I think I picked the right week for my Fall Back in training because my cold symptoms seem to have progressed into the stomach flu. 
…Never a fun way to start the weekend, especially when we have a lot of fun things planned.
These early Valentine’s Day Tulips helped cheer me up though! Eric brought these home from work on Friday night because he knows I’ve been feeling under the weather. Tulips are one of our favourite flowers because they remind us of Spring. :)
I’m going to try and save the bulbs after the flowers die so I can plant them outdoors in the Fall.
I hope I don’t kill them soon. I don’t exactly have a green thumb!
I was not in the mood to bake today (that’s when you know I’m really not feeling myself). Lucky for me, Eric already planned on baking his next pick for the Valentine’s Day Recipe Contest, so I got to read snuggled up on the couch while he slaved away in the kitchen. Well, he did ask for some photography help, but it was pretty quick for this recipe. ;)
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Two Bite Double Down Dark Chocolate Brownies
The name of this recipe had Eric hook, line, and sinker! Jessica says, ‘These vegan two bite brownies have the sweet chocolate flavour of a brownie (but not too sweet) with the goodness of whole wheat, oats and the antioxidant powers of dark chocolate. They make a perfect high fibre well balanced dessert. Serve on a plate of homemade raspberry jam for a black forest cake affair.’
Adapted from Jessica.
Yield: 20, two-bite brownies.
Ingredients:
- 1 cup large flake oatmeal
- 1/2 cup + 1/3 cup whole wheat flour
- 1/3 cup cocoa powder, sifted
- 1/2 cup brown sugar, lightly packed
- 1/4 tsp baking powder
- 1/4 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 tsp kosher salt
- 1/3 cup Almond Milk (or a tiny bit more if batter is dry)
- 2 tbsp maple syrup (or other liquid sweetener)
- 1 T ground flax
- 1/3 cup coconut oil, softened (or olive oil)
- 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
- 1/4 tsp Almond extract (optional)
- 1/4 cup unsweetened shredded coconut
- 1/4 cup dark chocolate chips, or more if desired
Directions:
1) Preheat oven to 350F and line a baking sheet with parchment or a non stick mat.
2) In a large bowl sift dry ingredients together (oats, flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder and salt), set aside.
3) In a medium bowl whisk together maple syrup, ground flax, non dairy milk, oil, and vanilla.
4) Add wet to dry and stir well. Once mixed, stir in coconut and dark chocolate.
5) Drop a tablespoon onto non-stick cookie sheet using a retractable ice cream scoop (holds 1 tbsp) or by forming a ball with your hands. Eric packed the dough into the scoop and then tapped on the side of the bowl as he pressed the release.
6) Bake for 12 mins. at 350F, then transfer onto wire rack for cooling. Yield: 20, two-bite brownies.
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Mise en place!
The maple syrup is invisible because it was an add-in at the last minute when Eric didn’t think the dough was sweet enough. ;)
Mix dry and wet separately and then stir together. Make sure to sift the cocoa powder too.
Fold in the chocolate and coconut. Eric says, ‘Then eat lots of dough to determine if you need more chocolate.’
Using a retractable ice cream scooper (this was Eric’s tip!) or your hands, portion into balls and gently shape.
Eric made 20 brownie bites.
I think he wins for the most perfectly shaped brownie bites ever.
Bake for 12 minutes at 350F.
You can also flatten the cookie dough and cut them into hearts, as shown below. Eric preferred the bites though because they are nice and thick to bite into.
Nice work hubby!
Eric’s review:
- Soft and chocolaty, but not over-powering from sweetness
- Wholesome and nutty- he liked the whole wheat flour
- A perfect 2-bite size
- Would be good with ice cream and LOTS of chocolate sauce ;) hehe
When my tummy is feeling a bit better, I will definitely be trying some with some Banana Soft Serve. 
If there are any left, that is!
Congrats to Jessica for the winning recipe. Please email me at angela [at] ohsheglows.com to claim your prize. :)
For the rest of the Valentine’s Day recipes, be sure to check out the photo collection on my Recipes Page. My two favourites are here and here.
I’d like to start a new book this weekend. Anyone read any good books lately? I’d like something fiction for a change. :)
Hi Angela! I just wanted to tell you that i featured you in my blog :-)http://www.thecleaneatingmama.com/2011/02/valentine-treats.htm
happy valentines day! Xoxo
thank you! :)
I just have to recommend these two books for your next next book when you feel like going back to non-fiction books maybe: Nothing To Envy by Barbara Demick (about North Korea, absolutely amazing) and Cleopatra by Stacy Schiff (a long read, but enchanting)
Eric MADE these?????? I hope he wore your apron!!! :)
Feel better soon! Eric sounds incredibly sweet and like a great baker to boot!
one question – my hubby don’t like shredded coconut, is there anything I can replace with or just omit?
hmm not sure. ground almonds? :)
I was just thinking about this again last night and I do think the recipe would work without any coconut at all. :)
I was thinking crushed up pretzels would be yummy. Maybe even add some peanut butter, too? To add to the salty yumminess :)
Hope you feel better soon!!
the best book i have read in the past year is definitely the Hunger Games trilogy! i simply could NOT put them down! I recommend that everyone drops what they are doing and head out and get these books, pronto! but in your case, send eric as you are sick :( Feel better!!
Revolutionary road!
I really liked “Saving CeeCee Honeycut”. I don’t remember the author’s name. It’s set in the 60’s and it’s about a 12 year old girl who’s father is on the road a lot, and mother is bi-polar. She has no friends because of her mother, and after her mother commits suicide, her great aunt from Georgia comes to take her down south and raise her. There, she meets all of her great aunt’s friends and cooky neighbors and starts to learn what it means to have friendship. It sounds like an awful story (where her mother kills herself), but it really is a heartwarming story. I really enjoyed it and so did my friend.
Also, the Sookie Stackhouse novels by Charlaine Harris are really good and fun (HBO’s True Blood is based on them).
I hope you feel better!
yum! these sound truly amazing…congrats Jessica!
Those tulips are gorgeous! They remind me of spring too. At my elementary school, the whole school would plant the bulbs in the fall and the school grounds would be covered in tulips in the spring.
Hi, Angela – hope you feel better soon. You can plant what is left of your tulips outside in the spring after they bloom. You don’t need to pay any attention to them at all after that, and next spring they should come right back and reward you with new flowers.
Love your blog. At my hosue we are addicted to variations of your overnight oats and your banana flax power muffins.
Eric, these look amazing. And Angela, feel better SOON!!!
Feel better soon, Angela!
These brownie bites look really good–kind of like those no-bake cookies (except these are baked). I love how perfectly shaped they are. They almost look like truffles or something.
we forgot the brown sugar and these were still really good!!
What kind of fiction do you like? If you are looking for something fun and book-y I suggest Jasper Fforde- he has a couple of interrelated series that are amazing and a stand alone that’s quite funny as well! “THE BIG OVER EASY” is the first book of the “Nursery Crimes”- a series in which detective Jack Spratt solves nursery rhyme murders. “THE EYRE AFFAIR” is the first in the “Thursday Next” series, which I just can’t explain- I just have no good words to encapsulate the experience of reading these. It’s the longer series, but is so good (the first book is a bit slow, but the literary references are just too awesome!). And “SHADES OF GREY” is the standalone- it’s a dystopian novel where social heirarchy is based on one’s ability to see (or not see) color. *apologizes for being a dork* Good luck finding something!
Oh I really enjoyed The Eyre Affair as well, very clever!
Hope you feel better soon darl, the weather doesn’t help does it?! The tulips are gorgeous, we bought some red ones today and some daffodils (which means Spring is officially on it’s way – slowly but surely).
Take care of yourself
aww I hope you feel better – I bet a massive consumption of green monsters are in order ;)
Hope you feel better soon!
These little sweet treats look lovely!
Thanks so much for this recipe. They turned out great; not too sweet. I’m bringing them to work tonight as a valentine treat. I think they would also be yummy with peanut butter in them too. I love your blog; learning a lot from the information on here. Thanks so much for sharing!
Hi Angela
Loved your tulips. Eric brought over some of those 2 bite brownies last night, but I forgot to take one with me before we went out to dinner. Hope you will have them again.
When you plant your tulips you will need to get some “Bone Meal” or “Blood Meal”, otherwise, your squirrels will eat the bulbs. They love those ripe juicy tulip bulbs….
Do hope you are feeling better today. We missed you lots yesterday.
Healthy brownies?! Sweet:)
Looks great! I made your pumpkin butter swirl butternut pan bread the other day and loved it! So flavorful and crunchy!
These remind me of the “no-bake” cookies that are filled with oatmeal and peanut butter, but these are much more nutricious! They look great, it’ll definitely be something I try:)
Two books I have really loved. “Ahab’s Wife” by Sena Jeter Naslund (really anything by SJN is a safe bet, she has a way with words that is mind tickling). This is an epic tale of a strong woman. It will completely suck you in and it is long enough to be satisfying.
A little novel I just read that is so simple and beautiful and pretty short. I devoured it and wanted to move to Guernsey! It is called “The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society” written entirely in letter corespondences (I didn’t think I would like that but it was perfect).
Have you ever gone on goodreads.com? Fun site to belong to.
Oh one more that you must must read if you have not. Have you read “Born To Run” yet? It is one of the most fun books to read especially since you run.
I made them this morning right after I read your post and ate one for breakfast! They are super yummy!
I knew Eric would have to pick a chocolate-laden recipe at some point! Those look great. I MUST try that Avocado pasta though. I have about half a dozen avocados that need to be used ASAP!
Yummy! I need to try these! Keep these amazing recipes coming! Happy Valentines Day
Somehow, Id imagine that you – of all people – would definitely have a green thumb, considering how talented you are in the kitchen! It seems like they should go hand in hand :D
Thumbs-up
I just made them into heart-shapes for my hubby, early Valentines gift :) He loves them, and he is not a vegan!
Those brownies look mouth-wateringly good! I always love the recipes you post. I made your ultimate vegan lentil walnut loaf the other night and it was absolutely amazing. I can’t describe how good it was and that usually only happens when chocolate is involved in the recipe! Thanks.
Those two-bite brownies are calling my name!!! Feel better girl! :)
I had an intense chocolate craving yesterday (for the typical reasons) and this recipe was just perfect! I am not 100% Vegan (my recipe book is laden with Vegan and Vegetarian dishes/desserts, but I still eat local free range (total freedom) chicken and wild caught seafood) but I especially love Vegan desserts because I don’t feel weighed down by sugar afterwards (and there’s so much less guilt, too).
Now I just have to fight the urge to have one of these this morning. :D
i just made them!!! They are way way better then I thought they would be, for those who asked about subing the coconut I made mine with out (my husband doesnt like coconut) and they were still amazing, I did the last batch with walnuts mixed in and honestly I prefer them with out but they are still good with the nuts just be sure to chop the nuts up really small if you use them or the brownies dont hold very well. They do however hold with extra chocolate chunks added (im just saying). Thank you for this fab recipe!
I made these for Valentine’s Day and they were a big hit with my family. Everything I make and bake is gluten free and this recipe did wonderfully with the gf flour mixture I use. So good! Will definitely be added to my list of must-bakes!
Oh my heaven! Made these last night and they are DELICIOUS! Skipped the coconut (6 year old isn’t a fan) and added some almond butter. I’ll definately be making these again.
Hilarious. I was just sharing the recipe and realized I omitted the brown sugar. But honestly, they are totally sweet enough (ok, I may have added some extra chocolate) without it.
Hope you’re feeling better! I love anything by Jhumpa Lahiri – the Namesake was sooo good. Right now I’m reading some of her short stories. Her stories are effortless and just weave in and out so gracefully.
These look delicious. Do you think spelt flour would be ok instead?
These look fabulous – just the right amount of chocolate goodness for a dessert or mid-day pick-me-up!
I’m making these and I’ll post in my blog. I will link back! ;) Thank you for this!