chocolate chip brownies

[image courtesy of Channel4.com. Houston weather is too overcast for my limited photography skills.]

It's a blah Saturday. Not wretched, just blah. This meant dark chocolate was in order, don't you agree? I was craving....

Chocolate Chip Brownies
[adapted from Elana's recipe]

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees.
Grease a 9 x 13 Pyrex baking dish with coconut oil.*

Ingredients:

16 oz. smooth roasted almond butter
2 eggs
1 1/4 cups + 1 tablespoon erythritol**
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 teaspoon Celtic sea salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 cup Ghirardelli unsweetened cacao chips, mashed.

1. In a large bowl, blend the almond butter until smooth with a hand blender.
2. Blend in the eggs, then blend in the erythritol and vanilla.
3. Blend in the cocoa powder, sea salt, and baking soda; then fold in the cacao chips.
4. Pour batter into the Pyrex dish.
5. Bake for 35-40 minutes.

Makes about 24 brownies.

* - I believe my cobalt blue Pyrex dish is 9 x 9, but it just made for bigger brownies. You know, Texas style. I did bake for 5 extra minutes, though.

** - The batter might blend easier with a combination of erythritol, liquid stevia, and a little coconut oil, so I'll work on that. As for the verdict today, you ask? Johnny and I both say, YUM. Truly - they taste like real brownies. I post these "odd" recipes mainly because during my health adventure, I've discovered that you don't always need sugar or standard flours for a recipe to be scrumptious. I encourage those of you with similar health issues to be creative in the kitchen and grateful for all that we can eat - like chocolate, a very important food group.

Next up in my cooking queue is Chipotle Lime Salmon. Salmon is one of my very favorite things.