Healthy Nut Free Brownies with Sunflower Seeds Shredded Coconut

Posted 2014-10-06 by Catherine Noonan ⇒ follow

These healthy nut free brownies are made with ground sunflower seeds and shredded coconut, in place of nut meal. I made them for a friend who has been embracing healthy living, but struggles to find healthy gluten and nut-free recipes for her child’s lunchbox.

I am now aware that in many schools, nuts aren’t allowed. So in response, I have made this special recipe for Healthy Nut Free Brownies, which is completely school yard safe.

These delightfully decadent Healthy Nut Free Brownies are perfect to serve as an adult dessert, to pack in school lunch boxes, or take on a weekend family picnic.

You will need a blender to grind your sunflower seeds into a nut-meal and to beat the coconut oil, eggs and dates.

Preparation Time: 15 minutes
Cooking Time: 40 minutes
Makes: 16 servings

Ingredients
150g coconut oil
4 eggs
12 medjool dates, pitted
1 vanilla bean, hard stem removed (or 1 tsp vanilla extract)
1/3 cup raw cacao powder, sifted
1 & 1/3 cups of sunflower seed meal**
1/3 cup shredded coconut
1/4 tsp sea-salt
1 pinch bi-carb soda

**To make the sunflower seed meal, blitz 2 cups of whole raw sunflower seeds in a blender for 20 seconds until a fine meal is achieved. Measure out 1 & 1/3 cups for this recipe. You can keep the left over sunflower meal for the next batch of the same, or use elsewhere in place of almond meal.

Method

Preheat a convection oven to 160 degrees Celsius.

Grease and line a 20cm x 20cm baking tin with baking paper and set aside.

In a blender or food processor, whiz the coconut oil and eggs until light and fluffy.

Add the vanilla bean and the dates one at a time until caramel-like in colour and consistency.

In a separate mixing bowl, add the cacao powder, sunflower seed meal, shredded coconut, seasalt and bi-carb soda. Stir with a wooden spoon until evenly combined.

Pour the egg mixture into the bowl, scraping with a spatula to ensure you get all of the mixture from the blender jug.

Mix the batter with a wooden spoon until uniform in consistency.

Pour into the baking tin and spread evenly into the corners.

Bake for 40 mins until just firm to touch.

Cool on a wire rack before slicing.

Store refrigerated in an air-tight container.