From the hint of coconut oil mingling with the chocolate and Brazil nuts, to the luscious perfume of real vanilla bean, to the little kicks of sea salt that set it all off, I officially give these brownies the Hypothyroid Chef seal of approval. Not only are they gluten-free. Not only are they made with thyroid-nourishing coconut oil. Not only does each brownie contain more than your entire DV for Selenium. They are also unbelievably delicious. Without a doubt, this is the yummiest recipe on my blog so far. I’m kind of obsessed. It’s simply a bonus that you could almost call them healthy. No compromises here.
Simply put, these brownies hit all the spots and are heretofore a staple in my kitchen, hypothyroid or not.
I’ve had my mind set on creating a Brazil nut brownie recipe for Hypothyroid Chef for a while now. One of the reasons was that to be honest, I don’t love Brazil nuts. I don’t loathe them by any means, but they’re not my favorite. They are, however, a thyroid superfood, and they blow any other food out of the water when it comes to selenium content. Nothing comes close, and just one a day exceeds the daily value, boasting highly bioavailable (i.e. absorbable by the body) selenium.
A New Zealand study published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, concluded that eating two Brazil nuts a day could cancel the need for selenium supplementation.
In looking up food pairings for Brazil nuts, chocolate, coconut, and vanilla topped the list. Brownies seemed like a perfect excuse to get my Brazil nuts down, no problem.
Like many of you, I grew up on boxed brownies, and my ideal brownie is reminiscent of that: moist and fudgy, with crisp-chewy corners and a crackly top. Now that I’m a grown woman, they also need to be super duper chocolaty.
The first batch of gluten-free Brazil nut brownies I experimented with used shredded zucchini for moisture, and replaced wheat flour with coconut flour. The result was like eating a crumbly handful of chocolate-flavored sawdust. Unacceptable! If that’s the way it’s going to be, I’d rather not eat brownies at all. That pan of disappointment went straight into the trash can.
Driven by my undying love for chocolate, I kept searching and came across this recipe for Rich Fudgy Flourless Brownies on Life Made Simple. Baking blogger and photographer extraordinaire, Natalie, had gone through her own disappointing gluten-free brownie attempts, and finally found success by adapting this bomber recipe from David Lebovitz. I liked the look of it. This recipe wasn’t about being gluten-free, it just happened to be. So I gave it my hypothyroid-specific thumbprint, and SHAZAM! Super success.
Wanna bite?
An added bonus, at least in my opinion, is the 8 x 8-inch pan. I mean, 9 x 13? Who on earth is going to eat all that?
I am. That’s the problem.
Let’s break it down, shall we?
The Breakdown
- When cut into 16 squares, each brownie contains roughly 1 1/2 Brazil nuts, or approxomately 190% DV for Selenium.The Recommended Dietary Allowance (RDA) for Selenium, in adults, is 55 micrograms (mcg) per day. In addition to supporting the synthesis of thyroid hormone, selenium is essential to the conversion of T4 to T3, and protects the thyroid from stress. It also protects the thyroid from an overabundance of iodine. You might think of selenium as the thyroid gland’s security guard.
- Coconut oil has been touted as a thyroid, metabolism, energy, endurance, and weight loss booster by many health professionals, including Dr. Oz.
- Sea salt is a natural source of iodine as well as numerous other bioavailable trace minerals.
- Chocolate is usually high in sugar and can contain soy lecithin, which some people with an underactive thyroid choose to avoid; however, dark chocolate, when consumed in moderation, can be a good source of trace minerals like copper and manganese. Chocolate, esp. dark, also contains flavonols, a type of antioxidant that can reduce the cell damage caused by heart disease, and help to lower blood pressure, and promote vascular function.
I hope you enjoy these brownies as much as I do. Happy Valentines Day from Hypothyroid Chef. I wish you a day filled with abundant love, good health, and chocolate.
Brazil Nut Brownies
With a crackly top and crisp-chewy edges, these decadent, ultra-fudgy, brownies are the stuff chocolate dreams are made of. They also happen to be gluten-free and choc-full of thyroid nourishing ingredients like Brazil nuts, coconut oil, and antioxidant rich chocolate-- but you won't be thinking about any of that while you're eating them. There are a zillion brownie recipes out there, and as many ways to tweak them, but if possible, I urge you, please don't change a thing.
- Prep Time: 30m
- Cook Time: 30m
- Total Time: 1h
- Yield: 16 brownies
- Category: Sweets
Ingredients
- 6 tbsp. Coconut Oil (81g)
- 3/4 c granulated sugar
- 1 vanilla bean, seeds only*
- 2 large eggs, room temperature
- 8 oz semisweet chocolate, chopped
- 1 tbsp. unsweetened cocoa powder
- 3 tbsp. cornstarch
- 1/4 tsp. fine sea salt
- 1/2 c roughly chopped brazil nuts
- 1 pinch coarse sea salt, like Maldon
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 F. Line an 8x8-inch metal baking pan with foil and coat with cooking spray or coconut oil.
- In a small saucepan over low heat, melt coconut oil. Add sugar and vanilla bean seeds, and stir to combine. Add the chopped chocolate and cook, stirring until chocolate is melted. Remove from heat and beat for 2 minutes with a hand mixer or whisk. Add eggs one at a time, mixing each until incorporated.
- Using a mesh strainer, sift the cocoa powder and cornstarch into the pan. Add the fine sea salt. Mix slowly until dry ingredients are incorporated, then beat on medium speed (or vigorously, by hand), for 1 - 2 minutes. Fold in chopped Brazil nuts.
- Pour batter into prepared baking pan and spread evenly. Sprinkle top of batter with a pinch of coarse sea salt.
- Bake 22 - 30 minutes or until the brownies feel set in the center. Do not over bake. Remove from oven and let cool 45 minutes. Use foil to lift brownies from pan, slice and enjoy!
Notes
- To remove the seeds from a vanilla bean, lay the bean on a cutting surface, and with the tip of a paring knife, split the bean lengthwise, all the way down the middle. Use the dull side of the knife to scrape along the inside of the pod, removing the sticky, tiny black vanilla seeds. Repeat with the other half of the pod.
They look perfect! I love that you cut them into heart shapes 🙂
Thanks Natalie! And thank you for helping me find a gluten-free brownie recipe worth making. Love your recipes : )
How many eggs in this recipe please
2 large eggs, room temp. So sorry Eloise. I fixed it.
Thanks ?
Good to see a taenlt at work. I can’t match that.
Cornstarch is unhealthy . Do you have an alternative? Thank you.
Hi Heidi, I looked it up and couldn’t find anything that argued cornstarch was flat out unhealthy. It’s not a big nutrition booster, but I am curious to hear more about your opinion. In this recipe I think it’s going to provide some food chemistry that I’m not sure alternatives like arrowroot would. If you experiment with that, please let us know how it works out. I know a lot of people are sensitive/allergic to it.
Have you ever thought to use Brazil nut flour to make brownies, cookies, cakes etc instead of chopping it in?
Also, the last thing an under active thyroid needs is sugar. Maybe switch it up with dates or maple syrup or raw honey? I’ll be rustling up a concoction with dates, let’s see how it goes!
Hi Safia, and thanks for your comment. Because there is no one-size-fits-all thyroid diet, and many of my readers are gluten-free or gluten-dairy-free only, this recipe is a treat and an option for them. I agree that sugar isn’t a choice ingredient for thyroid health or health in general. You could try substituting coconut sugar if you have removed refined sugar from your diet. This isn’t a paleo recipe or a paleo blog, but there are plenty of them out there with brownie recipes like you’re describing. I would recommend a search for paleo brazil nut brownies : )