Elana's Pantry

New York Times Bestselling author Elana Amsterdam founded Elana’s Pantry, the go-to website for easy, healthy, grain-free, Paleo recipes, in 2006

double chocolate walnut brownies

Double Chocolate Walnut Brownies

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Double Chocolate Walnut Brownies are the perfect paleo dessert. This easy brownie recipe is one of our all time favorites and we love to serve it at our gluten-free Super Bowl Party. Each year we make one batch using the regular brownie recipe below, and another without the walnuts for our friends that need a nut-free brownie recipe.

We also serve my Gluten-Free Super Bowl Cake Pops which the boys and their friends adore!

Print Recipe
Double Chocolate Walnut Brownies
Serves:
Ingredients
Instructions
  1. Place ½ cup chocolate chips in food processor and pulse until the consistency of coarse sand
  2. Pulse in coconut flour, salt, and baking soda until combined
  3. Pulse in eggs, honey, grapeseed oil, and vanilla
  4. Pour batter into a greased 8 x 8 inch baking dish
  5. Sprinkle walnuts and remaining chocolate chips over batter
  6. Bake at 350° for 25-30 minutes
  7. Cool and serve

These paleo brownies are made with coconut flour and are based on a recipe from Gluten Free Fix. We love this easy paleo brownies recipe because it’s so easy to make and is a very rich and dense brownie that is incredibly fudgey! This Double Chocolate Walnut Brownie recipe is one of those healthy paleo desssert recipes that tastes exactly like the real thing, if not better!

All types of brownies, but especially gluten-free brownies, can be a very personal thing. Some people like a cakey brownie, some like a dense brownie. What type do you like? Leave a comment below!

Here are some of my other easy paleo dessert recipes for you!

Comments

  1. I just made these today for the first time and they are my new favorite brownie! I took a chance on this recipe because I don’t usually like baked goods that use only coconut flour, but pulsing it with the chocolate is genius! I was also afraid that my food processor was too small, but it all worked and I will be making these again! ( And again and again!) I think I am going to use the Barnes and Noble gift card that I got for Christmas to buy your books! Thank you!

    Reply

  6. Oh my god. I mean OH MY GOD!!! You are a genius and this is so delicious I just want to hide under a desk and eat the hole pan! Seriously. Better than Ryan Gosling.

    Reply

  7. Oh Man!!! I made these today and I am seriously trying not to eat them all by myself!! I also pureed frozen bananas to make ‘ice cream’ to top off the brownies ;)

    Reply

  11. This is my favorite, and most successful gluten free recipe ever! I’ve used melted bittersweet chocolate in lieu of the cocoa powder for an extra chocolatey taste and it’s turned out fantastically, light and fluffy (or as light as can be for a brownie!). Thanks!!

    Reply

  12. I saw your classes have been in Boulder, but not sure if that is where you live. Is this recipe (actually any of them) good for high altitude or is there an adjustment you would recommend for 5400 feet?

    Reply

  13. Thanks Elana for a great recipe! I substituted grapeseed oil for avocado oil and walnuts for pecans because that’s just what I had around and it still turned out beautifully. Thank you!

    Reply

  15. “cool and serve” who are you kidding, it barely got to room temp before I ate the lot!!!!!!!! OMG do other people know about this? OMG sooo goooooood. I used almond meal instead of the coconut. Thanks so much

    Reply

  19. Hi Elana. I stumbled upon your blog after searching for some low carb inspiration and have since ordered your cookbook. I lean towards low carb so I am now in search of a decent sugar-free agave sub but I love your recipes and will save the honey/agave for after I reach my goal weight.

    Reply

  20. These are OUTSTANDING. I was little short of agave so made up the rest with grade b maple syrup. I also used a very fine grade of dark chocolate: Callebaut. Maybe not a super fudgy brownie, but really satisfies!

    Reply

  22. I love all of Elana’s recipes. I made these tonight but something happened to mine that i didn’t read about in anyone else’s comment. Mine were greasy. They fluffed-up in spongey cake-like fashon, but were dripping with grease from the bottom. I used all ingredients from the recipe, but subbed coconut oil for the grapeseed oil. 4 tablespoons = 1/4 cup, right? I measured everything and just thought I’d mention my results here in case someone else wound up with greasy at the bottom brownies and made some fix that i could also try? – Buono apetito!!!

    Reply

  23. I gave my cousin’s wife your Gluten-Free/Almond Flour cookbook for Christmas. Those recipes look very interesting.

    Reply

  24. I made these for myself only and my daughter tried them. Before I knew it, she was asking for more. She swore she would not eat these gluten-free brownies.

    Quite honestly, you can’t tell a difference. I am sold. Thank you.

    Reply

  25. This is a dynamite recipe! It satisfies both my love of chocolate, and my love of anything that reminds me of butterscotch.

    My next favorite thing to do with cacao powder: when Pamela’s Gluten-free Bread Mix is getting boring and I start craving rye bread, I use coffe or teccino (which is gluten-free) instead of water in the recipe, and add a heaping tablespoon of cacao powder and another of caraway seeds, and POOF: gluten-free almost-rye bread.

    Reply

  26. Ok, so this was my first time making anything gluten free, but it didn’t work out. Maybe someone out there can help? I made everything as stated above, except I substituted coconut oil for grapeseed oil. Besides that I followed everything to a T, but my brownies came out flat and cake-like. The picture here looked waaayy better than mine. Anyone know why?

    Reply

  27. I just made these, and they taste amazing. This was actually my first time making brownies, so all in all, not too shabby! :))

    The only thing is my brownies turned out too cakey (chocolate cake texture). Any tips as to how to make them more gooey/dense, less cakey?

    Maybe cooked for too long? I had them in there for 30 minutes, since my oven always seems to take on the longer side for any recipes.

    Reply

  28. We are dairy free and do not care for the grapeseed oil. Has anyone made these with coconut oil? If so, were the measurements equal one-for-one? Mmmmm, I’m excited for brownies!!!

    Thanks!
    AnnMarie

    Reply

    • I’ve made these brownies several times, and always have used coconut oil rather than grapeseed oil, as a direct 1-1 substitution. HTH-
      Love them by the way!!

      Reply

  29. This recipe is so great and failsafe! I make a batch every week. :)

    I can also report that these also freeze really well (individually wrapped in baking paper inside airtight container).
    I have to do this because I’ll eat half the tray in one go otherwise! I defrost one a day in the fridge to make the batch last and they still as good as fresh. I LOVE them x

    Reply

  31. We went to a dinner party on Saturday night and brought desert. Thought I would experiment and found out that our friends have family members who are celiac concerned. Long and short, the entire glass tray was empty at the end of the evening and since I printed a copy of the recipe as I usually do and shared it, you can expect more members to join your blog. They were a huge hit among our non celiac friends and to be a hit among their celiac family members.
    Love, love, love what you do in your kitchen and for all of us.

    Elana Daley

    Reply

  32. I substituted 1/2 cup dark chocolate chips with organic raw chocolate powder and 2 eggs with egg whites. They were more like a cake brownie and delicious.

    Reply

  33. I just made these and they turned out wonderfully!

    I made them vegan by replacing the eggs with 125 ml of vanilla soy yogurt, a couple tablespoons of flax meal mixed with some warm water and 1/2 tsp of xanthum gum.

    Yum!

    Reply

  34. This is a great recipe. I had to substitute enjoy life chips on the top but they were still great. Cakey, but with a light texture. They also kept well, still soft two days later. Thank you!

    Reply

  35. I made these the other day – had a few substitutions as I used coconut oil instead of grapeseed and also I subbed another sweetener for Agave (a mix of splenda, Xylitol, and Erythitol) as I can’t use Agave. I also doubled the recipe (except choc chips and walnuts) but baked it in the 8X8 Pyrex for a thicker brownie. They were thick, cake-like, and wonderful! I can’t wait to make these again. Thanks for the inspiration and the recipe!

    Reply

  37. I made the brownies for Super Bowl, they were gone, before the dessert time! Super easy and super delicious! I will be making them over and over again! Thank you!

    Reply

  38. Somehow I missed this post. So glad I’ve found it now.
    I believe we have all of the ingredients in the house, which means tonight is Brownie Night :)

    Reply

  39. I’m glad comments are still open on this recipe. I made them over the weekend. What an amazing treat. I absolutely love coconut flour and am so happy that these are made with it. They are brownie-like in texture, flavor, and brownie satisfaction! You would not know they are gluten free. Thanks, Elana, for an amazing recipe.

    Reply

    • Just an additional note: I used a blender for mixing, just pulsed the chips and then pulsed in other ingredients. It worked fine.

      Reply

  40. This was my first use of coconut flour and it sure won’t be my last… Wow, Elana! These turned out fabulously. They were delicate, moist, soft, rich, chocolatey and, well, just YUM! Certainly not crumbly like so many GF baked goods. Another success! Thank you!

    Reply

  41. just took these babies out of the oven. soooo good. roll your eyes to the back of your head and moan good.
    i made it in the vitamix – because i don’t have a processor. i think i ground the chocolate a little too much because in the end they were uniformly brown (like traditional brownies) instead of speckled like in your picture. i also substituted honey for the agave and coconut oil for the grapeseed.
    the texture was more cakey than dense but that might have been the over blending or maybe mixing the eggs a bit too long. the vitamix has a bit too much power for this one. that being said, they were divinely light and delicious and i would consider them an outstanding success despite them varying a bit from your recipe.

    Reply

  43. Hi,

    Thanks for such a good recipe. Please tell me for how many days we can keep these brownies. Something like best before these many days :)

    Thanks and regards
    Alpana Singh

    Reply

    • Hi Alpana,

      Thanks for your comment :-)

      I confess, when I make these brownies they are often gone by the end of the day. I would guess that you could keep them refrigerated for up to a week, though just a guess.

      Have a lovely day,
      Elana

      Reply

  44. These were OMgosh AMAZING!!! Thanks so much for the recipe!

    fyi….we have a facebook gluten free recipe swap group. I posted it in there! And if anyone else wants to join the group on Facebook…look us up. Gluten-Free Recipe Swap

    Reply

  45. I made these brownies last night and have to say they are the best I’ve ever had! They were perfectly moist and not to sweet and it was my first experience with coconut flour. Thanks for all the great recipes!!

    Reply

  47. I made these Sunday and they were SOOOOOO good. Oh please! Make more recipes using coconut flour! It’s cheaper, less fat and calories and I feel much less guilty eating it than when I bake with almond flour. They are both good for you, don’t get me wrong, but it’s great to have a less caloric option!

    Reply

  48. I made these brownies yesterday….I haven’t had much success using coconut flour or making brownies (gf or otherwise). I used 1/4 cup agave nectar and 3 tablespoons of coconut palm sugar and these are by far the best brownies I’ve ever had! Rich and not too sweet….and you’ve restored my hope that I can actually bake with coconut flour!

    Many thanks Elana for all you do!!

    Reply

  49. Made these over the weekend – they are really really good. My only comment is to make sure you chop your nuts really into small pieces. I found that was I cut the brownies they fell apart a bit.

    Reply

  50. They look really delicious, can’t wait to taste it :-)
    Probably I’ll try to use chocolate with less cacao as I don’t like it when it is too much of it. Hope it will be great anyways. Thanks for this recipe!

    Reply

  52. I can’t wait to make these. We as suppose to get a winter storm on Wednesday so this will be perfect to make after the kids play outside in the snow followed by some hot chocolate! I’ve added you to my blogroll and told many of my nutrition clients (gluten free ones) to check out your blog. Thanks for all of your wonderful recipes!

    Reply

  54. I LOVE this recipe! I loved the almond butter brownies as well, but these are much cheaper and not as dense. After making the batter, I was a bit concerned because there was so little batter that it barely covered the pan. I was shocked to see how much the brownies rose in the oven! I don’t know how you come up with these brilliant ideas, but keep them coming!

    Reply

  55. I made these brownies yesterday and they are delicious. I wasn’t sure they would firm up because it was a liquid batter. But, they did firm up and they are moist and flavorfull. I am going to make them again very soon because they don’t last long. Thanks for the great recipe. I enjoy making things with coconut flour and would really like some more recipes using coconut flour.

    Reply

  56. Hi Elana! Your recipe inspired me to make my own brownie recipe, if only my stomach would be a bottomless pit and if only I wouldn’t gain weight from eating all these tasty treats ;)

    Reply

  57. Made these last night. Delish! I used Coconut Secret Coconut Sap Syrup instead of agave. This is the first recipe I used the sap in. I used a 1:1 ratio with the agave. It is perfect (note: sap is very sticky when preparing). Some of my family do not like nuts in their brownies so I added some raw cacao nibs to the tops instead of the nuts for crunch. They came out lovely!

    Reply

    • Note: The official name of the sweetener is Raw Coconut Nectar by Coconut Secret. It is Gluten-Free, GMO-Free, Grown without pesticides, chemicals or herbicides. It claims it is a low glycemic sweetener and more nutritious than Agave!

      Reply

  58. My gosh, you are one prolific recipe creator! I miss visiting your blog for a week or so and I’m 5 recipes behind. These brownies look amazing, as do the orange dark chocolate chip scones! You know where my mind is drifting (to anything with dark chocolate). Although your nachos look wonderful as well. Perfect super bowl food! And I love the looks of the little “pops.” Very cute. Good stuff over here at Elana’s Pantry!
    Melissa

    Reply

  59. Elana, thanks for the great recipe! I love baking with coconut flour. Made the brownies today and they are delicious!

    Reply

  61. My kids already love your almond butter brownies, but I love baking with coconut flour, too. Thanks for the recipe.

    Reply

  68. My favorite brownie recipe is actually yours, Elana! It’s awesome and everyone (even gluten-eaters!) love them! They’re always a hit! Thanks again for all your work you put into this blog. It’s such a help and inspiration to me. Thanks for your comment on my blog too…that meant a lot to me!

    Reply

  69. Hey Elana!
    I’ve never used coconut flour, but I definitely love rich fudgey brownies. Honestly, I like them crumbly too; as long as their chocolaty and moist I’ll enjoy them. I’m going to send this recipe to the pastry chef at the vegan restaurant I work at. I bet our GF customers would appreciate a GF brownie.

    All the best,
    Jenné

    Reply

    • Is it just a GF pastry prep kitchen?> if not please be aware of cross contamination issues….some celiacs/gluten intollerants are extremely sensitive to minute stuff…

      Reply

  71. Ummm, I will eat any brownie put in front of me … and will likely ask for seconds :) Again, LOVE your super simple recipes. And thanks for the mention of my hazelnut brownies … one of your recipes was the inspiration for them.

    xoLexie

    Reply

  73. Wow, these look amazing! I love my brownies moist on the inside, with a rich chocolate flavour and preferably with walnuts or hazelnuts inside. Yum :)

    Reply

  75. I made these today, but used hazelnuts instead of walnuts.. and also used sugarfree syrup instead of agave.. and also use NOEGG as my egg replacer.. and they have worked out well.. so others that are wanting to sub and use a flax egg or something I am sure that would work fine :)

    Reply

  76. Thank you so much! I’d made a deal with myself that I wasn’t allowed to buy coconut flour until I had at least 5 recipes to make with it, and I now have 10, thanks in large part to your website. Guess who’ll be going ot her local health food store tomorrow… :D

    Reply

  78. So if I wanted to make this w/ a regular GF flour mix??? how?

    and the grape seed oil and agave necter i don’t ned…..what can i use to replace those?

    Reply

  80. Woohoo! What timing! I want to make brownies for my husband’s birthday on Tuesday and was just thinking I’d better start looking for a recipe.

    Reply

  82. These look great!
    I have tweaked Elena’s recipe for Double Chocolate Cherry Cookies to make AMAZING brownies!!
    The recipe calls for 2 3/4 cup almond flour and I used 2 1/4 cups almond flour with 1/2 cup coconut flour, keeping all the other ingredients the same. Bake in a 8 1/2 x 8 1/2 pan for 25 minutes for an insane treat!

    Reply

  86. Elana

    These look great. I love your website and recipes. Can you tell me a good online source for purchasing almond and coconut flours. They are so expenseive in my local store but I love using them. Thanks

    Reply

  87. These look amazing and I can’t wait to try them. I can’t have grapeseed oil because I’ve got an autoimmune illness and it’s an immune stimulator (Th2). Do you think light olive oil would work or do you have any other suggestions for a healthy oil substitute in all your recipes that use grapeseed oil?

    Reply

    • Coconut oil works nicely as a substitute; I use it in all of Elana’s recipes I have tried (here on the site and in her cookbook). If you can have coconut oil, I’d definitely recommend it – a good unrefined type like Nutiva (good prices online for a larger jar) or something along those lines. Just a note about using it, though… if it comes in contact with cold ingredients, such as eggs, the oil will harden; so it’s best to start with it in a liquid state (warm it gently before adding it to any cold ingredients) or let your eggs sit out a little while so they aren’t so cold.

      Reply

      • I used walnut oil instead of grapeseed… The flavour is amazing!

        Thanks for the recipe, Elana. I can’t believe how good these taste!

        Reply

    • Laurie,
      I’ve used Spectrum’s Palm Oil Shortening — just melt it down and use the liquid amount called for in the recipe. It works well if you can tolerate it by your dietary restrictions.

      Reply

    • I’ve used light olive oil in bunch of Elana’s recipes and all have been wonderful. I alternate between coconut oil, grapeseed oil, and light olive oil.

      Reply

      • Thanks for the suggestions, everyone. I’ve got coconut oil and Spectrum shortening on hand. I’ll have to pick up some walnut oil which does sound delicious.

        Reply

    • Laurie: I use Sunflower Oil or Extra Virgin Olive Oil in all my baking. BTW: My husband has Lupus and I didn’t know about Grapeseed Oil having a negative affect on auto-immune illnesses. Thank you for letting us all know!

      I just bought Peanut Flour from Trader Joes and I’m anxious to try it out in my baking, anyone know if I could replace it in this recipe? It has 16gr of protein for 1/4 Cup and is low fat and I’m worried it will dry out what ever I bake. Any info would be appreciated. Thank you. ;))

      Reply

      • Dont use peanut oil, it is not a good oil, it is not even a nut.. but will only add to any auto immune issues..

        Reply

    • I use macadamia nut oil. Grape seed oil is really high in omega-6, which is pro-inflammatory. Macadamia nut oil is mostly monounsaturated fat (good), and what tiny amount of polyunsaturated fats it has is a good 1:1 ratio of omega-3:omega6.

      Reply

  88. These look delicious! I’m more of a cakey brownie type. I have all of these ingredients right now in my pantry, so I’m going to make some up for the weekend.

    Reply

  90. Everyone is going to be getting smudges on their monitor from trying to reach through the screen for that brownie right in the front, Elana! (I hope nothing more serious occurs. LOL) Those look phenomenal and I have all the ingredients. Now, can I wait until next Sunday when I’ll have folks to help me eat them? ;-) Thanks so much, my dear!

    xo,
    Shirley

    Reply

  91. hm…. i’m not crazy about brownies. i think i like fudgey brownie, b/c my recipe for the last 6 years has been dates, walnuts, cacao and vanilla. definitely a fudgey brownie. but for baking, ????

    i think i’ll have to experiment a bit to figure out! thanks for the beautiful post. now i’m dreaming of brownies!

    Reply

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