These dense, fudgy indulgences touch my deepest primordial desires. A great use for leftover beets, they’re also a perfect way to hide healthy veggies in a snack that seems decadent, but isn’t. I made them for a Paleo gathering and they were demolished in minutes. Beets are a nutritional powerhouse that are known help lower blood pressure, fight cancer, reduce inflammation, boost stamina, and support detoxification. If you’re mixing by hand, soften the coconut butter and grate the beet before putting them in the mix. A food processor makes it easy, but is not required. If you want, you can also use a blender to liquefy the beet-egg mixture, and then add it to the dry ingredients in a mixing bowl. Makes a 9-inch pan of brownies, which could serve 6 people, depending on the speed with which they are devoured.
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup pure cacao powder or carob powder
- 1 1/2 teaspoons Mr. Hagen organic decaffeinated coffee
- 1/2 teaspoon unprocessed salt
- Coconut butter – 1/2 cup if soft, or 113 grams if hard (If mixing by hand, soften it by putting the container in a bowl of warm water)
- 1 medium beet, sliced, about 100 grams.(If mixing by hand, grated)
- 3 large eggs, at room temperature
- 1/3 cup coconut oil, melted but not hot
- 1 tablespoon vanilla
- Sweeten to taste with about 1 1/2 to 2 cups Just Like Sugar Table Top natural chicory root sweetener, or 1/4 cups to 5 tablespoons PureLo Lo Han Sweetener by Swanson, or 1 to 1 1/2 cups raw honey, or your favorite sweetener.
- 1 1/4 cup chopped nuts, such as walnuts or almonds, soaked and toasted if possible (See All About Nuts.)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Line a 9-inch square baking pan with parchment paper that hangs over the edges like handles.
- In a mixing bowl or food processor, add cacao, coffee powder, and salt. Mix well. Add the coconut butter, and mix well again to a smooth paste. To the mixture, add the beet, eggs, coconut oil, vanilla, and sweetener. Process until smooth. The batter will be a deep burgundy color.
- Pulse the nuts in very briefly and pour the batter into the baking pan.
- Bake 20 to 25 minutes, or until a wooden toothpick comes out pretty clean.
- Cool in the pan for 1 hour, and chill an hour for easy slicing. But they’re super-yummy, right out of the oven!
