My relationship with chocolate has been one of the most significant liaisons in my life. And I am not even kidding! Chocolate was uplifting, comforting, familiar and always there for me. Let me start by saying I was never a huge chocolate aficionado per se, until I started hanging out with the little Bulgarian posse of girls I met during my first year of university. One in particular, was a serious, die-hard, in your face chocoholic. [You know exactly who you are!]
We were all impossibly young and perpetually homesick. Too shocked to realize what we had just done by leaving home at such a young age, on what seemed like an infinite plane ride. Every day we would call each other up, share a meal at the food court, and end the night with a trip to the general store where we would share a 2 for the price of 1 chocolate bar deal. Looking back; I can’t believe I ate a chocolate bar a day. No shame. None. But that simple routine brought us so much comfort.
It wasn’t long before the “Chocoholic Band of Sisters” discovered a certain, ahem…. mass -manufactured, rectangular freezer chocolate cake. And… we would eat half a cake, each. More like sit in front of the TV, fork in hand, watching Sex and the City- commiserating and dreaming (all while gorging on chocolate, of course).
I think it’s important for us to explore the emotional connections we ascribe to certain foods. We all have a meal that brings us back to a certain event or point in our lives that we cherish (or not). That’s why some meals pull so hard on us, mere nostalgia. Chocolate will forever remind me of that time in my life when I left everything and everyone I loved behind and met my new “family”.
So let’s talk good old gooey, naturally gluten free Buckwheat Brownies that are sticky, just the right amount of sweet and oozing in chocolate! I have more than a few brownie recipes on this site; but I realize they ALL use almond flour or almond meal. If you’re not familiar with Paleo or gluten-free baking, you must know almond flour is not cheap, by any means.
I got a few emails where you guys ask me to develop more affordable brownie recipes. Some of you have even asked me to make black bean or beet brownies. Let me start by saying: I love beans. I love brownies. The thought of the two of them together is something I can’t digest. Not to say I won’t try it one day. Same goes for beets… I need to (slowly) warm up to the idea of vegetables in my chocolate. You see; I am a purist. Chocolate must not be contaminated or muddled with.
Sooooo… This recipe is based off one of the very first recipes I wrote on the blog a year ago [Maple Almond Fudge Brownies] except for some major tweaks: I use buckwheat flour and I take a different approach to handling the 1 cup of chocolate chips the recipe calls for. Instead of melting them with the coconut oil or grass fed butter (as we always do), we will fold them into the batter. They will melt as the brownies bake and be the glue to make the fudgiest brownies, ever.
I tried this recipe twice; the second trial was shared and broadcasted with you all via snapchat. So in case you want to keep up with all the behind the scenes hoopla inside my bright yellow kitchen, you can find me there under “dishonhealthy”. I first tried it with coconut sugar, and enjoyed that more than with brown, raw cane sugar. Coconut sugar is lower in the glycemic index and is metabolized differently by your body. In layman’s terms: it’s much healthier for you. It doesn’t cause as massive a sugar rush and respective crash. Blood sugar levels need to remain stable to starve off hunger during the day.
And one last thing about these brownies: you can substitute regular, all-purpose flour into the mix, if you don’t have any gluten sensitivities. And whatever you do, don’t over bake them! Buckwheat doesn’t need more than 20 mins at 350F. They may seem a bit moist or under baked- but they just need to settle. Over baking will kill the moisture and the fudgy interior .Enjoy these amazing baked goodies! Because we sure did. Tell me what you think of this recipe and leave a comment. I would love and welcome your feedback.
Fudgy Buckwheat Brownies
Ingredients
- 1 cup buckwheat flour or all purpose-flour (for a super fudgy brownie, try 3/4 cup)
- 2/3 cup raw cacao or good quality cocoa powder
- pinch of sea salt
- 3/4 cup cold pressed melted coconut oil OR grass fed butter (use deodorized coconut oil for no flavor)
- 3 large eggs (always at room temperature)
- 1 tbsp pure vanilla extract ( I love Madagascar vanilla!)
- 1 plus 1/3 cup coconut sugar or raw cane sugar
- 1 cup of good quality chocolate chips or chopped chocolate. I love Ghirardelli 60% chocolate chips. For vegan options, there are dairy free chocolate chips available.
- 1/4 tsp of gluten free baking powder
- 1 tsp of espresso powder (optional! I don’t put it in if giving to my kids. But it naturally enhances the chocolate flavor & is amazing!)
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350 F and line an 8 by 8 or 9 by 9 baking pan. I always line mine with parchment paper.
- In a very large bowl, mix the buckwheat flour, baking powder, cacao or cocoa powder & the pinch of sea salt. Give it a good whisk.
- In another bowl, mix the coconut sugar and coconut oil or butter. Integrate one egg at a time while you whisk/mix. Add the vanilla extract and give it a good, final whisk.
- Pour the wet ingredient mixture into the dry ingredient bowl and whisk very well.
- Fold in the 1 cup of chocolate chips or chunks, don’t overmix.
- Pour the batter into the pan and top with some extra chocolate chips. Bake for about 18-20 minutes for buckwheat flour, a bit longer for regular flour.When a toothpick comes out mostly clean from the center of the pan, they’re ready!
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