Paleo Chocolate Caramel Brownie Cups

Y'all! Where do I even begin with these chocolate caramel brownie cups? I mean, their name alone just makes your taste buds start jumping up and down in excitement. Am I right or am I right?


I've had this recipe bookmarked for ages and I JUST stumbled upon it again--- it was hiding in my iPad's favorites! I remember thinking that I needed to buy coconut flour to make it, which is funny, because now that I have bought coconut flour, it's been in my pantry for months and I'm just like, what do I do with it?


Well, I'll be using it to make these cups over and over again. These babies are a little bit time consuming since there's three layers to them. But one bite, and you'll forget any labor involved. They are just heavenly, and super consoling to this stressed out bridezilla.

The recipe only makes 9, which is fine, since eating just a half of one is filling in itself. And the best part about it, is all the ingredients are good for you! No empty calories here :)

Paleo Chocolate Caramel Brownie Cups

Yield: 9 cups

Ingredients:

For the brownie layer:
1 cup blanched almond meal
2 tablespoons coconut flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 cup raw cocoa powder
2 tablespoons coconut oil, melted
2 tablespoons maple syrup
pinch of vanilla powder (or 1 teaspoon vanilla extract)
1 large egg

For the caramel layer:
10 large medjool dates, pitted
3 tablespoons boiling water
pinch of salt
pinch of vanilla powder (or 1 teaspoon vanilla extract)
1/3 cup coconut cream

For the chocolate layer:
6 oz, bittersweet chocolate chips
1 tablespoon coconut oil

Directions:

Line a muffin tin with 9 cupcake liners. Set aside.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

In a medium sized bowl, whisk together almond meal, coconut flour, salt, cinnamon, and cocoa powder. Add coconut oil, maple syrup, vanilla, and egg, and incorporate well with a fork.

Using a tablespoon scoop, add a heaping tablespoon of brownie batter into each prepared liner. Press down with your fingers to form a flat, even layer.

Bake in preheated oven for 13-15 minutes. Remove from the oven and cool completely.

Prepare caramel layer while brownies are cooling. To the bowl of a food processor or blender, add dates and boiling water. Process until pureed. Add salt, vanilla, and coconut cream and process again until a smooth uniform mixture forms.

Using a tablespoon scoop, add a heaping tablespoon of  the "caramel" mixture on top of the brownie layer, and spread out evenly with the back of a spoon.

Transfer to refrigerator while you prepare the chocolate layer. Over a double boiler, melt chocolate chips with coconut oil until smooth.

Remove cups from fridge and pour chocolate over caramel layer, enough to cover the caramel. Repeat for all cups.

Refrigerate again to harden the chocolate; then unwrap to serve.

Slightly adapted from Guilty Kitchen