Yes, kale brownies…
I promise I’m not crazy.
Well maybe just a little bit.
When I first started blogging, I loved to see what google searches were leading people to the site. A few of my favorites:
- Chocolate covered bumblebees
- Chocolate covered grasshoppers
- How to turn your boyfriend into a pig
- Ugliest banana ever
- Sarah Palin is a pumpkin
- Eat cheese or die
- Toes taste like tator tots
(Really I have no idea about the last one… it’s quite perplexing disturbing. And my apologies to whomever found the blog while searching for “eat cheese or die.” Most likely my site was a big disappointment.)
And then there were the two people who found my blog by typing “kale brownies” into the search bar. Although I didn’t actually have such a recipe posted at the time, the idea intrigued me. I’ve done cauliflower cake, spinach ice cream, zucchini coconut cream pie, chickpea blondies, zucchini muffins (maybe that last one isn’t so out-of-the-ordinary)… In other words, I’m open-minded about trying odd-sounding foods. Maybe it’s because I grew up in Japan, where they often put beans in desserts and where green tea ice cream is a staple. Or maybe it’s just because I’m overly curious.
In any case, this is one of the rare recipes on my site that I probably wouldn’t serve to someone who isn’t open-minded or into healthy eating. It’s not that the kale brownies aren’t rich and delicious (they are!), but you can see flecks of green in them, which is an instant giveaway to their healthfulness. Still, if you consider yourself an adventurous person, do give these brownies a try. They might just surprise you!
Kale Brownies
Adapted from Zucchini Brownies
- loosely-packed 3 cups kale or spinach leaves (80g)
- 1/2 cup applesauce (120g)
- 2 1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract
- 1 1/2 cups water (360g)
- 3 tbsp ground flax (18g)
- 3/4 cup vegetable or melted coconut oil (115g)
- 1 cup coconut flour (135g) (Coconut-free recipes are linked at the very bottom of this post.)
- 3/4 cup cacao or cocoa powder (65g)
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 3/4 cup xylitol or sugar of choice (150g)
- 1/16 tsp pure stevia, or 2 extra tbsp sugar of choice
- 1/2 cup mini chocolate chips, optional
Preheat oven to 350F. Line a 9×13 pan with parchment paper, or grease well. Blend together the first 6 ingredients (if using coconut oil, make sure applesauce and water are not cold).
In a large mixing bowl, stir together all remaining ingredients. Pour wet into dry and stir until just evenly combined, pour into the prepared pan, then use a full sheet of parchment or wax paper to press down firmly until the batter evenly covers the pan. Bake 19-20 minutes. Pat down hard with a pancake spatula or another sheet of parchment paper. Let brownies sit 15 minutes before cutting into squares. (As a general rule, cutting brownies with a plastic knife prevents crumbling.) They taste 10 times better the next day, so make them in advance if possible. Makes 20-24 squares. (Frosting recipe is below the next photos.)
Frost the coconut flour brownies with either my Healthy Chocolate Frosting or with the following:
- 1/2 cup cacao or cocoa powder (40g)
- 2 tbsp pure maple syrup or agave (30g)
- 1/2 cup virgin coconut oil, melted (75g)
- chocolate chips for the tops, optional
Mix the frosting ingredients to form a sauce. Spread over the kale brownies, top with chocolate chips if desired, then refrigerate or freeze 10-20 minutes; the sauce magically transforms into chocolate frosting! Due to the melty nature of the coconut oil, the frosted brownies are best stored in the refrigerator or freezer (they thaw well). The healthy brownies are high in fiber and Vitamins A, C, and K, cholesterol-free, gluten-free, vegan, low in sugar or sugar-free, and they also offer Omega 3s! (If you prefer coconut-free brownies, try my Black Bean Brownies or Pumpkin Brownies.)
Link of the Day: Baked Oatmeal
Hollie says
I actually don’t know of too many bloggers that have baked kale into recipes. That is interesting Katie. I like zucchini brownies/cake a lot so could probably adapt a recipe as well from that.
Kim says
They look yummy to me! I like the green 🙂 Definitley going to give them a try!
Alya says
Hey Katie, these look so so delicious (even with the greens visible hehe)
I was just wondering but did you miss two days of posting? or maybe I just missed the past two recipes?! so I hope all is well!
Keep on baking and thank you for all the healthy goodness 😀
Livi says
just when I thought I couldn’t love kale any more…. this happened. I’m so excited to try this recipe!
Aubrey says
I totally agree! I just had a huge kale salad and then read this post and was like – YES! Eat more kale! Kudos to CCK for another wondrous recipe. I wonder, can you sub whole wheat pastry flour for the coconut flour?
Cheryl Anne Shelvock says
Hi, Aubretm did you get a reply, I wanted to know the same thing or if we could get amounts of rye flour or other flour as I have food allergies. Mostly to nuts but other healthy grain flours would be helpful. Thanks, so much!
Olivia@ OmNom Love says
Katie, you are so creative! Your recipes always amaze me. I don’t think anyone in my family would give these a try (unfortunately) so I’ll just have to make these when they’re not around. 😉 Oh well, more for me!
Katie @ Cake Vs Scales says
These look amazing, I love adding healthy ingredients to puddings & these are superfood brownies – I found your site from my chocolate radar…not by your know…searching for toes or anything like that…Plus my boyfriend is pretty adaptable to acting like a pig without instruction 🙂
KonaGirl says
These look great! Can’t wait to try them!
Is it okay to ask followers for brand info and/or recommendations? Wondering if anyone currently uses NuNaturals stevia, and if so where to purchase? Or did the company/product change? I can’t find NuNaturals at Whole Foods or any similar brick and mortar; I’ve seen it on Amazon however some of the comments suggested the product (or at least the product sold by Amazon) had changed in taste. Does anyone know if it NN stevia is still available, or if not, can anyone recommend a Stevia brand for baking?
Agata says
I buy mine at http://www.iherb.com
I do not think the taste has changed… at least i did not notice anything. I have been ordering from this site since like forever, never had any problems.
They also give a sweet deal for new customers : use this code at checkout JZQ840 and get $10 off and free shipping on your first order!
KonaGirl says
Thanks, Agate. For the link and coupon code!
Erin says
You rock my world with your creativeness! I’m definitely going to try these : )
Eating 4 Balance says
Oh I totally need to try making these! I love that you use coconut flour. We have a lot of that at home 🙂
jan says
Jan
1) where do you find coconut flour, or coconut oil for that matter? I live in a small town with a small Wal-Mart and a small Food Lion available. I haven’t really been into “healthy’ cooking before so really haven’t even looked for these products. 2) Also, flax flour. I’d hate to have to buy a 5 lb. bag if that’s what it comes in for 3 Tbls! 3) And can someone tell me how I can print the recipe off so I don’t have to run to the computer (not close to my stove) to check on things while I’m baking.
Eating 4 Balance says
I’m not sure if you meant to comment on my reply specifically, but I’ll try to answer your questions anyways 🙂
1. Some Walmarts carry coconut and coconut oil. Mine carries just coconut flour though. Thankfully we have stores about 30 minutes away that carry coconut flour. I think Food Lion can do special order service for those types of ingredients if you check their website.
2. Many vegan recipes you flax seed and it lasts awhile so if you do end up with a big bag it won’t be wasted 😀 If you can’t get ground flax seed like the recipe calls for, you can just grind it in a coffee grinder if necessary.
3. I don’t believe Katie has a printer option yet (they can sometimes really mess up wordpress and/or other blog themes). You have a few things that you can do to print the recipe: a. Run your cursor over the text, copy, paste into a word document, and print that. b. Make sure that the full recipe is on your screen and press the PrntScr button then paste in word document and print. c. Click the printer icon in your internet browser, preview and print only the pages that include the recipe.
Hope that helps! 🙂
Crystal says
Coconut flour often hides in the organic or healthy section of the store, and both coconut flour and coconut oil can hide on the top and bottom shelves. But if fervent searching isn’t enough, you can always buy online. Amazon has quite a few brands for decent prices. (Links at the bottom–careful, though, as some of the listed prices are for several pounds!)
Flax also often hides in the “healthy foods” section. If you can’t find it, you can always order some online. Another option–assuming it is within your diet–is to just substitute an egg! One tablespoon of flax seeds + 2-3 tablespoons of water functions as a vegan “egg.” So, to adjust Katie’s recipe, you could add 3 eggs, ignore the flax seed, and reduce the water by about 1/3 to 1/2 a cup.
Good luck!
Links!
http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss_1?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=coconut%20flour&sprefix=coconutf%2Caps&rh=i%3Aaps%2Ck%3Acoconut%20flour
http://www.amazon.com/Nutiva-Organic-Coconut-Flour—/dp/B0098OD4DO/ref=sr_1_9?ie=UTF8&qid=1377030806&sr=8-9&keywords=coconut+flour
http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss_1?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=coconut+oil&rh=i%3Aaps%2Ck%3Acoconut+oil
http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss_1?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=flax+seed+ground&rh=i%3Aaps%2Ck%3Aflax+seed+ground
Danielle says
Amazon carries it too 🙂
Katherine says
this is a bit late, but flax seed in oatmeal is fantastic.
Minna says
I know I’m answering this very late (like a year late), but I order many unusual supplies (flax, coconut oil, xylitol, stevia, etc.) from iherb.com. I absolutely do NOT work for / post for that site — I’m just a very happy and very regular customer! 🙂 I think it’s also possible to find those items via amazon.com as well, and both of those sites offer free shipping within the USA, I believe! (I’m in Belgium so REALLY appreciate the fact that iherb ships internationally for CHEAP!!!)
Katie Ann says
I always think about how I could make up a batch of one of your recipes and then take them to work to share with my coworkers so that my husband and I are not left eating an entire cake or something.
However, I work in a police department. I can only imagine how homemade brownies with green flecks in them would go over there…heh…
Ashley @ Wishes and Dishes says
LOL I love the search keywords!!!!!! They are hilarious! And yes, disturbing at the same time. I should start looking at them for my blog too. Maybe I’ll find some gems. Great brownies – I never had kale in brownies before!
Muskaan says
Hi, Katie! I made your zucchini brownies before and just finished them 🙁 that was so sad. Anyway, can I use egg replacer in place of the ground flax? Thanks!
Chocolate Covered Katie says
Yes, use 2 tsp egg replacer (energ) in place of 2 tbsp flax. Leave all liquid the same.
Muskaan says
Thanks! These look delicious 🙂
SGM says
And my guess is 3 tsp Ener-G for 3 TBSP of ground flax (that’s how much this recipe calls for)…? 🙂
Chris says
Awesome! Can you make these with just stevia rather than xylitol?
Thanks!
Lisa says
I’ve heard of spinach brownies, but never kale brownies! I admit, I like this idea of sneaking in a little bit of veggies into desserts. Although, if my friends found out I did this, I’m pretty sure they’d disown me;)
Katherine says
oh yeah . . . I made my friend taste my black bean brownies (CCK’s recipe) and she was disgusted, and now all of my other friends know about it and will bring it up at least once a week :0
Sarah says
I love the black bean brownies! It’s all about keeping quiet about the secret ingredients for the “traditional eaters”. 🙂
Rosanne says
Katie, when you say “blend together the first 6 ingredients” do you mean to actually put these in a blender and hit go? You mention flecks of visible green in the brownie so I’m a little confused. And also more specifically – are you using baby kale or are you using bunched kale with the large stems? Are we including the stems? Are we discarding? Other recipes have you removing any large/woody stems and steaming/wilting the greens and then blending in a blender. Thanks for your feedback and recipe with great ingredients!
Chocolate Covered Katie says
Yes, actually blend in a blender. You can use any kale (baby or regular), but do discard the stems. I will edit my post to be more specific. Thanks for the comment :).
Natalie says
Haha I should have read this before makin them. I thought it was a little weird just mixing the kale and wet ingredients together. They tase good just super big pieces of kale lol
tami paul says
Used all the kale. Blended in one of those fancy ninjas. The taste was great did the healthy frosting, peanutbutter pieces. But the texture was rather loose. Hoping for more of a set tomorrow but might bake the next a little longer
matcha says
I loved the healthy idea, thanks!
Amy @ Long Drive Journey says
I made kale meatloaf a couple of weeks ago, and it was such a disaster that kale has kind of scared me off, to be honest. BUT I made some muffins with veggies in them, and they came out well. I would give these a try!
Sara @ LovingOnTheRun says
I am a little skeptical I must say….but the chocolate looks Oh so good!!
Amy says
I made your zucchini brownies yesterday, so good! Curious if you think you could make these kale brownies with the zucchini in them as well?
Melissa says
Wow, so interesting and unique! I’ve only ever had kale in its raw form, or as “chips,” but this is definitely interesting!
Tina says
Do you think these would work without the xylitol/sugar, adding more stevia (liquid). I love that they have coconut flour and no eggs. I’m sensitive to eggs and makes it difficult being grain free. Thanks! Tina
kellie@foodtoglow says
Like Lisa, I’ve heard of spinach brownies but would never have thought the strong (& gorgeous) bitterness of kale would fly in brownies. I am extremely open-minded about ingredients (as a look at my blog would confirm), so I will definitely make these soon and report back. Looking forward to it actually 🙂
Kelly Marie says
Do you keep the kale/spinach in the full leaf or chop it? or food processor perhaps?
Chocolate Covered Katie says
Blend. A food processor would be fine.
Aparna says
While I do love kale…I think I prefer it in savory dishes. Though I guess if I can eat zucchini muffins, this is just the next step. Actually, the bitterness of kale could go well with chocolate… possibilities.
I still need to try your pumpkin brownies, so baby steps. You have the best assortment of healthful desserts I have yet to experiment with, so let the baking begin!
Danica @ It's Progression says
My first thought when I read the title of this post? “Whoa.”
You’re so creative – love this! I just recently made your healthy zucchini brownies recipe and both my husband and I had no trouble eating them up 🙂
Danielle says
Okay – I am definitely making these! I love when veggies are secretly in baked goods haha.
Andrea says
Oops – I posted this in the wrong place! I’ll try again…
Hi Katie- I don’t know what I did wrong, but the recipe is pretty wet. So where you say to take parchment paper to “press down” the batter – there’s nothing to press down! I just poured it in the pan (like a cake batter). It does taste good, but is the amount of water right? Thanks!
Chocolate Covered Katie says
Hey Andrea,
Can you tell me more specifics… what brand of coconut flour you used? And any other specifics if possible. The amount of water is right, but maybe different coconut flour brands soak up more liquid than others? I’m not sure… definitely reply back if you can, because I want to get to the bottom of it!
Christine says
I made these and used 1/2 homemade coconut flour and 1/2 whole wheat flour [because when I ran to Kroger to buy some they did not have coco flour]. I also used Coconut Palm sugar. My brownies came out very “oily” and I didn’t read all the posts to see that you put the kale in a blender… LOL! Used melted Coco oil and ground Cacao Beans. I want them to be yummy too! Any help is appreciated!
Carley @ Optimistic Health says
This is just what I need because I never can get enough greens in! I’ve done this with sweet potatoes but never greens! I’ll have to give it a try!
Aggie says
Mmmm! Do you know if any flour will work, or just coconut? Can’t wait to try them!
Carrie says
I used whole wheat flour on these and they turned out perfectly.
Kammie@ Sensual Appeal says
Gotta say, not sure if I’m adventurous enough for these. But I’d definitely be into tricking someone to see what they say 😉
Lyza says
As much as I love to make green juice, I don’t think that this moment anything could persuade me to consume the last of my kale as much as this recipe!!
Becca says
Katie, you are my hero! I absolutely love kale, and now that I’ve gotten my family (who are, as a rule, opposed to most vegetables) hooked on it, I am definitely going to try this recipe on them. Thank you for such a creative use of kale 🙂
Catherine says
Mmmmm, kale is my all-time favorite vegetable ever! Bookmarking for this winter when I will hopefully be growing it again….
Abbie @ Needs Salt says
These look awesome!! I never would have guessed you could put kale into brownies. So cool! They look so delish. 😀
I’d never had kale until like a week ago, and I LOVE IT. The stuff is amazing! Now I know why everyone else is obsessed with it. 🙂 haha!
Pinning these! 😀
Sarah @ SimplyScrumptiousBySarah says
I LOVE kale!! They are one of the few things I grow in my patio garden! 🙂 What a creative use for them!
Lee Ann says
Katie, should the kale be chopped?
Also, mine was very liquidy too. Maybe too much oil?
I’m pretending that it is a lava cake.
Still tastes good though.
Chocolate Covered Katie says
It should be blended with the other ingredients as mentioned in the directions… definitely shouldn’t be liquidy… can you tell me more specifics about what brand of coconut flour you used? I am sorry for the trouble but would definitely like to figure out what might’ve happened.
Lee Ann says
I made my own coconut flour. I added an extra 1/3 cup because it was still so liquidy. The gram measurement of the applesauce and oil – are they correct?
Chocolate-Covered Katie says
Yes everything is correct… but maybe you can’t use your own coconut flour? I think actual coconut flour from a store has been dehydrated… for homemade, did you just pulverize shredded coconut or did you soak and dehydrate?
Lee Ann says
I toasted it, then ground it up.
Next time, I will use commercial coconut flour.
Faye says
Lovely-looking brownies! Just wondering, if you closed your eyes and ate them, would you taste/feel the kale leaves?
Chocolate Covered Katie says
Hmmm… I don’t think you would 🙂
Sue says
I wonder if i could use nettle leaves in place of the greens?
Chocolate Covered Katie says
You can always experiment 🙂
sam says
I love greens!!! That is soo cool that u snuck kale into these. My family is like anti-healthy and believe that desserts should be made the best they can if made at all, which usually means adding a buttload of sugar and butter. -_-
Just wait until i make these. Then ill show them how amazing healthy and dessert taste together! !! But ill probably tell them about the kale after they’ve licked their plates clean! 😉
Katy @ Katy's Kitchen says
I always laugh at the google search terms that lead people to find my site. Sometimes they are so obscure! I would love to give these a try, any way I can add more greens into my day is a bonus for me!
ThisBakerGirlBlogs says
Sounds like an interesting combination and they look delicious 😀
Brownies are my nemesis, I can never get the right. But I shall persevere and make these anyway!
Carrie says
Awesome recipe, Katie! I didn’t have kale but was swimming in spinach and decided to make a batch yesterday. I cut the spinach leaves up almost like cutting up basil just because I wasn’t sure my little ones would like the bigger leaves. It was such a BIG hit for our children (all 9 of them) that I made another pan last night. That’s without taking the time to frost them even. Thank you so much for the recipe!
Chocolate Covered Katie says
Thank you so much for making them! 🙂
Jessica says
Early on in my blogging days, I actually created a single serve microwave sourdough cake because I noticed a search for “microwave cake sourdough starter”. There’s some benefits to it too!
Lisa @bitesforbabies says
I have no doubt that these are delicious…as well as all your other recipes! I’ve made chocolate chickpea muffins and white bean vanilla cake the have fooled many! Btw, I’m laughing my head off at the google searches…I’m gonna take a look at mine now 😉
Fiona says
Hahaha reading about those Google searches made my day!! They were sooo funny! Thanks for sharing them! I wonder if its possible to dehydrate brownies to keep the kale raw…
Christina says
I have a batch in the oven now! How fine did you chop the kale? It seems to be sticking out in random places. Hoping it blends in kind of like zucchini would?
cck says
I processed it in a blender, so it was pretty fine.
Caralyn @ glutenfreehappytummy says
what an interesting recipe! I love anything with kale! 🙂
Nicole Underwood says
Whoa! My mind is officially blown. I am a LOVER of kale and these are TOTALLY going on my to do baking list!
A.o'brien says
Love the searches! I would add peppermint bits to the recipe so my friends didn’t know what the green bits were… Hee hee hee
Tracy says
Katie – I can’t seem to find the print button (or share to facebook for that matter) – only pinterest. Am I missing it? I don’t trust myself to bring my laptop in the kitchen without it getting covered in brownie batter
cck says
Unfortunately a print button is not yet installed… it is a long story :(. But you can always highlight just the recipe and press control c. Open a word document and press control v. Then print :).
Emily says
These sound amazing! Unfortunately, my sister and mother (I’m fourteen), aren’t the most progressive eaters. It took them a while to be turned on to my Greek yogurt cookies. So maybe I need to start with something a bit tamer:-)
Rebecca says
Hilarious! How do you look up what searches lead to your site?
cck says
Google Analytics… unfortunately it gives me like 70,000 pages of results now, and my computer freezes before it gets to the funny one-time searches.
Oh, or you could just use the WordPress Stats plugin.
Lillian says
Just made these and they’re DEEE-LISH! I used spinach and you don’t even taste it, I used normal wheat flour though so they are a bit smushy but I just threw them in the fridge so hopefully they’ll get a bit more sturdy. Next time I’ll use coconut flour, it was just hiding in the back of my cupboard 🙁 Even though they aren’t as heavy, the taste is great! I thew in some extra chocolate chips though because I didn’t have any minis, I’ll definitely be making these again though and now I know, coconut flour and mini chocolate chips! Also they tasted so good that I didn’t even need frosting! If I didn’t use chocolate chips I’d probably put frosting on top though because I’ve got a sweet tooth 🙂
alexandra says
I love your blog and it’s delicious food: D
Gabriella says
I tried this recipe yesterday—homemade coconut flour works (we soaked it, oven-dried it and then ground it in a WhisperMill).
They have a really neat taste (they kind of have a “depth” to them) and definitely do taste better the next day. Eating kale is much more fun in brownies! They seem to have disappeared. 🙂
lucy says
were they dead moist or anything ? I hate dry cake
Gabriella says
No, they were VERY moist. Too much, in fact. 🙂 Maybe reduce the liquid? Not sure.
lucy says
Thanks for the response, I have loads of kale left over and thinking of making these, could normal flour or even gluten free four be used in place of coconut? Im unable to get it in my area
Gabriella says
I can’t speak for this recipe, but I think it can be done. See below…this uses oat or all purpose flour.
http://www.doitdelicious.com/blog/detail/brownies_with_carrot_and_spinach
Hope this helps!
lucy says
thanks gabriella, got some on the go now 🙂
Elisabetta says
Hi Kate, I’m really curious to try these! Can I use spelt flour instead of coconut flour? I’ve never used coconut flour, does it have a strong coconut flavor? Is it meant to be used as other flours or is it different? Thanks!
Laura says
I made these last night, and I’m not sure if they came out quite right. Are they supposed to be more fudgy/gooey than dry? I also cooked them for about 10 more minutes than you suggest, so maybe mine are just undercooked? I haven’t made brownies in awhile and never gluten-free brownies, so I’m just not sure. Any thoughts?
Unofficial CCK Helper says
See Katie’s message to LeAnn above, and reply with the specifics she asked for best help. https://chocolatecoveredkatie.com/2013/08/08/kale-brownies/comment-page-1/#comment-1181002
Laura says
Thanks for the insight, but I didn’t make my own coconut flour. I used Bob’s Red Mill, so I’m not sure why mine turned out so liquidified.
cck says
Hi Laura,
If you get a chance, read through this post: https://chocolatecoveredkatie.com/faq-page/recipe-questions-and-troubleshooting/
If none of the troubleshooting helps, be sure to reply back with as many specifics as you can… hopefully I can help figure out what happened. They’re soft when they first come out, but they firm up to a fudge brownie texture after a few hours.
Agata says
This looks so yummy! I have to try it out pretty soon! Also, I highly recommend using either xylitol or erythritol as sweetned combined with stevia. I found that such combinations yields ultimate sweetness without ANY weird after tastes. Be sure to use quality products though! I recommend brand NuNaturals. Their products have absolutely no after taste. You can order NuNaturals products on http://www.iherb.com and use this code JZQ840 to get $10 off your first order and free shipping.
Kayla says
These were delicious!!! I didn’t have any kale on hand so I substituted a lettuce mix and “peachsauce” (okay, peach puree 😉 and they turned out amazing!!!
Angie T. says
Do you think Swiss chard would work in place of the kale or spinach? Right now, I have lots of the chard on hand and have been substituting it for spinach in other recipes.
Unofficial CCK Helper says
Sure, that sounds good!
MaryAnn says
I’m so glad I ran into your blog, Katie! I’ve been putting kale into fresh fruit smoothies for my kids. Now I can sneak them into brownies. Thanks! I’m looking forward to trying out your other recipes.
Elisabetta says
made them! I had the same liquid problem but I just let them cook 15/20 mins more than you suggested and they turned out pretty good! I used spelt instead of coconut flour so that might have been the problem I don’t know. They are flufflier than usual brownies and a little gooey in the middle. They have a peculiar taste kind of super chocolatey with a hint of cauliflower/cabbage flavor!
Unofficial CCK Helper says
Coconut flour absorbs liquid MUCH more quickly than other flours.
Kimberly says
My daughter and I made these brownies today for a play date we have tomorrow. We tasted them and just to be honest I am a bit concerned. We have make the frosting and let them sit until tomorrow in the fridge and I hope that will help. If the taste does not drastically improve, then there is no way I wil take them to the play date tomorrow. I have tried many of your recipes and I have loved all that I have tried except for this one. These brownies kind of tast like chocolate covered kale leaves. Any suggestions?
Kimberly says
Holy Mother of Monkeys! I made the frosting and let them sit in the fridge overnight! Wow!!! It makes a huge difference! I still, personally, would not enjoy these brownies without the frosting. Without the frosting they taste a bit too much like kale for me, but with the frosting they taste like decadent fudge! I do like kale. I drink it in my smoothies and make chips out of it. I just don’t like the taste of it paired with the brownies. I really do love these brownies with the frosting! Great job, Katie!! These are going to the playdate and I cannot wait for everyone to try them. Thanks so much!
Becki says
Can the coconut flour be swapped out for white or whole wheat flour? Thank you!
Unofficial CCK Helper says
Try at your own risk!
Shannon French says
haha I agree! I just recently saw “noodles & cats” as a search leading to my blog. Which is great, but I immediately remembered your post and laughed wondering what on earth a person searching for those two had in mind 🙂
Michelle @ Esculent Dreams says
Love hiding veggies in brownies/sweets (i think you can relate)! Never experimented with kale but they look delish! Hmm..Mint chocolate chip brownies (since the kale is showing)?
Stephanie Bush says
I made these the other day and they were AMAZING!!!! I used dates to sweeten and added about a half cup of Corab Vegan chips. They were rich and chewy and tasted just like brownies! You could not tast the kale and you could barrly see it. cause of the chips. Thank for this recipie! I will deffinently make it again!!!
Amanda says
I just made these and they are incredible! I can’t wait to see how they taste tomorrow, if they last that long. I have a feeling they won’t once the kiddos and Hubby get home! Thanks for sharing this great recipe, I really enjoy your blog!
Lisa Corcoran says
I signed up to provide desserts at a function I attended today and wanted to be sure that I offered a dairy-free/gluten free dessert too! I have been using coconut oil in baking and cooking for a while now and just recently bought some coconut flour! I googled “Coconut Flour Brownies” and here you were! Instantly I knew I had to make these! I used spinach instead of kale because I had just bought spinach and I also made my own applesauce to use from orchard apples down the road.
THIS RECIPE WAS A HIT TODAY! And it tastes soo good! I made a-lot of gluten-intolerant people and food-adventurous people very happy today..>THANK YOU) Love your blog)
PS. Also, many people asked me for the recipe too)
Penni says
Yummy kale brownies. Cooked them 30 minutes and they were perfect.
Loretta says
I can’t wait to try these! One question though, do you chop up the kale or leave the leaves whole?
Unofficial CCK Helper says
It goes in the food processor.
Loretta says
Yikes! I don’t have a food processor! How can I make these brownies using the kale? Chop it really fine with a chopping knife? Any suggestions? Thxs
Ruth says
Yeah I just chopped them finely but the stringy bits of leaf and stalk were really tasty and added loads of texture and flavour!
lucy says
came across this recipe as I have loads of left over kale to use and thought it sounded great to make, I was wondering could normal flour be used if I didn’t have coconut flour ?
lucy says
and im guessing the water and applesauce is to act in place of not using eggs ?
Eunice says
Hi Katie! I was wondering what I could sub applesauce with: half a medium banana? oil? Also, can I mix in both spinach and kale? I don’t know how much of each I have tucked away in the back of the freezer! Can’t wait to make these, thanks for sharing 🙂
Erika says
I subbed chia for flax and a spring mix for the kale and it turned out great. 🙂
John Davenport says
Usually when I have a green ingredient in my brownies it isn’t kale. But I will try this recipe.
Ruth says
OMG these are sooo good!!
Such an unlikely combo with the kale but works a treat. The perfect snack!
Lorrie says
loving your blog. thanks for sharing!
Karen says
Hi Katie, I love your site and have baked many of your recipes .I really like your vegan cookies and black bean Brownies. Definitely will try these.Can I just say a big thank you to you for putting the recipe up in grams for us that live in the UK.It is very confusing in cups to us that dont use those measurements often.xx
tami paul says
We are going to give this a shot. We are entering into a baked chocolate contest, at a chocolate festival fund raiser. Thinking we will have a one of a kind!
Mary says
I have made these a couple of times using spinach and a mix of all-purpose and whole wheat flour (1c. ap, 1/2c. ww). They’ve turned out pretty tasty- enough that my 9-year old says “yum, spinach brownies.” And, my 4 and 6 year olds don’t flinch about eating them either.
Kirstin says
I made these tonight with the peanut butter icing that she linked. It was incredibly delicious! I wouldn’t even mind more kale, perhaps to make myself feel better knowing it was a little more nutricious. I couldn’t taste the kale at all. It definitely felt like a dessert splurge. I also, for some reason, didn’t have a normal baking pan, so I made them in cupcake pans.
Michelle says
Hi Katie!
I made these this morning but I used mustard greens from my garden instead. I have Way too many and I’m trying to find all sorts of things to do with them. They turned our great and you can’t even tell they are In there! YUM ( I couldn’t wait a day to taste test )
Thanks for the idea!
Michelle
Carolyn says
Wow, I am going to love this one- It is right on the mark for me! Thank you Katie!
Tera says
Dear Katie,
I’m Tera another Big Chocolate fan! I love your site and how you strive to make healthy desserts. I ‘m making your Kale Brownies, I have a question, can I use Maple Syrup in place of sugar? Thanks
MH says
Katie – a question about the wet ingredients + kale – you say “blend,” but do you mean just stir them together, or put them into a blender/food processor? I was thinking of trying the latter, because I’d like to try to make these for my toddler daughter (to sneak more greens into her diet). I was just curious as to whether you meant that in the first place, or had any thoughts on it.
Unofficial CCK Helper says
No, she means to blend with a blender.
Tracy says
Can you sub a different flour for the coconut flour? These sound so amazing, but I’m allergic to coconut 🙁
rosabel says
my daughter is allergic to coconut. can i use BOB gluten free flour instead? how much? thanks
Unofficial CCK Helper says
Try her black bean brownies or cookie dough brownies instead!
Rosabel says
I have made the bean brownies and she loved it but I really want to try the kale brownies
Minna says
A huge & sincere thank you to a truly talented, generous and beautiful person!
– From a family of big ChocolateCoveredKatie fans in Brussels, Belgium 😀
Anne says
Do you think these would come out well without using the flax? We are totally grain free!
Unofficial CCK Helper says
Flax is not actually a grain. So you’re good to use it! Or sub ground chia seeds, perhaps.
Anne says
It is a psuedo grain (grown the same and shares many of the same properties) and can cause many of the same upsets as grain does (as well as chia). For our family it does cause the same reactions so we have to avoid it. We are doing AIP but I am trying to find some different snack ideas for family parties! (Since we have a lot!! ) and trying to keep things rotational!!
Cathy says
These are really tasty, but mine came out super soggy! Like, the texture of a sponge cake soaked in water :-/ how can I make them less moist?
Chocolate Covered Katie says
Hi Cathy,
Just refrigerate overnight and they will firm up completely! If you get a chance, please do report back about if this fixed the issue as it should 🙂
Mary Rose Dougherty says
We make Ultimate Fudge Pie for a diabetic friend on a regular basis. The protein is good for her diet and she loves chocolate so it has been a good way to get her chocolate fix without upsetting her blood sugar.
She loves pumpkin. What suggestions do you have for a pumpkin pie that also uses silken tofu?
Thanks
Unofficial CCK Helper says
Katie doesn’t have such a recipe, but she does have healthy pumpkin pie, crustless pumpkin pie, and chocolate pumpkin pie recipes on the site! 🙂
Dior says
I made fudge frosting to put on some cupcakes and it was delicious.
And I made a one minute chocolate cake it was amazing.
Dior says
I made fudge frosting and it was amazing.
And I made one minute chocolate cake it was delicious.
Marysa Nicholson says
These are OUTRAGEOUSLY good. For the vegan shortening, I subbed the same amount of coconut cream (the top thick portion of a refrigerated can of coconut milk), worked like a charm. I’ll try this for some time. I know that sweets could make us fat so that’s why I take forskolin supplement because it has an active chemical that initiates a chain reaction that cause fat cell to release their energy and melt away.
Cat says
haha those google searches just made my day
Leigh says
Hoping to make these tomorrow, but I don’t have applesauce on hand! Can I either take it out completely, or replace it with something else? Thanks!
Elisa says
I had some spinach to use up this week and I remembered this brownie recipe from a couple of years ago. Once again, like all of your recipes, Katie, these treats do not disappoint. I LOVE the fact that my kids are actually getting extra greens in their dessert. 🙂
Emily says
Made these the other day with my over abundance of kale from my garden and took to work, they loved them! Even though I screwed up the measurements for half the ingredients: I made it using 3 eggs instead of the ground flax, cut the water down to about 1/2 cup, used 1 1/3 cup wheat/white flour mixed, 1 1/3 cup sugar and 1 cup cocoa powder, everything else the same. It still turned out great! The first time I made them I used 2 eggs, 1 cup water, 1 cup white flour and everything else the same and it tasted good but was way too wet and even wetter the second day. The measuring screw up resulted in closer to chocolate cake and I topped with melted chocolate chips. Yummy!
Shelly says
Hi Katie, Your recipe looks amazing. I love kale. I’m not seeing a print button on your kale brownies recipe. I’ve tried a Internet Explorer and Google Chrome. Any way you can add one or e-mail me a PDF? Thanks, Shelly
Julie Dove says
Sadly all of her recipes posted before 2015 didn’t have print options yet. But all of the ones posted after 2015 do! Also you can always highlight just the recipe part and press “control” and “c” to copy, then paste into a word document and print.
Marya says
Hey Katie! Thank you for sharing this tasty recipe, they look so delicious!! My sons are huge fans of brownies, I hope they will love these as well..
Now I’ll also share this exceptional post to my Facebook group of single mothers.
Emily says
Oh my god, thanks for providing this recipe for me. I’m fond of creating new recipes on weekly basis and this is exactly what I wanted! Brownies – god, I love them.
Johanna says
These look amazing
Koln-Recipe says
Oh these looks yummy, i have many more ideas like this on my blog
Gabbie says
How do I substitute out the flaxseed?
Jacqueline says
I love most of your recipes – especially the black bean brownies, but this was a total miss for me. I made it exactly as written. In my opinion, there was too little kale and too much added sugar to justify the compromised taste. I thought about adding mint extract to hide the taste… but I’d rather just have black bean brownies with or without mint, and eat my kale in a salad or pineapple smoothie. Nice try though!
Caitlyn says
Sorry if there is a way to search through comments and I missed it. Has anyone made this with regular flour? Wanted to make for tomorrow, but don’t want to go to the store the day before Thanksgiving (yikes)
CCK Media Team says
Hmm, sorry we haven’t and in general subbing coconut flour out for a different flour in a recipe isn’t a good idea because coconut flour needs so much more liquid. You might have better luck adding diced kale to one of Katie’s other brownie recipes instead! Maybe these? https://chocolatecoveredkatie.com/vegan-brownies-recipe-best/