February 15, 2012

Nutrient Dense Breakfast Brownies

Breakfast and brownies in the same sentence is like a song in my heart.

Chocolate.  For breakfast.  Perfection.

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This recipe is absolutely delicious!  I like it.  My kids over-enjoy it.  As in – “Oh Mom, you said it’s healthy so we should eat a lot of pieces everyday.” {quote taken from my 6 year old daughter}

A few times the Bill Cosby syndrome came upon me and the thought of my kids singing, “Mom is great! She gives us chocolate cake!” just makes me giddy.  Almost makes eating dessert for breakfast worth it.

Can you say mother of the year award?!

But in all seriousness (if brownies can be considered serious), I find these to be amazingly wonderful for a breakfast side dish or for a much needed snack.  Not only are they healthy, but they are so nutrient dense that you don’t need a huge piece to satisfy you.  I like that you can get certain food items into your family without fighting them.  This is why they created mini food choppers.  You can chop up certain not-so-desirable foods, so once it’s cooked into a dish it’s so small people have no idea they are consuming it.  GENIUS.

Can I get an Amen?

Oats.  Whole wheat flour.  Yogurt.  Walnuts.  Dried fruit.  All in one punch!

As I mentioned in my OUR FAVORITE BREAKFAST COOKIE post, I don’t suggest giving your child a brownie, alone, for breakfast.  I think as parents we should be more cognizant of our children’s intake of healthy foods – especially the first meal of the day.  If I make my kids wheat farina or eggs with raw cheese or power pancakes/waffles – I’ll give them a small brownie as a side to their power packed breakfast.  Just like smoothie and coffee shops put the ‘boosts’ into their drinks, I like to think of this a ‘boost’ to a meal.  It does make a great snack though.  Honestly, I’d prefer my child to eat a breakfast brownie or breakfast cookie for a snack than the much touted and loved goldfish crackers that most kids live on.

Any.Day.Of.The.Week.

So, let us see what your family thinks of these!

NUTRIENT DENSE BREAKFAST BROWNIES

Ingredients:

-  1 1/4 cup organic rolled oats (do not use quick oats) (feel free to process the oats to a powder for a smoother texture in the brownies)

-  3/4 cups organic whole wheat flour (you can substitute other flours if you desire, such as whole wheat pastry flour, rye flour, spelt flour or oat flour)

-  1/2 cup organic, full-fat yogurt (Bulgarian or Greek) (you can also substitute with whole milk Kefir)

-  1 cup real, organic butter – divided

-  1 cup sucanat (a wonderful, unrefined sugar)

-  1/4 cup honey, RAW is best

-  4 organic, cage-free, free-range eggs

-  1 tablespoon real vanilla, (go here for my recipe to make your own vanilla)

-  3/4 cup organic cocoa powder (RAW cocoa powder is awesome)

-  1 teaspoon aluminum free baking powder

-  1 teaspoon kosher sea salt, unrefined

-  1 cup bittersweet (or dark) chocolate chips (try to find organic and soy free)

-  1 cup walnuts or pecans, chopped finely (easier for little ones to eat and digest)

-  1 cup dried fruit (raisins, cherries, cranberries, apricots, etc. – just make sure they are chopped finely)

Directions:

In a glass bowl, combine the oats, flour, yogurt and 1/2 cup of butter (melted and cooled).  Make sure everything is evenly moistened, yet not soggy.  Cover the bowl with a plate and allow to soak at least 12 hours at room temperature.  I like to put my bowl in the oven and turn the oven light on for a small amount of ‘warmth’ for the soaking.

When this mixture has soaked at least 12 hours, preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Grease a 9×13 glass baking dish with either butter or coconut oil.  Melt 1/2 cup butter in a medium saucepan over low heat.  Add the sucanat and honey and stir to combine.  Heat until it’s bubbly, then remove from heat and stir a little more.  Whisk in the cocoa powder, salt and vanilla.  Allow to cool until you can touch it comfortably with your finger.  It could take a bit.

Once cooled, whisk the eggs into the saucepan liquid mixture (this is why it’s important to allow the liquid mix to cool, so you don’t scramble the eggs when you add them).

Once the eggs are all incorporated, add the entire liquid mixture in the glass bowl with the soaked flour and oats.  Mix until completely combined.  Try not to over mix – once you see it’s incorporated good – stop mixing.

Next, fold in the chocolate chips, nuts and dried fruit.

Spread entire mixture into the greased baking dish and bake at 350 for 25 minutes.  Check to make sure center is firm.  If not, continue baking and check every 5 minutes until it’s ready to remove. Make sure not to over bake – it will make the brownies drier and crumbly.  If it’s cooked just right – they will be dense and chewy and oh so yummy!

***This recipe was taken from the book Is Your Flour Wet? by Kitchen Stewardship

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HAPPY EATING!

1. Karen says:

   February 15, 2012 at 2:53 pm

   oh my gosh! Who wants dinner,just give me a brownie. These looks sooooo good. Thats the next recipe I try.That is after the grain challenge

   Reply
   1. knewsom says:

      February 15, 2012 at 4:13 pm

      Haha! They are amazingly good. I was skeptical at first, but they redeemed themselves ) I’m excited to hear you’re doing the grain challenge! I’ve been preparing myself this week since it’s been a couple years since I’ve done it. This means I’m used to eating grains. No matter how healthy they are – my body is still use to getting them, so I’m working on that! Let me know if you have any questions during it! Or if you just need encouragement ) Keep those brownies in mind as a reward – right?!?!

      Reply