Ooey gooey blender brownies - 5 minutes to mix up and loaded with a secret healthy ingredient! How easy is that? (You won't feel too guilty feeding these to your crowd.) (Skip to recipe.)
Okay, so if chocolate is actually a vegetable then these brownies must totally be a health food. 😉 Right?
'Cause they're also loaded with those nutrient-packed little super seeds from the sunflower plant.
They use boiled tree sap (maple syrup) instead of refined sugar - they're not too sweet. And they've got eggs for protein.
Heck, I think I've just talked myself into classifying these Blender Brownies as a breakfast food (and they may or may not have been consumed instead of lunch on occasion in this household).
And if that isn't enough to impress your brownie-lovin' soul, Blender Brownies are so easy to make - just whiz them all up in a high-speed blender ( I love my Vitamix for this). Sunflower seeds are the healthy, flourless base for these moist brownies. You get all the benefits of the seeds' essential fatty acids (especially linoleic acid) and high levels of many nutrients, including selenium, magnesium, copper, vitamins B and E, fiber, and a hefty dose of antioxidants.
The deep, dense, rich chocolate brownies stay ooey-gooey for days and don't get hard and dry like regular brownies can (considering they actually stay around for days in your house - that sure hasn't happened in ours.)

Treat yourself to a sweet chocolate snack that won't make you feel too guilty.
But if you do want to gild the brownie - try adding this fudgy, decadent chocolate cinnamon ganache to frost the top. It's a match made in brownie heaven.
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Kitchen Frau Notes: Use metal bulldog clips to pin the parchment paper to the sides of the pan and keep it from slipping around as you smooth out the brownie batter.
Flourless Sunflower Blender Brownies
- 1½ cups (200gms) raw, unsalted sunflower seeds
- ¾ cup (180ml) maple syrup (preferably dark B-grade syrup)
- 2 large eggs
- 2 teaspoons vanilla
- 6 tablespoons (35gms) unsweetened cocoa powder
- 2 tablespoons tapioca starch or cornstarch
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ cup (80gms) dark chocolate chips
- ½ cup (50gms) coarsely chopped pecans or walnuts (optional)
Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C).
Grease a 9x9" (23x23cm) square baking pan and line it with a parchment paper sling that sticks up on two sides.
Add the sunflower seeds and maple syrup to a high speed blender canister. Start the blender at the lowest speed and gradually increase the speed to high. Blend until the nuts are coarsely ground. Add the eggs and vanilla. Blend again, starting on low and increasing speed, until the mixture is smooth.
Stop the blender and add the cocoa, tapioca starch, salt, and baking soda. Blend to combine, starting on low speed. Remove the blender canister from the base, and stir in the chocolate chips and nuts (if using) with a spatula.
Scrape the brownie batter into the prepared pan.
Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, until the brownies are still slightly soft in the center when touched.
Cool, and cut into 2½ inch (5.5cm) squares. The brownies are so moist and gooey that they cut best if you wipe the knife blade often as you cut them into squares.
Brownies keep, covered, at room temperature for 3 to 4 days, or a few days longer if covered and refrigerated.
Makes 16 brownies.
Guten Appetit!
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Nicoletta @sugarlovespices
Those look so decadent, Margaret! I love anything chocolate, but if it's also a little healthy, the better! I just love how moist and gooey and rich and chocolaty they look!
Margaret
Thanks, Nicoletta. Having sunflower seeds as a base makes them guiltfree in my book 😉 We all need a little chocolate to get through our day. (Cocoa's a bean so it's almost like a vegetable! Teehee.)
Jessica
Any way you think I could sub coconut sugar for the maple syrup?
Margaret
Hi Jessica, when substituting honey for sugar the usual ratio is to use 1/2 to 3/4 cup of honey for each cup of sugar (I usually use 1/2 cup) so if you reverse it you could substitute 1 cup of coconut sugar for the 3/4 cup of maple syrup in the recipe and add about 3-4 tablespoons of liquid to compensate for the liquid that was in the syrup. Maybe use milk or almond milk. Use your judgement to make the batter moist enough to spread in the pan. Here are two different sites that talk about conversions: https://wholenewmom.com/whole-new-budget/baking-with-honey-sugar-for-baking/ and http://www.billybee.ca/sugar-to-honey-converter . Let me know if that works for you. Good luck!
Ruth
We turned the brownies into beautiful and delicious cupcakes. I will bake this again!
Margaret
So glad to hear you liked them, Ruth. Great idea to turn them into cupcakes. I don't feel too bad eating these because of the nutrition from the sunflower seeds hiding inside.