Extra fudgy coconut flour brownies with a luscious sugar free salted caramel swirl could be heading your way! Your friends and family will never guess that this easy keto brownies recipe is low in carbs and gluten free. I can say that with confidence - because my kids were convinced these were the real deal!
Table of contents
When you check how many keto brownies recipes I have on my website you may come to the conclusion that I have a mild obsession with brownies. I won't deny it! From cheesecake brownies to peanut butter brownies, I'm covering all bases.
However, this coconut flour brownies recipe is a bit of a crown jewel in the collection. Because it's made with coconut flour. And because it has the most irresistible salted caramel swirl!
I've been making more recipes using coconut flour recently. This is partly because I get a lot of requests from people who cannot tolerate almond flour and are looking for a nut free and grain free alternative (read about all the amazing health benefits of coconut flour here). And partly because coconut flour makes excellent low carb bakes. If you know how to use it right!
How to bake with coconut flour
Coconut flour is a bit of a diva. It absorbs a LOT more moisture than any other low carb flour. This means a little goes a long way, and your pack of coconut flour is going to last you a long time.
As a rule of thumb, you need 3 times less coconut flour than almond flour in recipes. But that's not all. Coconut flour also LOVES eggs and fat. You'll find that coconut flour recipes require more eggs than almond flour recipes to achieve a moist yet fluffy crumb.
If you want to add to your coconut flour repertoire, check out this Vanilla Coconut Flour Cake - it's so light and airy. Also, don't miss these super easy Coconut Flour Cookies. They went viral when I first posted them and have tons of 5 star reviews.
Last but not least, coconut flour is perfect for a keto diet because it's very low in carbs. These low carb brownies are just 1.9g net carbs per square!
Ingredients for coconut flour brownies
Let's take a look at the ingredients I'm using for these coconut flour keto brownies:
Coconut flour - it's in the bowl in the middle. See how little you need - less than both cocoa or sweetener!
Unsweetened cocoa powder - you can use both cocoa or cacao powder. The difference is that cacao is raw and retains more nutrients, while cocoa is roasted and has a deeper flavour.
Baking powder - or use ½ tsp baking soda.
Eggs - It's REALLY important that these are room temperature so your batter does not become stiff. Simply put them in warm water for a few minutes to remove the fridge chill.
Butter - I melted mine in the microwave for 1 minute and then let it cool to lukewarm.
Powdered sweetener - I used a brown erythritol and monk fruit sweetener blend in this batch. It was granulated, so I powdered it in my food processor. A regular (white) powdered sweetener works just as well. Whilst it is not essential to use powdered sweetener I find that the powdered does give a smoother result, especially for the caramel.
Almond milk - To loosen the batter a little. I needed 1 tbsp. You can use up to 2 tbsp, but don't use more or the brownies will be too fragile.
Sugar free chocolate chips - This is optional, but I think brownies just taste better with chocolate chips. I used Lakanto semi sweet chocolate chips. Lily's also make keto friendly chocolate chips. Or simply use chopped 90% chocolate such as Lindt, which is very low in carbs.
Ingredients for sugar free caramel sauce
I made a classic keto caramel using double cream (that's heavy cream in the US), butter and powdered sweetener - plus a generous pinch of salt.
It's best to use allulose for the caramel to ensure it stays completely smooth. Allulose is not easily available here in the UK right now though (the only place you can currently get it is iherb.com), so I made do with my erythritol monk fruit blend. It crystallises a little here and there as it cools, but not so much that it would bother and it does not affect the taste.
If you do use allulose for the caramel, increase the amount to up to ½ cup because it's not as sweet as erythritol.
How to make keto brownies with coconut flour
Let's get started!
First, make the caramel. Melt the butter in a small saucepan over medium heat and let it brown. Stir continuously to ensure it does not burn. Now add the heavy cream and powdered sweetener. Stir. Bring to a boil and then let the mixture reduce over a low heat until it has thickened - about 5-7 minutes. Add salt to taste (I used about ½ tsp) and set aside to cool.
For the gluten free brownies batter, stir together the dry ingredients in a bowl - ¼ cup coconut flour, unsweetened cocoa powder, baking powder and powdered sweetener, breaking up all lumps.
Now add the wet ingredients - beaten eggs, melted and cooled butter and almond milk. Blend using an electric mixer. (You could also add 1 tsp vanilla extract, however with the strong taste of the cocoa you won't be able to taste it much).
Last, stir in the sugar free chocolate chips.
Dollop ⅔ of the batter into the tray and spoon the caramel into the gaps. Add the remaining brownie batter on top of the caramel. Gently pound the tray onto the counter so the batter can self-level. (Cover stone surfaces with a dishcloth or towel first).
Now, swirl a knife through the batter in a slalom motion - first across from side to side, then lengthways. Pound the baking pan on the counter to self-level again.
Bake your coconut flour chocolate brownies for about 25 minutes. You want the top to be set but the centre still jiggly.
Let cool completely before slicing into 12 squares.
Recipe tips
First of all, it's totally possible to use this recipe to make coconut flour brownies WITHOUT the caramel swirl. Even though I maintain that the caramel makes these brownies taste out of this world good!
And secondly, DO NOT be tempted to OVER-BAKE. Brownies should be jiggly straight out of the oven. The trick is to cool them fully before cutting and they will set to fudgy, gooey gloriousness. Fridge-cold is best.
Also, don't worry about not having a 7 x 8 inch pan. Mine was actually 7 x 9 inch. I simply placed a scrunched-up piece of aluminium foil at one end of the dish to shorten mine.
Recipe variations
If you decide against the caramel, how about adding a few raspberries instead? You could even make a raspberry coulis swirl by mashing up ½ cup of raspberries and mixing it with 1-2 tsp ground chia seeds. Then swirl it though just like the caramel.
Dairy free coconut flour brownies: For dairy free keto brownies, swap out the butter for coconut oil and the heavy whipping cream for coconut cream. You can use the canned coconut milk and put it in the fridge until the cream and the liquid separate.
Paleo coconut flour brownies: Replace the sweetener with coconut sugar or maple syrup. Of course, they will not be keto friendly any more then.
For almond flour low carb brownies, choose one of the recipes at the end of this post!
How to store keto coconut flour brownies
Store in an air tight container in the fridge for up to 5 days. Alternatively, slice and freeze for up to 3 months.
More low carb keto brownies to try
Here are all the keto brownie recipes on Sugar Free Londoner. The avocado brownies and the pumpkin brownies are lovely and light. My fabulously fudgy keto brownies are made with almond flour - and just as indulgent as their name promises. And don't even get me started on my keto peanut butter brownies!
I love all of these recipes, and hope you'll try them too.
Simply click on the image title to go straight to the post with the recipe.
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Caramel Swirl Keto Brownies with Coconut Flour
Note: The servings slider only changes the first amount in each line and not any subsequent amounts. Please make your own calculations where necessary. ***As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
Ingredients
- ¼ cup / 30g coconut flour
- ½ cup / 50g cocoa powder
- 1 tsp baking powder
- ⅔ cup / 100g powdered sweetener
- 3 eggs large, room temperature
- ½ cup / 114g butter melted
- 1 tbsp almond milk
- ¼ cup / 35g sugar free chocolate chips or chopped 90% chocolate
Caramel
- 1 cup / 240ml heavy cream double cream
- ¼ cup / 55g butter
- ¼ cup / 50g powdered sweetener use allulose if available
- sea salt to taste
Instructions
- First, make the caramel. Melt the butter in a saucepan and let it brown. Stir continuously to ensure it does not burn. Now add the heavy cream and powdered sweetener. Stir. Bring to a boil and then let the mixture reduce over a low heat until it has thickened - about 5-7 minutes. Add salt to taste (I used about ½ tsp) and set aside to cool.
- Preheat the oven to 180C/350F and line a 7x8 inch baking tray or casserole dish with parchment paper.
- For the brownie batter, stir together the dry ingredients in a bowl - coconut flour, unsweetened cocoa powder, baking powder and powdered sweetener, breaking up all lumps.
- Now add the wet ingredients - beaten eggs, melted and cooled butter and almond milk. Blend using an electric mixer.
- Last, stir in the sugar free chocolate chips.
- Dollop ⅔ of the batter into the tray and spoon the caramel into the gaps. Add the remaining brownie batter on top of the caramel. Gently pound the tray onto the counter so the batter can self-level. (Cover stone surfaces with a dishcloth or towel first).
- Now, swirl a knife through the batter in a slalom motion - first across from side to side, then lengthways. Pound the baking pan on the counter to self-level again.
- Bake for about 25 minutes. You want the top to be set but the centre still jiggly.
- Let cool completely before slicing into 12 squares.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
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Attila says
This is superb. At first it looks a bit complicated - I never made brownies before - but at the end managed to do it quite easily. Like them very much.
Thanks for the recipe
Radiance Dream says
These are exquisite. It took longer to bake than expected but they are well worth the trouble.