Coconut Fudge Brownies

Here we are at the end of June! We are half-way through 2016 already!! I can’t believe that we are heading towards another 4th of July. I am pretty excited about this coming weekend because, if all goes as planned, I will have ALL four of my kiddlets under my roof once again…for about 48 hours! Hey, I’ll take what I can get! I have no idea when we will all be together again because one of my blue stars will be leaving in early July for the other side of the world. This makes me sad! I’ve never been so far away from any of my kiddos as I will be for the next 3-4 months. And before he returns, one of my other blue stars will be leaving as well. While my momma heart will worry about them, I  understand fully that this is what they are called to do at this time. I will pray for their safety while they are gone and for their safe return.

Now to the recipe. I took a recipe featured in the new THM cookbook and made some changes ( read “experimented”) and came up with this pretty amazing recipe. Keeping it in the fridge helps keep it fudgy until it is all eaten…which won’t be long, I can assure you! I have made these brownies several times and none of the guys in my family know that there is okra in them! And as a bonus…they are low-carb!

BROWNIES::

1/2 c. unsweetened cocoa powder

1/4 c. peanut butter powder

3/4 c. coconut oil

3/4 c. butter

1-1/2 c. sweetener (I use Pyure)

2 tsp. vanilla

1/4 – 1/2 tsp. salt

1 c. oat flour

1 c. unsweetened dried coconut

1-1/2 c. okra (I use frozen. Let it thaw slightly before using).

6 eggs

ICING:

2 oz. cream cheese

2 tbsp. butter, softened, but not melted

1/4-1/3 c. heavy cream

4 tbsp. sweetener

1/2 tsp. vanilla

For the brownies: melt the coconut oil and butter in a small saucepan. Add the cocoa powder and peanut butter powder. Stir well.  In a large mixing bowl, combine the dry ingredients. Set aside.  In your blender, combine the okra, eggs and vanilla. Blend completely so there are no particles of okra seen. Pour the cocoa mixture and the okra mixture into the dry ingredients and stir well.

Pour the batter into a lightly oiled 9 x 13 pan. Bake at 350 degrees for about 25-30 minutes. Let cool.

Combine the icing ingredients in your blender or food processor. Give it a taste and add more sweetener if needed. Spread on cooled brownies. For a garnish, grate an 85% chocolate bar over the icing.  Refrigerate for several hours before serving.

Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins

The May Marathon finally ended last week when I had to say good-bye to two precious people…my “baby” boy as he went of to AF BMT and the Best Aunt Ever as I got her home and I flew back to my family.  I really do not like saying good-bye, especially when it is for a lengthy period of time.  The whole family except my dear daughter went with Sam to the airport to catch his flight out to San Antonio. After we saw him through security, the BAE and I began our journey to Omaha while the others drove home.

I am so thankful that God orders our steps and keeps us in His care.  When we were first discussing the May Marathon, we were planning for me to fly back home on June 3. Before I could buy my tickets for the flight to get the BAE, Sam received his orders for BMT. He was to arrive there on June 3.  This created a bit of a problem, so we decided that I would fly back on the 5th instead.  Did any of you happen to hear about the weather on June 3 out in Omaha?? The area got more rain on that day than they ever had, there was strong wind and hail the size of baseballs, the airport was closed…flights canceled.  Yes, God knew I needed to fly back home on the 5th, not the 3rd!

The hubby and I have several recipes that we’ve tried recently, so I will try to get them posted here this week.  First  is a muffin recipe that I modified on Saturday.  Initially, I planned to make this recipe, but I realized that I had no apples or applesauce or raisins.  I did, however, have some ripe bananas in my freezer that I needed to use.  I also had dried cranberries, some dried coconut, and some mini chocolate chips.  I used the basic recipe for the Oatmeal Apple Raisin Muffins and made these changes and additions:

1 c. mashed bananas instead of applesauce

1 c. dried cranberries instead of raisins

1/3 c. mini chocolate chips

1/3 c. shredded coconut

1/2 c. almond flour and 1/2 c. whole wheat flour  instead of 1 c. all purpose flour.

Make sure you click on the original recipe in order to see the other ingredients.  This recipe is amazing!! I know I will make it again!