot flour and 1/2 cup blueberries. I can’t wait to see how they turn out. Thank you so much for leading the way in paleo baking! I can finally get my kids to eat healthy snacks! Now, if I could just get them to eat their dinner…
These turned out amazing! They’re crunchy on the top, and soft and spongy on the bottom! I baked them for 35 minutes in a muffin pan. That whole batch yielded 21 brownie/cupcake/muffins. I guess they’re brownie muffins for now. Anyway, amazing results. Thank you, thank you, thank you!
Can I just omit the flax, or do I need to substitute something in its place?
I haven’t tried. I would probably try a little tapioca in its place, maybe 2-3 Tbsp.
Is there nutritional info/values for these on your site somewhere?
Love your idea! The spinach in my brownies made them stringy and fibrous. What did I do wrong? Should I have processed the spinach while still frozen?
Just need to blend it longer.
This sounds fantastic! I buy a lot of fresh organic spinach. Would I have to freeze it first?
No, you can use fresh. Chop it and measure it chopped.