Healthy Rocky Road Brownies

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Gluten, grain, dairy, and refined sugar free!

Marshmallows and pecans and chocolate chips, oh my. 

There is a tradeoff with baking, in terms of plastic usage. On the one hand, there are options for purchasing things in bulk either at the supermarket or in 5-10 lb bags online that help reduce plastic waste. On the other hand, there are some things that are impossible to find outside of small packages. With baking, I strive to find a balance, hopefully weighing heavier on the side of low plastic use. This means some items become off limits, leaving me unable to bake certain things... and that makes me sad. 

Gooey chocolate chips and toasted marshmallows make these treats feel so indulgent.
For these brownies, I knew I would need mini marshmallows. I've never found bulk bags of mini marshmallows or seen them in bins at the supermarket. Yes - there are recipes to make marshmallows. To be frank, I haven't yet been successful... more attempts are required! 

I also needed sunflower seed butter, for which I can source bulk sunflower seeds and process myself. It's a give and take; perfection is rare and often prevents people from trying. I urge everyone to do the best they can: start small, eliminate plastic where it's easy first, and then move from there. 

So gooey and good.
In the mean time, make some brownies. You deserve it! These are by far my favorite flavor combination. There is something about sunflower seeds and chocolate that, when combined, take brownies to the next level. It's like the sunflower seeds make the chocolate taste even chocolatier. Remember to source as many ingredients as you can in bulk or plastic free containers, because the chemicals from plastic leach into our systems. Yuck!

Recipe: 
  • 1 cup sunflower butter
  • 1/2 cup monk fruit sweetener (or coconut sugar, regular sugar, etc)
  • 1/4 cup maple syrup
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 tbsp coconut oil
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract 
  • 2 tbsp cacao powder
  • 1/2 tsp baking soda
  • 1/4 tsp salt
  • 1/4 cup chocolate chips 
  • 1/4 cup mini marshmallows (or homemade marshmallows!)
  • 1/4 cup crushed pecans 
 Method: 
  1. Preheat oven to 350F and prepare 8x8 brownie tray with parchment paper.
  2. Mix sunflower butter, sweeteners, eggs, melted coconut oil, and vanilla extract. 
  3. Add cacao powder, baking soda, and salt and mix completely. 
  4. Add chocolate chips, marshmallows, and pecans.
  5. Scoop into tray (batter is thick!) and spread. Top with a few more marshmallows, chips, and pecans. 
  6. Bake for 20-25 minutes. Center will be a little gooey still, but don't let the edges burn. Let set for 20 minutes before slicing into squares.

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