Healthier Samoa Brownies {Gluten Free, Vegan, Refined Sugar Free}

These Healthier Samoa Brownies are so rich and decadent you would never know they are vegan, gluten and refined-sugar free! Full of chocolatey, caramel, coconut goodness, they taste just like the Samoa Cookies you love!

I live for Girl’s Scout cookie season, just so I can get my hands on some of those heavenly Samoa cookies. Chocolate, caramel and toasted coconut… does it get better than that? Now take that combo and put it in a brownie and that trumps cookies any day in my book.

Seriously, these Healthier Samoa Brownies are SO good they should be illegal. I mean they are on the scrumptious level where you eat the whole batch before anyone even realizes you made them. And you’ll even have time to do a load of dishes to hide the evidence. That’s how fast they will be gone. And did I mention that they are HEALTHY??!! Well, in the healthiest possible sort of way desserts can be, at least. The unfortunate part, their deliciousness will over ride the fact that they are healthy, making you eat more and thereby canceling out any possible health benefits. Sorry not sorry.

The Best Vegan and Gluten Free Brownies

The brownie base in this recipe is rich, decadent and ultra-fudgy. No dry cakey brownies here! They will easily become your favorite go to brownies! They are great made a day ahead and refrigerated overnight, which is perfect for those nights when you’re entertaining and have many other dishes to prepare.  Actually, they really are best served chilled. Trust me. They become thick and super fudgy the longer they are refrigerated (3+ hours for best results).

My favorite part of these brownies is the texture. They use oats pulsed in the blender to create a “from scratch” oat flour. What’s awesome is that you have complete control over how finely you blend the oats. I prefer a little texture in mine so blend them most of the way but not completely smooth like oat flour you would buy at the store. You should visibly be able to see some texture to the flour, however there should not be any whole oats. The result: a party in your mouth.

Amazing Vegan Caramel

Disclaimer: I label these dairy and refined sugar free, but to make sure that they are you need to be sure to use vegan & refined sugar free chocolate… While they do not have any dairy or refined sugar added directly in the recipe, they do use dark chocolate chips in the brownie batter (which do have dairy and sugar in them, if you use regular dark chocolate chips that you buy at the grocery store). If you want to make them completely dairy and/or refined sugar free use something like Lily’s Dark Chocolate Chips that are Vegan and sweetened with stevia. Enjoy life dark chocolate chips (vegan) are also great if you can have a little sugar. Both of these can be found online or at health food grocery stores like Whole Foods. If you aren’t worried about the sugar or dairy though, just use regular dark chocolate chips!

Goodbye, I need to go eat these right now!

Healthier Samoa Brownies {Gluten Free, Vegan, Refined Sugar Free}

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5 from 5 reviews

These Healthier Samoa Brownies are so rich and decadent you would never know they are gluten, dairy and refined-sugar free! Full of chocolatey, caramel, coconut goodness, they taste just like the Samoa Cookies you love!

• Author: Chelsey @ The Saucy Fig
• Prep Time: 30 minutes
• Cook Time: 45 minutes
• Total Time: 1 hour 15 minutes
• Yield: 9x13 inch pan 1x

Ingredients

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Brownie Base

• 3/4 cup coconut oil
• 3 cups dark chocolate chips (I use Lily’s brand for vegan and sugar free)
• 2 cups So Delicious Unsweetened Vanilla Coconut Yogurt
• 2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup coconut sugar
• 1 and 3/4 cups oat flour (use regular oats blended in the blender)

Caramel Coconut Topping

• 2 cans full fat coconut milk
• 1 cup maple syrup
• 1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
• 3 tablespoons coconut oil
• 1 and 1/2 tablespoons pure vanilla extract
• 1 and 1/2 cups finely shredded unsweetened coconut flakes

Toppings

• 1/2 cup finely shredded unsweetened coconut flakes
• 1/2 cup dark chocolate chips (I use Lily’s brand for vegan and sugar free)

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Instructions

1. Start the caramel by combining the coconut milk, maple syrup and salt on the stovetop in a medium heavy bottomed pot. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, stirring to make sure it’s combined well and doesn’t boil over.
2. Reduce to medium heat and let the mixture boil down for 40-45 minutes, stirring occasionally.
3. While the caramel is boiling down on the stovetop, start the brownie base by preheating the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
4. Line a 9×13 inch pan with parchment paper, folding the corners over to make a rectangle as best possible to line the pan. Spray the parchment with nonstick spray or brush with coconut oil.
5. In a medium/large microwave safe bowl, melt 2 cups of the chocolate chips for 1 minute, in 30 second increments. They will not be completely melted at this point.
6. I a separate small, microwave safe bowl melt the coconut oil. Measure the coconut oil in it’s hot, melted state and pour over the partially melted chocolate chips. Stir together until the chocolate is completely melted and combined with the coconut oil.
7. Add in the Coconut Yogurt and continue stirring till combined.
8. Stir in the vanilla, baking soda, salt and coconut sugar.
9. In a blender or food processor, pulse oats until a flour forms. I like to leave a little texture to the flour (mostly but not completely smooth). It just adds a really nice texture to the brownies.
10. Measure the oat flour after blending and add it to the bowl with the rest of the ingredients and stir till combined.
11. Stir in the remaining cup of chocolate chips and spread the brownie mixture into the prepared pan using a spatula to spread it out evenly.
12. Bake the brownies in the oven for 30-32 minutes or until a fork comes out clean. (Slightly under-baked is better than over-baked for these brownies!)
13. Remove from oven and allow them to cool completely on the counter in the pan.
14. Once the caramel mixture has boiled down for 40-45 minutes, add in the coconut oil and vanilla and stir till incorporated.
15. Reduce the heat to medium low and simmer the caramel for another 15-20 minutes, or until it’s thick and resembles a rich caramel color. Don’t rush the process and stir frequently to prevent burning.
16. Remove the caramel from heat and transfer to a bowl to let cool for 5 minutes.
17. White the caramel is cooling, toast the coconut in a medium saucepan over medium high heat until golden brown (3-5 minutes). Stir frequently to brown evenly and prevent burning. Remove from the pan to a separate plate or bowl to prevent further browning.
18. After the caramel has cooled for about 5 minutes, stir it vigorously until it’s creamy, shiny and smooth.
19. Add 1 and 1/2 cups of the toasted coconut to the caramel and stir till incorporated. Place in the fridge for about 10 minutes to thicken.
20. Spread the thickened caramel mixture over the cooled brownies with a spatula. Sprinkle with the remaining 1/2 cup of toasted coconut.
21. Melt the 1/2 cup dark chocolate chips in a microwave safe bowl using 30 second increments and stirring in between to melt.
22. Pour the chocolate into a freezer ziplock bag and cut a small hole in the corner. Drizzle the chocolate back and forth over the entire tray of samoa brownies.
23. Place the brownies in the fridge to set up over night, or for at least 4-6 hours. (overnight is best!)

Notes

*These brownies are best made a day ahead and refrigerated overnight!

*Use Lily’s dark chocolate for vegan and sugar free, Enjoy Life for just vegan, or just regular dark chocolate if you can have a little dairy and sugar.

*Make sure to use Gluten Free oats if you are gluten intolerant or celiac.

*Brownie base adapted from Chelsea’s Messy Apron

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