Fluffy Fudgy Brownies (GF, SF, Low Carb, Keto)

I had some yummy, fudgy brownies recently that added coffee. I didn't have some of the flour blends that it called for, but I thought it was an interesting addition. I left it in, but other than adding some extra moisture, I couldn't tell that it was in there much. The flax meal helps with the moisture too. Add in some chocolate chips for extra fudginess and pecans for extra texture! This batch made enough for an 8x8 square baking dish plus extra for another personal dessert ramekin. A 9x13 would be good too, they'll just be a little thinner.

Ingredients

- 1 cup melted butter (yep that's two sticks)*
- 1 to 1 1/4 cup Swerve or other sweetener (Erythritol base, has a mild taste. I used 1 cup.)
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 4 eggs
- Splash of leftover coffee (optional, just adds extra moisture)
- 3/4 cup almond flour
- 1/4 cup coconut flour
- 1/4 cup ground flax meal
- 2/3 cup cocoa powder
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp salt

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350. Grease 9x13 baking dish or two smaller baking dishes.
2. Mix the butter or oil, sweetener, vanilla, eggs, splash of coffee with a mixer or whisk.
3. Combine the flours, flax, cocoa, baking powder and salt, and add to the wet mixture. Combine well, but don't over-mix.
4. Bake 25-30 minutes.
5. Allow to cool completely. Enjoy!

* I melted the butter in the dish while it was preheating. Poured it out into my mixing bowl, and used what was left to grease the dish with a paper towel. You could also use light olive oil. Do not use EVOO. You'll thank me.

Peanut Butter Faux-nola

I used to love those Nature Valley peanut butter granola bars. I wanted one when I saw some of their bars today. I've dabbled in some Paleo granola recipes that use maple syrup and honey, but since I'm trying to lessen the sugar and increase the fat, I made something new...

You can use any kind of nut butter you like, I just bought a new can of sugar free pb from Aldi. You can also add any of your other favorite crunchy things (chia seeds, different nuts, sunflower seeds, pepitas). This is an easy no-bake recipe that serves as a yummy fat/protein snack. With the average granola bar you'd have at least 20g of carbs. A serving size of these is about 20g of fat instead and 4 net carbs, less than 1g of sugar.

Ingredients:

3/4 cup pecan pieces
3/4 cup shredded coconut
1/2 cup nut butter
1/4 cup flax meal
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp vanilla
2 Tbs melted butter or coconut oil*
20 drops liquid stevia**

Directions:

1. Combine all of the ingredients well in a small mixing bowl with a rubber spatula. I used a simple square tupperware for the mixture. You can put parchment paper at the bottom for easy removal later.
2. Freeze for atleast 30 minutes.
3. Break or cut apart, and enjoy.

*Coconut oil will be more firm than butter once frozen.
**You can substitute another sweeter of choice, I just had liquid stevia on hand. It doesn't need much.

The nutritional information below is approximate, not exact, based on a bar that is 1/8 of the mixture.