Yes, you read it right, Whole Wheat Kale Brownies. Do not worry you will not be able to taste a tiny bit of kale, on the other hand, these are dangerously delicious, addictive, and fudgy. I bet you will not stop at one.
Why Kale in Brownies
So still wondering why adding Kale in a brownie? First, it is a good way to sneak in some veggies which may not be liked by your family. It helps somewhat increase the nutrient content of a recipe. The fact is kids love cakes and chocolate and we cannot run away from it. Forget kids even adults love to indulge in this. I am one of them. So the best is to add something healthier and enjoy it. Secondly, adding veggies to any cake mixture imparts a natural moistness to it.
Sneaking Veggies in Cakes & Cookies
Yes, I like sneaking in veggies in my cakes and cookies. I do tell my kids that it has this veggie after they had their first share. It helps me to let them know how good vegetables can be. If you are a follower of my blog, you must be aware of different cakes and bread have sneaked veggies into. Like this Whole Wheat Carrot Cake or this Zucchini Chocolate Bread or this Beetroot Cookies.
Can you taste the Kale in the brownie?
If you puree the mixture nicely you will not get the veggie pieces while eating. And yes you will not even taste the vegetables. My daughter is a very fussy eater and especially when it comes to veggies. If she senses something in her cake she will not eat it. But she completely enjoys this one, and hence I am sure that these are the best kale brownies one can ever make with kale.
Replacement of Kale
I have used the purple Russian Kale which I sourced here from a local organic farm. You can use any variety of kale here. You can even use spinach instead of Kale and I am sure it would be equally good.
Serving Suggestions
These brownies are best served a bit warm. A tall glass of milk or coffee along with this will do no harm. You can even make a sizzling brownie or a delicious dessert from this. Simply warm the brownie a bit, add some chocolate syrup on top, and a dollop of Ice cream. Your dessert is sorted.
Can this be Freezed
Yes of course. As seen from the pic, I had made a large batch of this. We cannot eat so much. I have frozen the remaining brownie squares in the freezer. Whenever we want to indulge in a dessert, we take a piece out, warm it, and enjoy it.
Do I need a stand mixer or a hand mixer.
This is sort of a one-bowl brownie recipe. Or in general, brownies are made that way. It does not need any special mixer and can be done using a simple whisk.
Kale the Winter Veggie
You can read more about Kale in my earlier post on Vegan Kale and Tofu corn curry. I love adding this vegetable in different recipes and as I can source it locally it comes in handy. I have made these whole wheat kale brownies last winter. So when Preeti from Preethi’s cuisine suggested that we make something from winter special veggies for our Shhh Cooking Secretly Challenge, I immediately decided to post my Kale brownies. She gave me 2 secret ingredients Brown sugar and Kale and it did perfectly suit my requirement. I gave her, green peas and cream and she made this yummy Thai Soup.
For this theme, I even had to give secret ingredients to my co-admin of this group Mayuri Patel from Mayuri’s Jikoni. I gave her Ginger and Red chili powder and she made this lip-smacking Tandoori Gobi.
So here goes the recipe for Whole Wheat Kale Brownies
Whole Wheat Kale Brownies
Equipment
- Oven
Ingredients
- 1 Cup Kale – 200 grams – Blanched and Pureed Kale – From 1 large bunch
- 1 ¼ Cup Whole Wheat Flour – 215 grams
- 2 tablespoon Cocoa Powder – 18 grams
- 1 ½ cup Dark Brown Sugar – 230 grams
- 1 1/2 cup Chocolate -250 grams, I used a combination of Dark (90 grams and Milk chocolate (160 grams))
- 1 cup Salt – 227 grams
- 1 teaspoon Salt Skip if using Salted Butter
- 4 eggs – medium, at room temperature
- 2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- Water – around 4 cups or as required, for Blanching Kale
- Water – around 4 cups or as required, Ice Cold
Instructions
Blanching and Pureeing Kale
- Clean the kale. Discard any thick and hard stems.1 Cup Kale
- Wash the kale nicely in running water.
- In a bowl, add ice-cold water and keep it aside.
- In a large pot, add sufficient water and let it come to a quick boil.Water
- Once it starts boiling, add the cleaned and washed kale to it.
- Immerse for 1-2 minute and then remove the kale and add it into the ice-cold water.
- This will stop the cooking process of kale.
- Let it sit for 4-5 minutes.
- Now drain the excess water in a colander and puree the kale in a blender.
- Keep it aside.
Melting of chocolate and Butter
- In a heatproof bowl, either microwave or use a double boiler to melt the chocolate and butter.1 1/2 cup Chocolate, 1 cup Salt
In Microwave
- Add the butter and chocolate in a microwave safe bowl.
- Start it for 1 minute and mix the butter and chocolate.
- Later microwave it in a short burst of 15 seconds and mix it until the chocolate and butter are melted.
For Double Boiler
- Boil water in a pot.
- Put a heatproof bowl on top of it. The size of the bowl should be such that it should sit on top of the pot and not go inside it.
- Add in the chocolate and butter.
- Stir it until it is melted and smooth.
- Let the mixture cool to room temperature.
Making of the Brownie
- Preheat the oven to 180 Deg C.
- Line your baking tray with parchment paper or grease it with some butter.
- In a bowl sift in the flour, cocoa powder, and salt.1 ¼ Cup Whole Wheat Flour, 2 tablespoon Cocoa Powder, 1 teaspoon Salt
- Once the chocolate and butter mixture is cooled to room temperature, add eggs one at a time and beat it into the mixture.4 eggs
- Once all 4 eggs are added, add in the vanilla extract and kale puree and mix it.2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- Now add the sugar and mix it gently.1 ½ cup Dark Brown Sugar
- Add in the flour mixture and gently fold it in. Do not overmix.
- Pour the mixture in the baking tray.
- Bake in a preheated oven for 35-40 minutes or until the toothpick comes out clean.
Notes
- 1 Cup = 240 ml, 1 tbsp = 15 ml, 1 tsp = 5 ml
- One can add walnuts to it to add some crunch.
- Oven temperature varies, so do keep an eye 5-10 minutes before the baking time.
- You can change the pan size, but baking time will vary.
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Priya Vj
Tuesday 5th of January 2021
I would have never believed if anyone told me we can use veggies in a brownie... you have just left me spellbound with this awesome creation.hatsboff Renu
Jayashree T.Rao
Thursday 17th of December 2020
Wonderful recipe! Never thought of using greens in a brownie. Good way to feed some healthy food for the family.
Anu Kollon
Wednesday 16th of December 2020
This is completely out-of-the-box idea. Never can someone guess kale included in a brownie. Willing it try it. Great recipe Renu.
Sasmita Sahoo
Tuesday 15th of December 2020
Winter greens in a sweet bake !!! That sounds wonderful renu. No one can imagine about kale hidden in these ;) so delectably baked
Swati
Tuesday 15th of December 2020
Kale brownies are one of the best way to feed kale to kids and they won't even get to know..these look so inviting and perfectly baked.. very nice share