Low Sugar Gingerbread Christmas Brownies, made with wholemeal flour, sweetened with apples, bananas and a little honey and decorated with mini gingerbread men biscuits
My kids break up from school for the Christmas holidays on Wednesday and I have to admit I am really looking forward to it.
This term has seemed really long and we’re all looking a little weary by now!
For the first couple of days I’m planning some low-key festive activities at home like baking just to give us a chance to rest and recuperate before the big day!
This year I thought I’d have a new recipe ready to make with them. They both love brownies and so I came up with this healthier “no junk” version which they are sure to love.
Don’t get me wrong, my kids get plenty of treats and sweets over Christmas but I thought it would be good to balance all that out with some slightly healthier baking!
The inspiration for my recipe are Organix Mini Gingerbread Biscuits. These are a favourite in my house all year round but they’re even more perfect at this time of year when we can’t get enough of that festive gingerbread flavour.
The brownie recipe itself is so easy to make and it’s perfect for kids as you really can’t go wrong with it!
I used mashed bananas, apple sauce and a little honey to sweeten these brownies more naturally and wholemeal flour to help fill up little bellies with lots of fibre!
Homemade AppleSauce
For the apple sauce you can either use homemade apple sauce or shop bought. Making your own apple sauce is really easy.
Simply chop up apples (I don’t even bother to peel them!) and simmer with a little water in a saucepan until completely soft.
Then blitz with a blender until smooth. The sauce will keep in the fridge for 3-4 days and can be frozen too.
Shop bought apple sauce often has lots of added sugar so look out for sugar-free brands or even use the small pots of baby apple puree, they’re perfect for this recipe!
Once the brownies have cooked and cooled use a little drop of icing to stick the Mini Gingerbread Men to the top.
They’re then ready to eat straight away or even to pack up as delicious edible gifts for friends and family!
If you liked this recipe you may also enjoy:
Gingerbread Granola
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Gingerbread Brownies
Prep Time: 5 mins- Cook Time: 18 mins
- Total Time: 23 minutes
Yield: 9 1x
Category: Dessert
Cuisine: Christmas
Print Recipe
Pin RecipeDescription
Junk free Gingerbread Christmas Brownies, made with wholemeal flour, sweetened with apples, bananas and a little honey and decorated with Organix Gingerbread Men Biscuits
Ingredients
- 100g coconut oil
- 25g unsweetened cocoa powder
- 2 bananas
- 150g apple sauce
- 1 tsp vanilla
- 2 tbsp honey
- 2 medium eggs
- 150g wholemeal flour
- ½ tsp ground cinnamon
- ¼ tsp ground ginger
- ½ tsp ground nutmeg
- 2 tsp icing sugar
- 1 packet Organix Mini Gingerbread Men Biscuits
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 180c and line an 8x8in baking dish with parchment paper.
- Add the coconut oil to a large jug and melt in the microwave.
- Mash the bananas well and add them to the melted coconut oil along with the apple sauce, vanilla and honey. Mix well and then add in the eggs and mix again.
- In a large bowl add the wholemeal flour, spices and cocoa powder and mix with a spoon. Pour in the wet ingredients and mix just enough until the ingredients are well combined.
- Pour the mixture into the prepared dish and bake in the oven for 18 minutes.
- Remove and allow to cool for approximately 10 minutes before cutting into 9 pieces.
- Add the icing sugar to a small bowl or cup and mix with just a dash of water to form a thick icing paste. Use this to stick a gingerbread man biscuit to the top of each brownie.
Notes
These brownies can be kept in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days. They can also be frozen for up to 3 months.
Ness says
LOVE these! A fab activity to do with the kids to get everyone in the Christmas spirit.
★★★★★
Debs says
Made these last weekend as even though they are a bit Christmassy, we fancied making something warming and comforting.
These worked really well and the kids absolutely loved the addition of the little cute gingerbread men on top! Thanks for posting.
★★★★★
Haley says
These brownies look so cute and delicious.