I am trying for the second time in my life to get my butt back into ketosis. I fell off the wagon this past summer and now that school is back and harvest is over and life has returned to some kind of normal, I am doing my best to get back on my keto journey….and its hard.
The hardest part is the sugar withdrawls in the beginning. Typically I am not a big sweets eater, it’s just not something I need all the time. BUT when I am trying to get into ketosis (and stay there) those first couple of weeks are a doosy and I crave all of the sweet things.
So, I decided I should do something about it and I riffed off of my favorite brownie recipe from Smitten Kitchen (decidedly not keto) and turned one of my favorite chocolate desserts into something to squash my sugar cravings.
Keto Sweeteners
Let’s talk sweeteners for a moment here, because that’s what is making these brownies keto friendly. I use two different sweeteners in this recipe. The first is Monkfruit (my fave brand is Lakanto) which is derived from the monkfruit and, to me, tastes most like actual sugar though it is slightly less sweet than the real thing. It does dissolve fairly easily and I like to use it in stuff that may not get a lot of heat.
I also use birch xylitol which has the same sweetness (maybe even slightly more sweet) as sugar without the cooling effect of other sweeteners like stevia or erythitol. It has to be cooked in order to dissolve, so I wouldn’t use this in say fat bombs or anything.
These are my go-to sweeteners for most of my keto recipes and I like to combine them to get the most natural flavor. As for chocolate chips, Lilly’s chocolate chips are the only way to go. Made with stevia instead of sugar or aspartame, they are the best keto friendly chocolate chip out there.
That’s about it! These brownies are easy to make and will totally satisfy that sweet tooth. Oh! And these freeze really well, too. Just let them cool completely and wrap them tight in plastic wrap before storing in the freezer!
Ingredients
- 1 cup butter
- ½ cup dark chocolate cocoa powder
- ½ cup monkfruit sweetener
- ¼ cup birch xylitol
- 3 eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 ½ cups super fine almond flour
- 5 ounces Lily’s dark chocolate chips
Instructions
- Line an 8×8 pan with parchment paper. Preheat your oven to 325 degrees.
- In a small saucepan, melt the butter and cocoa powder together over low heat, whisking frequently. Once everything is melted, stir in the sweeteners (monkfruit and xylitol). Whisk in the eggs, one at a time, until fully incorporated. Add in the vanilla and the almond flour and stir until well combined and there are no lumps.
- With a spatula, stir in half of the chocolate chips and then pour the batter into the prepared pan. Sprinkle the remaining chocolate chips on top and place in the oven. Bake for 20-30 minutes or until the brownies are set and a toothpick comes out clean.
- Let cool completely (place them in the fridge or freezer to speed this up!) before slicing. Store in the fridge in an airtight container for a week or in the freezer for up to 3 months.
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