Raise your hand if you love sweets! Oh me too. I am definitely more of a sweet girl than a savory girl. My sugar-free brownie bites recipe, definitely satisfies that urge. My love for sweets goes all the way back to my childhood. Isn’t it funny how our emotional reasons for eating can be traced? I cover more of that in my Crave Cure Guide here. Let me help you find your connection and get it under control.
What Exactly is Stevia?
Known as “sweet herb” in South America, stevia is 200 times sweeter than sugar. Stevia is used medicinally in Brazil and Paraguay. It has been used to treat stomach problems, colic and even burns. There are two different chemicals that are extracted from the plant that are used as sweeteners: stevioside and rebaudioside.
Stevioside tastes sweet initially, but leaves a bitter aftertaste. Some people find the aftertaste to be off-putting. Rebaudioside tastes much sweeter with less of a bitter aftertaste that most people find more enjoyable and easier to tolerate.
Is Stevia Safe to Consume?
Many questions have surfaced regarding the safety of this natural sweetener. Is stevia safe? That depends on the type you choose to consume. First of all, avoid highly processed forms. Chemical solvents are added which are toxic to the liver. It is ideal to use whole-leaf or crude extracts of the stevia plant.
Green leaf stevia is the least processed form of the herb and has basically been dried and ground.. It is approximately 30-40 times sweeter than sugar. Stevia products are not all created equal. There is a benefit to between using real stevia and avoiding the chemically processed stevia products.
When choosing your stevia product, here is your hierarchy. Firstly look for green leaf stevia. Secondly, stevia leaf extracts are acceptable if that’s all you can find. Thirdly, avoid at all costs, excessively processed stevia products!
Sugar-free Brownie Bites Recipe
Sugar-free Brownie Bites Recipe
Tempt your sweet tooth with a decadent sugar-free brownie bites recipe that is sure to fool even the most die hard chocoholic with not an ounce of sugar!
Ingredients
- 1 egg
- ¼ cup of water boiling water
- 4 tbsp of Monk Fruit Sugar or 4 tbsp erythritol and 10 drop of stevia ***
- ½ cup coconut oil melted and cooled
- ¼ cup organic unsweetened coconut cream
- 1 cup unsweetened raw cocoa powder
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- Lily’s Mini chocolate chips to top (optional)
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350 degrees and line a mini muffin pan with mini baking liners
- In small bowl combine the boiling water and monk fruit and whisk until combined. Let rest for 10 mins for the water cool down.
- In a medium bowl whisk together the egg,vanilla, mixture of water and monk fruit sugar and coconut oil until very smooth.
- Next mix in the coconut cream in the wet mixture.
- Slowly blend in the unsweetened cocoa powder until fully combined and very smooth. The batter should have a thick pudding consistency at this point.
- Spoon into the mini muffin liners ¾ of the way up, then sprinkle on mini chocolate chips if using.
- Bake in the preheated oven for 13 minutes, remove from oven and cool.
- Enjoy ! Can be frozen
Notes
- You can also use raw honey or maple syrup however the brownie bites will not be sugar free. Replace 1/4 cup of water and 4 tbsp of Monk Fruit with 1/4 cup of maple syrup or raw honey.