Health-minded chocoholics will go crazy for these guilt-free brownies made with super clean ingredients! JUMP TO RECIPE
I confess to being a little bit obsessed with brownies – more specifically, healthy brownies. Ever since I discovered that delicious, decadent, authentic tasting brownies can be made with nutritious foods like black beans, avocados, sweet potatoes, tahini, lentils, and bananas, I’ve been on a mission to develop as many of these guilt-free recipes as I can. Sweet and Salty Chickpea Brownies are my most recent creation and they are soooo good! (You can find links to all my other healthy brownie recipes at the end of this post.)
The main ingredients in Sweet and Salty Chickpea Brownies is, of course, chickpeas. This recipe calls for canned chickpeas which are super convenient. I always have a huge stash of canned chickpeas in my pantry to make things like Sun Dried Tomato Red Lentil Hummus, Chickpea Spinach Salad, and Lobster, Avocado, and Chickpea Salad with Lime Cilantro Vinaigrette. And now I can add brownies to this list! I like this brand of canned chickpeas, but there are many others on the market. Check out this article on The Best Canned Chickpeas You Can Buy at the Store for more detailed information on each brand.
The second most prevalent ingredient in Sweet and Salty Chickpea Brownies is almond butter. There are also lots of almond butter choices available at the grocery store, but you have to be careful because in addition to added sugar, most of these products contain palm oil – a cheap oil that’s added as an emulsifier to improve texture/mouthfeel and extend shelf life. Studies are mixed as to whether palm oil is healthy or unhealthy, however, it’s generally agreed that harvesting palm oil is bad for the environment and that the increasing demand for palm oil has led to the destruction of tropical rain forests. For this reason, I always steer clear of almond butters containing palm oil. In short, the only ingredient that should be in almond butter is almonds – just one ingredient, that’s it!
And here’s another tip when purchasing almond butter. If the label on the jar says “no stir” run for the hills because that’s a sure sign it contains emulsifiers. Almond butters without emulsifiers will naturally separate, with the oil ending up on top, and it’ll be necessary to stir the oil and butter together before consuming, but that’s exactly what you want! So, when shopping for almond butter remember, “NO STIR = NO GOOD”. For other healthy brownie recipes check out Dark Chocolate Lentil Brownies, Dark Chocolate Avocado Banana Brownies, Paleo Tahini Swirl Brownies, and Spicy Cinnamon Sweet Potato Brownies.
If you make Sweet and Salty Chickpea Brownies don’t forget to snap a pic and tag me over on Instagram @QueenofMyKitchen. I’d love to see your creation!
- 1 – 15 ounce can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
- ½ cup (4½ ounces) almond butter
- ½ cup coconut sugar
- ¼ cup almond flour
- ¼ cup cocoa powder
- ¼ cup double strength (strong) brewed coffee
- 1 egg
- 1 tablespoon avocado oil, plus 1 teaspoon for pan
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 1½ teaspoons baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup bittersweet chocolate chips (60%)
- 1 teaspoon pink Himalayan sea salt
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and line an 8 x 8-inch pan with parchment paper overhanging on one side. Brush with 1 teaspoon of avocado oil.
- Place all ingredients except the chocolate chips and the Himalayan sea salt into the work bowl of a food processor and blend for 1 minute or until smooth. Stir in the chocolate chips by hand.
- Pour the batter into the prepared pan and spread it evenly.
- Bake on the bottom rack of the oven for 25-30 minutes.
- Let cool completely before cutting. Sprinkle the pink Himalayan sea salt on top before serving.
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