Allergy Friendly Brookies are plant-based/vegan, gluten-free, nut-free, refined sugar-free, and soy-free. The one thing they are not lacking is yumminess. A great snack almost everyone can enjoy!
Allergy Friendly Brookies
Allergy Friendly Brookies
My original Brookie recipe has been one my most popular for years. Over time, I have received several requests for substitution options mostly because of nut allergy issues. For this recipe, it was a challenge.
To make the Brookies nut-free required replacing the flour, butter, and milk used in the original recipe (all three are nut-based) and potentially altering the amounts of other ingredients. Substituting and altering so many components really means creating a whole new recipe.
Going Nut-Free
So back into development mode I went! My goal was to create a Brookie that remained gluten-free, plant-based, refined sugar-free, and dairy-free. But at the same time, have it taste, look and feel like the original while making it free of nut-based products, too. When I told my kids about my challenge with the new Brookie, they looked confused. “But Mom, if it’s free of so many things, what will it be made of?”
Allergy Friendly Brookies
Kid Approved Dessert
After a day in the kitchen I am happy to report that success was achieved! And my kids are true believers. I asked them which version of the Brookie they thought tasted better and they both replied, “I don’t know. I can’t tell the difference.” Yesss!!
Stevia-sweetened Chocolate Chips
Also of note, I took this opportunity to test out a new product. I have been curious to try out a chocolate chip product that is sweetened by stevia but still vegan and gluten-free. I was able to find one on amazon.com called Lily’s Dark Chocolate Premium Baking Chips They are expensive, but I was very pleased with them.
While several of the recipe ingredients were replaced and amounts changed in others, the process photography in the original Brookie recipe is still applicable to this nut-free version. The only note I would make is that picture #4 appears thick like caramel sauce, but this version will not be thick because of the increased amount of coconut oil.
***Or for something a little different, try my Vegan Brookie No-Bake Cheesecake recipe!
Allergy Friendly Brookies
I hope you like this nut-free version of the Brookies as much as we do! Enjoy!!
Allergy Friendly Brookies are now nut-free, along with being gluten-free, vegan / dairy-free, refined sugar-free, and soy-free. The one thing they are not lacking is deliciousness!
Ingredients
- Chocolate Chip Cookie
- 1 1/2 cups gluten-free oat flour
- 1/2 cup golden flax seed meal
- 1/4 teaspoon sea salt (finely ground)
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 2 tablespoons coconut palm sugar
- 1/3 cup chocolate chips (I used Lily's which are gf,v, and sweetened with stevia)
- 2 tablespoons vegan butter melted
- 1/4 cup coconut oil melted
- 2 tablespoons maple syrup
- 1 tablespoon pure vanilla
- Brownie
- 1/2 cup plus 1 tablespoon gluten-free oat flour
- 1 tablespoon golden flax seed meal
- 4 tablespoons (rounded) unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1/4 teaspoon sea salt (finely ground)
- 1/4 cup coconut nectar (may substitute maple syrup)
- 3 tablespoons unsweetened flax milk
- 1 tablespoon pure vanilla
- 1/4 cup coconut oil (melted)
Instructions
- Chocolate Chip Cookie
- 1) Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. In a medium bowl combine all dry ingredients (gf oat flour, golden flax meal, sea salt, baking soda, coconut palm sugar, and mini chocolate chips) and mix well.
- 2) In a small bowl melt together vegan butter and coconut oil. I did this for 45 seconds in the microwave on medium-low power. If you don’t have a microwave you can use a small sauce pan on the stove. Add maple syrup and vanilla to melted vegan butter and coconut oil. Mix together well.
- 3) Mix wet ingredients into dry. If you are experiencing difficulty getting the ingredients to mix well, use a slicing motion with your spoon and cut the ingredients together like you would if making a pie crust.
- 4) The combined mix will be dry and crumbly like a graham cracker crust. It is ready to press into the pan if it holds together when you take a fingerful and press into a ball. Firmly press mixture evenly into a greased 8"×8″ pan (as you would a graham cracker crust).
- Brownie
- 1) In a medium bowl combine all dry ingredients (gf oat flour, golden flax meal, cocoa powder, and salt) and mix well.
- 2) In a small bowl whisk together coconut nectar, flax milk and vanilla. Set aside.
- 3) Melt coconut oil and mix well with dry ingredients. Combine this mixture with coconut nectar mixture and stir well.
- 4) Pour brownie mixture onto chocolate chip cookie base and spread evenly with a spatula.
- 5) Bake at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for about 13 minutes. Test for doneness with a toothpick or by lightly touching the brownie surface. It should be firm but moist. Let cool for approximately 30 minutes. The Brookies can then be cut in the pan, or you can loosen the edges and lift the product out with two spatulas onto a cutting surface to slice. Store in an airtight container.
Notes
Please see the original Brookie recipe post for process photography.
Allergy Friendly Brookies
can coconut flour be used instead oat flour
Hi Lindsay, Unfortunately coconut flour is highly absorbent, so it requires additional amounts of liquid to be used. I have not tried this substitution, but perhaps you could try sorghum flour. If you don’t need the recipe to be nut-free then a combination of almond flour and sorghum flour may work. I hope this helps! Let me know how it goes. 🙂
These look great! Sadly, I am allergic to coconut and flax. I know how to sub the coconut ingredients, though. Would chia meal work as a substitute for the flax meal?
Hi Sara, The chia meal would probably work it may just change the color a little bit. I hope this helps! 🙂
These look great and I was glad to see the recipe without almond flour but I am also allergic to coconut – good sub for the sugar and oil would be….also can you use honey for the agave? I’ve read so many bad things about agave I don’t buy it any longer.
For the coconut palm sugar you could probably substitute regular brown sugar or turbinado sugar which is less refined. For the coconut oil you could try substituting the vegan butter for that in addition to the two tablespoons the recipe already calls for. This will probably yield a more buttery flavor. You could also try subbing walnut or grapeseed oil. I have also stopped using agave for the same reason. It’s on my “to-do” list to go back to my recipes that call for agave and offer substitution options. I like to suggest using either coconut nectar or maple syrup as alternatives to agave. Since you would not want to use coconut nectar I would suggest maple syrup. Honey would probably be ok from a flavor standpoint but the recipe would not be vegan. I have not tried these substitutions in this recipe but I think they are good options for you. I hope this helps! 🙂
Hi. I can’t use Earth Balance anymore. Do you think I could substitute extra coconut oil or Palm shortening instead? Thanks!
Hi Julie! Yes, I think you could use more coconut oil in place of the vegan butter. I only used the butter to contribute a little extra “buttery” flavor. 🙂
Really want to try these and have everything but the agave. What is a good sub? Would maple syrup work? Thanks!
Hi Nan! My first choice for a substitute for the agave would be coconut nectar. If you want to use maple syrup, that would definitely work. It may just add a little extra caramelesque type flavor to the brownie part. Thanks – Jana