New and improved (egg-free)! I started with the almond butter brownie recipe from SCD Girl. I have actually been making them with an almond and hazelnut butter mix. The hazelnut gives it an almost hint of chocolate or Nutella or something. The kitchen smells delicious when it’s baking. I noticed she made some egg-free ones and I was curious. I had an allergy test a while ago that showed an allergy to egg whites. So I have been only eating eggs once or twice a week since then. But, with eggs cooked into other foods, lately I’ve been having them every day. Not good!
Basically a developed allergy is not life threatening like an anaphylactic shock type of allergy (like you see with peanuts these days) but it is taxing on the immune system. As someone who seems to already have some immune system problems, I certainly want to do everything I can to avoid these types of acquired food allergies.
So I started playing around with the brownies trying to eliminate that one pesky egg that makes them so gooey and moist. I tried the standard water-oil-baking soda replacement but that left them dry and flaky. I looked into gelatin as an egg replacer, but that sounded like a lot of work. Then I remembered in Breaking the Vicious Cycle, Elaine talks about adding pureed fruit to muffins in place of eggs. So I tried adding applesauce and voila! They were perfect.
Almond Hazelnut Brownies
1 cup almond hazelnut butter (if you can’t find a mix, try 1/2 cup each)
1/3 cup honey
1 tbsp melted coconut oil
2 tbsp unsweetened plain applesauce
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp vanilla
Combine all ingredients in a bowl. Mix well. Spread into ungreased 8×8 glass baking dish. Bake at 325F for 25-30 minutes.
Hi Kat!
I cannot wait to try your version of the brownies. Can I ask where you get the hazelnut butter? Or do you make it? Also do you have any recommended brands of almond butter?
I really appreciate your blog and all the tips you have. I didn’t see it the first time around when I did SCD but found it this time. Thank you for all your posts!
Also, I am interested in getting a food allergy test. Do you know how one would go about that?
Thanks!
Sheena
@Sheena I found a hazelnut and almond butter mix at the health food store. It’s easy to make if you have the right equipment though. Any brands that list only nuts as the ingredients are good. If you can find it, it’s even better to get sprouted almond butter.
For food allergy tests I actually suggest not wasting your money on them. I did one and was found ‘allergic’ to everything I was eating at the time. Just focus on healing the gut and those food allergies will go away. Varying your diet or doing a rotation diet can help prevent reactions to foods.
Thanks Kat! My local health food store doesn’t have that so I will aim on making it. I’ve tried making nut butter before but it ends up somewhere in between flour and butter. I might have to invest in a different processor. I’ve never heard of sprouted almond butter, I will look into that. Good tip on the allergy test – guess I will forgo it; if I found out I was allergic to eggs, I would just about freak out because I love my eggs!
@Sheena Eggs, especially the whites, are a very common food allergy. I mostly eat the yolks (raw or cooked) and feel much better doing that. Then I’ll have the whites on weekends when I make omeletes or pancakes with whole eggs. Having them less frequently really helps.