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The time is NOW to get in the kitchen and make these delicious, easy and fun Paleo Cosmic Brownies! The perfect sweet for lunchboxes and beyond.
If you’ve never had the real-deal cosmic brownie before (the ones by Little Debbie), you are missing out! I LOVED them growing up! They are a dense, fudgy brownie covered in a chocolate ganache and then topped with rainbow colored, crunchy chocolate pieces.
With inspiration from the Little Debbie snacks I ate growing up, I’ve made my own better-for-you rendition at home. These are grain-free, gluten-free, and dairy-free Paleo Cosmic Brownies and they turned out *so so yummy*! I know y’all are going to have a blast making these!
Paleo Cosmic Brownies
Ingredients
For the Brownies:
- 2 tbsp coconut oil
- ½ cup maple syrup
- 1 cup creamy unsweetened almond butter
- ¼ cup coconut sugar
- ¾ cup cocoa powder
- ½ cup unsweetened full fat coconut milk
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- ¼ tsp kosher salt
- 2 eggs
- 1 tbsp almond flour
- 1 tbsp arrowroot flour
- ¼ tsp baking powder
For the Ganache:
- ¾ cup dark chocolate I use Hu Kitchen gems
- ⅓ cup unsweetened full fat coconut milk
- 1 tbsp coconut oil
For Assembly:
- 2-3 tablespoons sprinkles
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F and line a 9×9 square baking pan with parchment paper.
Make the Brownies:
- Start by creating a double boiler. In a medium saucepan, add water so it is 1-2 inches deep. Heat water until it begins to simmer. In a heat-safe bowl, all the coconut oil, maple syrup, almond butter, coconut sugar, and cocoa powder. Place the bowl over the simmering water, and whisk until it is melted and smooth, about 5 minutes.
- *Alternatively, you can place the coconut oil, maple syrup, almond butter, coconut sugar, (not the cocoa powder yet!) in a microwave-safe bowl and microwave in 30-second increments, stirring in between each cooking cycle. Repeat, melting in 30-second increments, until smooth, about 1.5 minutes total. Whisk in the cocoa powder until well combined.
- Remove from heat and transfer the chocolate mixture to a large bowl. Whisk in the coconut milk, vanilla extract and salt until very smooth. Set aside and let it cool for 3-5 minutes. It will still be warm, but not hot.
- Once cooled, add the eggs and whisk until very well combined.
- Add the almond flour, arrowroot and baking powder and using a rubber spatula, stir until well combined.
- Pour the brownie batter into the prepared baking pan and spread evenly. Hit the bottom of the pan against the counter to release any air bubbles.
- Transfer the brownies to the oven and bake for 15 to 18 minutes, or until a toothpick can be inserted into the center and come out with a few moist crumbs. These are fudgy brownies, so the center should feel slightly underdone.
- Set the brownies aside to cool while you prepare the ganache.
Make the Ganache:
- Meanwhile, In a double boiler, add the coconut milk, chopped chocolate, and coconut oil. Melt and whisk constantly until the ganache is smooth, shiny, and thick, about 3 minutes total.
- *Alternatively, you can place the ingredients in a microwave-safe bowl and microwave in 30-second increments, stirring in between each cooking cycle. Repeat, melting in 30-second increments, until the ganache is smooth, shiny, and thick, about one minute total. Set aside.
Finish the Cosmic Brownies:
- Pour the ganache over the cooked brownies and using a rubber spatula, smooth evenly. Evenly sprinkle the sprinkles over the top of the ganache.
- Transfer the brownies to the fridge and let chill so that the ganache sets, at least 15 minutes.
- Cut the brownies into squares and serve.
Notes
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
These are incredible!!! Alex never disappoints- her paleo chocolate chip cookies used to be my favorite + now this recipe is in the running for first place. My husband says Little Debbie better watch her back 😜 These brownies are so moist + fudgy + rich! Super easy to make. 🙂
hahah! Watch out, Debbie! Love it! so glad you are enjoying it!
Substitute for the coconut oil and milk?
Avocado Oil + almond milk would work
For the unsweetened almond butter should it be raw or does it matter? Thanks!!
It doesn’t matter here
Hi Alex 😀
Can I do agave instead of maple syrup ? And monk fruit instead of coconut sugar ?
I haven’t tried those swaps yet so I can’t say for sure how the end result would taste
Love all of these Little Debbie Cake remakes w/real ingredients! Would love to see a recipe for oatmeal creme pies ❤️
While making the ganache it started looking really good and smooth but then quickly became rough and when I poured it I could tell the oil had separated. Any tips to avoid this/fix next time?
it sounds like it got a little overcooked, i think keeping the double boiler at a lower heat and pulling it from the heat once it becomes nice and smooth will help for next time!
Thank you!
Anything to recommend to substitute the Arrowroot powder? I don’t want to mess the recipe up as sometimes substitutes don’t work out.
Tapioca flour would definitely work.
I’ve been waiting for these and – they’re so great! I did did mini m&m’s on top as I love the crunch but am not a huge fan of sprinkles, but I otherwise followed the recipe. Will probably look for a new topping in the future but I couldn’t wait to make them! Super fudgy, satisfying and reminiscent of the real thing. This will be on regular rotation for me!
aw fun idea on the mini-m&m’s!! I also saw these “rainbow chips” on amazon that look like the real deal you could try: https://amzn.to/3unEnO4
I would love to see you make a riff on the little Debbie Christmas trees! Paleo of course!
love this idea– did you eat the vanilla ones or chocolate? I think the vanilla ones are the more traditional ones.
Are there substitutes you would recommend for the almond butter and almond flour? I know substituting can be finicky!!
For almond butter- I recommend cashew butter as a good sub.
For almond flour– I think coconut flour would work here.
These were great! Super chocolatey and fudgey and forgiving! I used a ceramic square pan and realized I probably should have used a metal one after the fact because I had to cook them for quite a bit longer than stated. However the outside bits that cooked longer were still moist and fudgey! Super decadent and really I wouldn’t be able to tell they were paleo if I didn’t know 😉