These healthy fudgy turtle brownies are the BEST gluten, dairy and refined sugar free brownies you will ever eat! Skip the box mix and make a batch of these gooey, chewy and perfectly chocolatey brownies.

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Healthy Fudgy Turtle Brownies

I am so excited to share these incredibly delicious and decadent fudgy turtle brownies. One of my goals for 2021 is to get more baked desserts on my blog and I am starting with these gems.

If you have visited my blog before, you may have noticed that I love no bake desserts. They are quick, easy and a great alternative to baking in the hot summer months. I love these no bake brookie bars, no bake carrot cake bars and no bake salted caramel pretzel cups.

However, there is something special about diving into a homemade dessert that is hot and fresh out of the oven. Especially when said dessert is these gooey turtle brownies!

Made with healthier ingredients, such as coconut sugar, almond flour and dark chocolate, these turtle brownies are gluten free, dairy free and refined sugar free.

For these turtle brownies, a special technique is used where the eggs and coconut sugar are whipped until light and fluffy (also known as the ‘ribbon stage’) before being combined with the melted chocolate and remaining ingredients. This results in a shiny, crinkly top and super fudgy texture.

Brownie Ingredients

Chocolate: dairy free dark chocolate is used in this recipe. Most of the chocolate is melted down with the chocolate oil. The rest (chips or chunks) is folded into the batter. I like Enjoy Life chocolate chips.
Coconut oil: use refined coconut oil if you’re worried about the coconut flavor (although I used unrefined and could not taste any coconut).
Eggs: the eggs will be whipped to create volume and a rich, fudgy texture.
Coconut sugar: coconut sugar is an unrefined, natural sugar that contains inulin, which can help prevent blood sugar spikes. It has similar calorie content to regular sugar.
Vanilla: you may be wondering, why add vanilla to brownies? Vanilla adds an additional layer of flavor and brings out the flavors of the other ingredients.
Cacao powder: cacao powder is minimally processed and more nutritionally dense than cocoa powder.
Almond flour: the gluten free flour of choice for these brownies. Just a little is used to ensure a super fudgy texture.
Baking powder: not used in traditional brownie recipes, but added for good measure to avoid getting brownies that are too dense.
Salt: like vanilla, salt brings out the other flavors, especially the chocolate.
Instant coffee: coffee helps intensify the chocolate flavor and a little goes a long way. It is optional, but highly recommended!

Turtle Ingredients

Cashew butter: cashew butter and maple syrup are combined to create a caramel like swirl. You can also use almond butter.
Maple syrup
Walnuts: you can’t have turtle brownies without nuts! Walnuts are preferred, but pecans work too.

Equipment

Stand mixer (you can also use a hand mixer)
Double boiler (you can also use a heat safe bowl over a pot of simmering water)
Rubber spatula
Small saucepan: to make the 2 ingredient caramel
Measuring cups and spoons
8×8 baking dish
Butter knife: for swirling the caramel into the brownie batter

Instructions

Prep

1. Preheat oven to 350°F (177°C).
2. Add eggs and coconut sugar to a double boiler over medium low heat. Whisk mixture constantly until coconut sugar has dissolved, approximately 3 minutes.
3. Transfer egg mixture to a stand mixture with the whisk attachment. Whip egg mixture until pale, light and voluminous. This should take approximately 6-8 minutes.
4. Clean and dry double boiler well and then add 1 cup of the chocolate and coconut oil. Stir until the chocolate is mostly melted. Remove from heat and allow remaining chocolate to melt. Allow mixture to cool for a few minutes.
5. Add chocolate mixture and vanilla to whipped egg mixture. Mix until just combined.
6. Gently fold in the cacao powder, almond flour, baking powder, salt and remaining chocolate chips/chunks into wet ingredients with a rubber spatula.
7. Dissolve instant coffee in 1 tsp of hot water. Fold into brownie batter.

Assemble

1. Pour batter into a well greased and/or lined 8×8 inch baking dish.
2. In a small saucepan over low heat, combine cashew butter and maple syrup. Bring to a boil, whisk and boil for 1 minute. Allow to cool slightly.
3. Gently pour caramel evenly onto brownie batter. Use a knife to swirl caramel into brownie batter.
4. Top with walnuts.

Bake 

1. Bake at 350°F (177°C) for 30-35 minutes.
2. Allow brownies to cool completely before removing from the baking dish and cutting into squares.

Tips

• Ensure the water in your double boiler is at a gentle simmer to ensure you do not overheat the eggs.
• Be sure to continuously whisk the eggs and coconut sugar while in the double boiler to prevent the eggs from scrambling.
• Clean and dry your double boiler well before adding the chocolate and coconut oil.
• Allow the chocolate to cool for a few minutes before adding to the egg mixture.
• Gently fold dry ingredients into wet ingredients to avoid deflating the eggs. This video demonstrates how to fold in ingredients.
• Grease your baking dish very well and/or use parchment paper for easy removal.
• Allow brownies to cool completely before removing from pan and cutting.

FAQ

Do I have to heat the eggs and coconut sugar together?

The purpose of heating the eggs and coconut sugar together is to allow the coconut sugar to fully dissolve into the eggs. This is hard to accomplish when the eggs are cold.

Do I have to whip the eggs?

The technique of whipping the eggs until the ‘ribbon stage’ is reached is used in this recipe to help give volume to the brownies. Since we are using coconut oil instead of butter, less air is being whipped into the ingredients. Therefore, whipping the eggs creates a luscious texture that results in voluminous but fudgy brownies. This article does a great job explaining what this technique does to brownies.

What is the ‘ribbon stage’?

The ribbon stage is a stage of whipping eggs where the mixture is pale in color, light and fluffy and many times more voluminous than before whipping. When you remove the whisk from the mixture, the mixture on the whisk should fall in ‘ribbons’ into the bowl and slowly disappear into the mixture in the bowl.

Why is instant coffee used in this recipe? 

Coffee brings out the flavors in the chocolate. This is because coffee and chocolate share the same flavor profile. You will not taste the coffee. It can be replaced with espresso powder or omitted altogether.

Can I use an egg substitute to make these brownies vegan?

I have not tested this recipe with any vegan egg substitutes. However, the whipped eggs are a key component in this recipe, and I do not think there are any egg substitutes on the market currently that will whip to the ‘ribbon stage’.

Substitutions

Almond flour: try 1-to-1 gluten free flour in place of the almond flour.
Instant coffee: you can use espresso powder mixed with 1 tsp hot water in place of instant coffee or omit altogether.
Cashew butter: you can use almond butter in place of cashew butter for the 2 ingredient caramel.
Walnuts: try pecans or omit altogether if you do not like nuts in your brownies (although they won’t be true turtle brownies!)

More Recipes You’ll Love

• Healthy Homemade Snickers Bars
• S’mores Cookie Dough Bars
• Dairy Free Mini Apple Cinnamon Cheesecakes
• Pecan Pie Bars

If you make this fudgy turtle brownies, be sure to leave a comment below and rate this recipe! If you snap a pic, be sure to tag me on Instagram @thechowdown! I love seeing your creations!