My flourless Mexican brownies are thick, rich, and flavored with real Mexican vanilla, Ceylon cinnamon, and a subtle hint of spiciness.
This post is part of a social shopper marketing insight campaign with Pollinate Media Group® and The J.M. Smucker Company, but all my opinions are my own. #pmedia #DunkinDonutsPublix http://my-disclosur.es/OBsstV
Brownies mean a lot to me.
When I first began this food blog, I titled it “The Perfect Brownie,” in honor of my search for the perfect brownie recipe. I must have tried dozens of brownie recipes back in those days!
Even after my cooking skills improved enough to branch out to all kinds of recipes, I still come back to baking brownies. It’s like chocolate-flavored meditation.
I start out by brainstorming. For me, brainstorming works best with a cup of coffee. All those happy flavors get my mind into gear. Previous to this brainstorming session, I picked up a bag of Dunkin’ Donuts® coffee at my local Publix.
I like to buy whole bean coffee so that I can grind it to my liking at home, but Dunkin’ Donuts coffee also comes pre-ground and in K-Cups if you prefer it that way.
The classic “Original” flavor is my favorite. You can also find Dunkin’ Donuts coffee in different roasts (everything from Decaf to Dark), wild flavors (like Blueberry Muffin or Vanilla Cupcake), and even seasonal flavors like Coconut or S’mores!
Once I have my cup of coffee, I sit down with my little yellow notepad. Yes, a real paper notepad!
I’m a big believer in jotting things down by hand.
First, I take a few quick notes on my recipe goals. This might include flavors or methods that I want to use.
If I need guidance, I’ll have another sip of coffee and do a little research on my laptop. Since I wanted to incorporate the ancient flavors of Mexican chocolate into a brownie recipe, I needed to get accurate information.
I found out that the ancient Aztecs (who lived in what is now called Mexico) had many different recipes for chocolate. These chocolate recipes included an assortment of medicinal herbs and spices that you might not necessarily associate with chocolate.
I managed to narrow down my potential ingredient list to some of the most common additions:
- A spice that is a relative of the black pepper plant
- A particular type of cinnamon
- Flavoring from the vanilla bean pod
- A type of red pepper
These days, Mexican chocolate is also sweetened with cane sugar or brown sugar.
With one last, delicious sip of Dunkin’ Donuts coffee, I decided to cherry pick the best of the old and the new by combining real Mexican vanilla, canela (Ceylon cinnamon), brown sugar, and a tiny hint of of red pepper to create these Mexican brownies.
Fueled by coffee, it was a snap to throw together these Mexican brownies. By the time they had cooled, I was even ready for a second cup. Blissed out by the baking process and invigorated by the coffee, it was lovely to just relax and enjoy these rich brownies with powerful cocoa kick and a touch of spice.
Now that you have my flourless Mexican brownies recipe, you can take advantage of $1.00 off any ONE (1) Dunkin’ Donuts varieties now through 5/6/17 at your local Publix, while supplies last. Get your own coffee and pair it with these brownies for a real treat!
Who knows what brainstorm it will inspire?
Flourless Mexican Brownies
My flourless Mexican brownies are thick, rich, and flavored with real Mexican vanilla, Ceylon cinnamon, and a subtle hint of spiciness.
Ingredients
- 1 1/3 cups unsweetened cocoa powder natural or Dutch process
- 1/2 teaspoon Ceylon cinnamon if you use regular cinnamon, reduce amount to 1/4 teaspoon
- 1 pinch ground red pepper
- 12 tablespoons unsalted butter melted
- 1 1/4 cups granulated sugar
- 1/2 cup brown sugar
- 3 large eggs
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract Mexican vanilla is ideal if you can find it
Instructions
-
Preheat the oven to 350 and prepare an 8 inch square pan by lining it with parchment paper or foil.
-
In a small bowl, whisk together the cocoa powder, cinnamon, and red pepper. Set aside.
-
Place the sugar and the melted butter in a large mixing bowl and whisk together until combined. Add the eggs one at a time, whisking after each addition. Stir in the salt and the vanilla extract, then set aside the whisk.
-
Add the cocoa powder and spice mixture, then stir in gently with a spoon or spatula, making sure to scrape down the bowl as you go so that the mixture is fully incorporated.
-
Scrape the batter into the prepared pan and smooth out the top. Bake for 25-30 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out with moist crumbs but no wet batter attached. Let cool in the pan for 15 minutes on a rack, then use the liner to lift out the brownies and set them on the rack to finish cooling.
Dini @ Giramuk's Kitchen
This looks amazing Katie!! 😀 I love Chili and Chocolate together! This seems like a perfect way to combine it too.
The Aztecs got it right with Chocolate and Chili!
Katie
Thanks! 🙂
Deidre
Where do all the carbs come from if there isn’t any flour??
Katie Moseman
The sugar and the cocoa powder. Sugar is pure carbs, and cocoa powder contains a good deal of carbs as well.
shaheen
Its hard to find Mexican ingredients where I am, but if I could I would def. give this a go, sounds lovely. thank you for sharing with WSC.
Katie
You can substitute regular cinnamon and vanilla- it will work exactly the same. 🙂
Choclette
Oh yes please Katie, I’ll have one or several of those. I do like a good spicy brownie and it’s a long time since I made any myself. Mexican hot chocolate is definitely one of my favourites.
Katie
It was great fun as usual! Thanks for stopping by!
BritishMumUSA
You really do amazes me. At first I was like, no way… Then as I read this, I so want to try this. We have lived in Belize and the Mayan people love sweet things, and the hot chocolate that you are describing with the vanilla as the sweetener sounds like what we would have for breakfast out of a bowl…. So good. 🙂
Katie
That’s so neat! I’d love to read about your time in Belize. We are lucky to have a huge selection of Hispanic foods in our stores here. I found the Mexican drinking chocolate to have a very different flavor profile from any other chocolate I’ve had- a different chocolate all together from standard European chocolate styles. More bitter, more woody, less smooth. I haven’t been able to find out why, but perhaps it’s a different variety of chocolate or a different manufacturing method.
Corina
These sound so tasty. I haven’t made brownies for a while and I love the spice in these.
Katie
It was a fun experiment, and I wanted to include as many authentic flavors as possible. If I did it again, I’d make sure my cinnamon was true cinnamon, or Ceylon cinnamon, as that is the correct variety for Mexican sweets. I bought a big bag from Penzey’s Spices a couple of weeks ago.
robin rue
Wow, those sound so good. I cannot wait to make these for my kids.
Jessica Taylor
These seem fairly easy to make. Sounds like a super tasty treat!
Jay Colby
This sounds like an great recipe. I love brownies so much!
Amber Myers
They do look amazing, that’s for sure. I don’t think I’ve ever had flourless brownies, but I’d certainly try these!
Payastyle
I love brownies! I am still looking for a perfect recipe, will definitely try this one!
David Elliott
Those brownies do look amazing and sinful. I am going to have to try them out sometime soon.
Amanda Love
I love making brownies for the kids because it’s really easy. It’s awesome to be able to make different versions so they won’t get sick of having the same one all the time.
Carol Cassara
I would love to try and make this for the family when the kids come over to visit! It’s easy to make and it’s flourless, which works well for my diet!
Kim
Oh wow, this recipe is awesome! I will definitely be trying soon 🙂
Ana De- Jesus
The Mexican brownies sound tasty. I think many people are unaware of the history of chocolate and see it as a ‘western’ invention when in reality the Aztecs had developed it long before we had.
Ana Ojha
These brownies look so tempting and super delicious! Thanks for sharing the recipe with us!
Whitney
I love brownies, but I never make them from scratch. I am a box lady, I like the recipe so I can definitely try them.
katriza
These seem fairly easy to make. Sounds like a super tasty treat!! I can’t wait to try it!
Amila Wickramarachchi
This sounds amazingly delicious.Glad to find a brownie recipe with flourless ingredient list.Happy to see that this recipe need Ceylon Cinnamon which is also called true Cinnamon.I know it has really great aroma!
MUD By Shaun
Yes yes yes! A few weeks ago I tried a Mexicana Tsokolate in a restaurant here in Manila and it was delicious. I feel I will enjoy these brownies as well.
stacey
Is red pepper a typical ingredient for brownies? It sounds nuanced for a brownie, but you are the expert, so I’ll try it some time.
Katie Moseman
Definitely not typical for brownies. But typical for certain types of Mexican chocolate. It’s part of what makes these Mexican brownies “Mexican.” And since it’s just a tiny amount, it shouldn’t be overwhelming; just a very subtle impression of heat.
Otilia
These brownies look amazing! I wish i had the guarantee they will look exactly like yours!
Blair villanueva
I’m also a huge brownie fan. I love its semi moist texture and its good in my mouth.
And also love pairing it with brewed coffee.
Lisa | Garlic & Zest
These look insanely rich! I can’t wait until I’m off this stupid diet! First thing I’m eating… these brownies!!!
Megan Lacks
I’m going to make these keto style by simply replacing the sugars with keto approved sweeteners! Can’t wait to try! I’ll update on how they turn out!
Carrie
Converted this recipe to sugar free and it turned out amazing! I doubled the amount of cinnamon and used 1/8tsp+ cayenne pepper instead of ground red pepper. Everyone loved them!