One of my best friends suggested I come up with a recipe this week.... brownies! With Valentine’s Day approaching this weekend, a rich and decadent chocolatey treat seemed appropriate.

It was after I went to target to pick up my very first bag of coconut sugar to bake this batch up, I realized something funny. My friend usually tries the treats I make when she takes two classes of mine Wednesday evenings. Perhaps it’s an incentive to get some of my girls to come out to my classes, and it works. It also gets an entire batch of baked goods out of my kitchen and in the mouths of people who can give me their honest review. Nevertheless, my friend pretty much tricked me into making her a tray of the best brownies I’ve yet to taste.

I’m not a “make a batch of brownies from a box” kind of gal, but I sure was back in the day. Before I realized I was allergic to a lot of the items used for boxed baked goods and I also couldn’t pronounce half the things listed, the sugar rush made me so sick. I hated feeling that heaviness in my belly.

So here we are. No flour. No refined sugar added to the batter. No oil. No gluten. No dairy. No soy. Now, you can savor that super gooey brownie and not feel all the guilt.

I love my brownies fudgey, naturally, but crispy on the outside with a nice rich and chewy center. Continue to cook the brownies in the oven till your desired crispness. I also left them in the oven after I turned it off to continue to cook for the best texture.