Hey, everyone! Its me! I’m back! I’m having to bury my little laptop, though. Its the motherboard and ts really not worth my money to fix it since I paid so little for it to begin with. So, I’m saving to go ahead and make the leap from pc to Mac ASAP! In the mean time, I’ll be going from the campus labs to borrowing a friend’s old backup. Thank God for generous friends, right?
My wonderful, beautiful, amazingly talented Texan cousin is guest posting for us today. She writes for her own blog over at Live Loved… and I do encourage you to visit her little nook. She’s a beautiful writer and really knows how to speak to and from the heart.
Today, we have a late installment for the Summer of Growth series. This one goes in with the adventurous cooking segment. Lacey’s recipe is sure to get you trying new things in the kitchen.
So, here she is. Please give a warm welcome to Lacey Wilcox.
I don’t know about you, but summertime screams one thing for me:
I scream…You scream…we all scream for ice cream! Especially homemade ice cream. Hands down, it’s the best (and sweetest) way to beat the heat.
My mouth is watering now, just thinking about homemade chocolate almond, strawberry, and vanilla ice cream (among many others). And what better to go with that cool scoop of ice cream than a chewy, fudgy brownie?
Now, I’m drooling.
But, brownies tend to be full of things that aren’t the best for you. Like white flour. And processed sugar.
You know, all those things that aren’t that great, but taste so good? Sometimes, being healthy means you don’t get to eat things you really love. And that could mean your scoop of homemade ice cream has to sit alone.
But not today, folks.
Because I’ve found a recipe for homemade brownies that is a “little” better for you, and still tastes delicious.
You can continue drooling.
Here’s what you’ll need:
–1/2 c coconut oil (you can use butter if you don’t have it–I ordered mine from Amazon)
–2/3 c honey (if you’re one of those lucky people who can get all natural, know that I envy you)
–3 eggs
–1 tsp vanilla extract (more if you’re like me, and really addicted to vanilla)
–1/3 c unsweetened cocoa powder
–1/2 c-1 c whole wheat flour (you will need more than the 1/2 c, but start there and then gradually mix it in until you get the consistency you want!) Note: wheat flour has a little bit drier texture than regular flour, and it will produce a brownie that is not quite as fudgy. If you’re not sure you’ll like it, or if you’ve never used it before, you can do half wheat and half regular!–1/4 tsp salt
–1 tsp baking powder
–1 packet instant coffee mix (mine is less than an ounce, but use as much or as little as you like. It doesn’t affect the consistency of the mix, just the taste!)
–1/4 c semi-sweet chocolate chips (ok, so not healthy and natural, but I’ve got this addiction to chocolate chips. I’m working on it.)
Alright, here are the easy-peasy steps:
- Pre-heat oven to anywhere from 325-350. I know that’s a gap, but it will depend on your oven. Baking with honey requires you to bake at a little bit lower temperature, so you’ll want to really watch these the first time you make them!
- Melt your coconut oil (or butter) over low heat in a sauce pan.
- While it’s melting, combine all the dry ingredients (except the instant coffee) in a bowl, and whisk together so that they’re thoroughly combined.
- In a mixer, combine all your liquids, including the honey, and add in the instant coffee.
- Gradually mix the dry into the wet, making sure you scrape the sides of your bowl to get it all.
- Once everything is mixed together, fold in the chocolate chips.
- Spread into a greased 8×8 inch pan (my batter was a little thick, so it didn’t really pour).
- Bake for 25-30 minutes. If your brownies have baked this long and still aren’t done when you try the toothpick test, bake them for two-three minutes at a time until they seem done!
And the result? Delicious brownies that can now keep your lonely ice cream from singing the blues. They’re not quite as fudgy as what you would get from a mix, but I really liked them!
What summer recipes do you have to share?
My wonderful, beautiful, amazingly talented Texan cousin is guest posting for us today. She writes for her own blog over at Live Loved… and I do encourage you to visit her little nook. She’s a beautiful writer and really knows how to speak to and from the heart. 
littlewishball
