These delicious brownies are refined sugar free, instead sweetened with apple and banana and a little honey. They’re also packed with nutritious almonds and are gluten and dairy free!
My little boy is brownie-obsessed. It’s by far his favourite treat and he could easily work his way through a whole packet of shop-bought brownies in a week if I let him!
I’ve been experimenting with lots of homemade recipes recently, trying to make a version that’s healthier and more nutritious and this been the best so far.
This brownie recipe is refined sugar free, instead using bananas, apple sauce and a little honey to sweeten them. They are also dairy free and gluten free too. Instead of flour I have used ground almonds which are packed with protein, fibre and Vitamin E.
Because I have used ground almonds rather than flour the brownies are quite dense rather than fluffly and light. But they are still very soft and the bananas and apple sauce stops them from being dry.
My little boy absolutely loved these and I’m trilled to have found a healthier homemade alternative to his favourite treat! I have to be completely honest though and let you know that my daughter didn’t like them.
She’s become very banana-adverse recently and she said she could taste the banana! If you have a banana-hater then you could always sub one of the bananas for a little more apple sauce.
These brownies keep really well in the fridge for several days. They’re also perfect for freezing and should defrost at room temperature in just a couple of hours.
If you try this recipe please do let me know what you think. Or tag me in a picture on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram. I’ve really been enjoying seeing all your creations.
ORDER my new book THE FUSS-FREE FAMILY COOKBOOK out now. 100 healthy easy and quick recipes that the whole family will enjoy!
Healthy Apple & Banana Brownies
Prep Time: 5 mins- Cook Time: 20 mins
- Total Time: 25 minutes
Yield: 9 1x
Category: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Print Recipe
Pin RecipeDescription
These delicious brownies are refined sugar free, instead sweetened with apple and banana and a little honey. They’re also packed with nutritious almonds and are gluten and dairy free!
Ingredients
- 100g / 0.5 cup coconut oil
- 25g / 0.25 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- 2 small bananas, mashed
- 140g / 0.5 cup apple sauce
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 2 medium eggs
- 2 tbsp honey
- 150g / 1.5 cups ground almonds
optional: a little melted chocolate to drizzle on top (can be dairy free)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 170 c / 330 F. Grease and line a brownie tin with parchment paper.
- Melt the coconut oil (you can do this in the microwave or in a saucepan on the hob) and add it to a large bowl.
- Add the cocoa powder to the melted coconut oil and mix until they are well combined. Add in the mashed bananas, apple sauce, vanilla extract, eggs and honey and mix again.
- Finally add in the ground almonds and mix just enough so that all the ingredients are well combined.
- Pour the mixture into the brownie tin and bake in the oven for 20 minutes.
- Remove from the oven and allow the brownies to cool slightly in the tin for 5-10 minutes before turning out onto a wire rack to cool completely.
- This is totally optional but I like to add a little melted chocolate drizzled on the top of the brownies.
- Cut into 9 large or 18 small brownies.
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.
Alicia choiniere says
Is there anything I can substitute for the honey? Would love to be able to offer to my little guy who’s under 12 months.
Vicky says
Hi Alicia, We have only ever made this recipe using honey, but maybe try maple syrup as a substitute. If you do try please let us know how they turn out.
Rita says
This looks like a great recipe! What is a good substitute to apple sauce?
Bianca Carey Spencer says
Hi Rita! We’ve not tried an alternative to apple sauce, but you could try pureed pears or even peaches, although they may have a slightly stronger taste. If you do try it, let us know how you get on! x
Catarina MK says
I made this last night and half of it is gone already!
I had a small bit but couldn’t get my 2-year old away from them 🙂
I made 3 substitutions:
– 50g coc.oil + 50g sugar-free coconut yoghurt
– 2 “very large” eggs instead of medium (as that’s what I had)
– 100g wholemeal flour + 50g milled flaxseed, instead of ground almond (as my son is allergic to almonds)
They turned our super moist and super delicious!
Thank you for the recipe
★★★★★
Emily says
Do these have to kept in a fridge? If not, how long do you think they would last on a bench/shelf.
Thanks.
Ciara Attwell says
Probably best in the fridge. Up to 3 days.
Kemi says
Can’t believe these are refined sugar free! They taste lovely. Looking forward to trying some more of your recipes now.
★★★★★
clem84 says
Tried these and loved them. My son is gluten free so more recipes like this please!
★★★★★
eliza says
hello can this be made as a cupcakes
Ciara Attwell says
Possibly but I’ve not tried them myself. You might need some more almond flour as they are very soft in consistency.
Klair says
Could I use oat flour instead od almond? Thanks
Ciara Attwell says
You can but I’m not sure if it would be an exact swap in measurements. Maybe try half the quantity first and see what the consistency is like and then add more.
mary says
How much fat and protein per bar?
Ciara Attwell says
I don’t count the macros but if you input the ingredients into an online calculator you should be able to find out pretty easy.
Rhian says
What is the apple sauce? Is it the jar bought sauce you use with pork? If it is then surely it’s full of sugar? I’m confused ☹️
Ciara Attwell says
I buy sugar free apple sauce. You can also use the tubs of apple puree you find in the baby aisle
julie says
Hi,would it be okay to use flour instead of almonds? Also I cant get coconut oil here,is there an alternative?
Ciara Attwell says
You can use butter or a diary free instead of coocnut oil. Technically yes you can substitute flour for the almonds but I don’t know if its the same quantity as the consistency of both ingredients is different.
Dana says
Can u substitute the almonds for black beans in the brownie recipe?
Ciara Attwell says
I haven’t tried it myself so can’t tell you if it would work!