Yes, you read that correctly, keto brownie batter. It’s warm, chocolatey, and delicious, and can be made in under five minutes.
This past year I experimented with the ketogenic diet. While it’s not a diet I will adhere to long-term, for some (particularly those who have difficulty metabolizing carbohydrates or have therapeutic dietary needs) it’s an excellent dietary approach. I’m working on a blog post on the ketogenic diet, so stay tuned if this is an area of nutrition that interests you.
While I was doing the ketogenic diet I did not take exogenous ketones, so I consumed a rather large amount of fat in the form of medium chain triglycerides (MCT’s) which is more easily metabolized into ketones than other sources of fat. MCT’s are primarily found in coconut oil which is around 65% MCT (palm oil and dairy products also have some). Because of the popularity of ketogenic diets (and bulletproof coffee) there’s a booming market for pure MCT’s derived from coconut oil.
During my first keto experiment I quickly realized that I can only consume a small amount of pure MTC’s without getting a stomach ache. So I prefer to get my MTC’s in whole food form — coconut meat, coconut milk, and coconut mana (coconut butter). But eating spoonfuls of coconut butter gets old (even though it’s yummy) and it was helpful to get a small amount of pure MCT oil to boost ketone production, so I created this keto brownie batter as both an indulgent treat and an easy way to get a bunch of MCT’s and protein.
This recipe calls for raw cacao powder which has strong antioxidant properties, collagen protein which is great for skin, hair, joint, and GI health, and both coconut mana and MCT oil to produce ketones which are powerfully anti-inflammatory — together these ingredients make a scrumptious combination that’s shockingly healthy. I’ve also discovered that the brownie batter freezes nicely, so if you want to make extra (or only want a partial portion) you can grease a mini or small muffin tin with coconut oil and pour in the batter. Place the muffin tin in the freezer until frozen solid (~45 minutes) and then pop the frozen keto brownie bites out of the muffin tin with a butterknife. Store any extra brownie bites in an airtight container in the freezer.
The specific ingredients I use for this recipe are:
- Organic Coconut Mana
- MCT oil
- Unflavored Collagen Protein Powder
- Unsweetened Raw Organic Cacao Powder
- Organic Liquid Stevia
- 2 Tbl warmed coconut mana (coconut butter)
- 3 heaping Tbl collagen protein powder
- 1 heaping Tbl raw unsweetened cacao powder
- 1 Tbl MCT oil
- 5-7 drops stevia liquid
- If the coconut mana is solid or semi-solid, warm it in a hot water bath or in the microwave until it's completely softened and is a thick liquid.
- Stir the collagen protein powder, cacao powder, MCT oil, and stevia into the coconut mana until it's smooth and resembles brownie batter.
- Enjoy!