Creamy coconut filling, whole almonds and rich chocolate ganache, all atop low carb, grain-free brownies. Almond Joy gets a healthy makeover!
Oh yeah, I went there. I not only went there, I went very far into “there” as well. I took a famous and well-loved American candy bar and I turned it into brownies. Not only did I turn it into brownies, I made it healthy, sugar-free and grain-free to boot. Sacrilege! How could I dare to mess with an American classic? Well, I dared because I have a sweet tooth. It’s a chocolate tooth and a coconut tooth and an almond tooth and it was crying out for almond joy goodness. It didn’t take much crying for me to give in. I am a sucker like that.
But Almond Joy was made for brownies. Brownies are like a blank slate. Well, perhaps more like a chocolate slate, and they are crying out to be adorned with toppings and fancy glazes and such. And what is fancier than a creamy coconut filling, whole almonds and a rich chocolate ganache topping?
I had such fun with these low carb Almond Joy Brownies. I made them as the finale to a Super Bowl get together and they were a hit. And I made absolutely sure to pay homage to the original and get one whole almond per brownie.
They are so rich and delicious, you won’t miss the real thing!
Please see my Low Carb Almond Joy Brownies on Swerve Sweetener
(and be sure to read the whole blog post, I was cracking myself up writing it!).
Makes 30 brownies. Each brownies has 3.2 g NET CARBS.
Food energy: 223kcal
Total fat: 20.26g
Calories from fat: 182
Cholesterol: 58mg
Carbohydrate: 6.40g
Total dietary fiber: 3.20g
Protein: 4.35g
Julius Minor says
These look delicious!… Quick question… I see the sweetener is being sold on amazon. If I wanted to make these today, can I use Stevia instead? If so, how much should I use? i guess I feel like a nut today…lol… Thanks!
Carolyn says
Swerve measures like sugar so you can replace it with however much of your stevia equals sugar. The problem is that your filling and your topping may be on the thin side with stevia. For the ganache topping, you could add a tbsp or two of cocoa powder to thicken. The filling may need a touch more xanthan gum. I personally find stevia a little bitter when on its own with chocolate so this would not be my choice as a sweetener.
Vicki says
Julius, I’ve always bought Swerve online, but I just saw a mention of them being available in Stop N Shop supermarkets (I think on their website). I never remember seeing it there, but last night I looked around and found 1 lb. bags of granulated Swerve in the Natural Foods/Gluten free aisle. This was in NJ, but maybe it’s available in your area somewhere?
chris says
I usually buy most of my food items, other than produce of course, on Vita-Cost. However, Walmart has the cheapest price on swerve that I have found anywhere. They even beat Vita-Cost, so I buy it there now. Can’t wait to try these brownies!
Julie says
Since you are not actually whipping the cream for the ganache, does it really matter if you use heavy cream rather than whipping cream? Simplifying the shopping list, buying bigger volumes of one item rather than two are good goals. Bigger volumes are often cheaper and certainly fridge space is at a premium, with the taller larger volume taking up half the shelf space in the fridge than 2 separate products would.
Will be trying this today!
Carolyn says
No, sorry. I have a tendency to use those two interchangeably so either is fine in both filling and topping.
Kate says
OMG Carolyn, I have relatives in Canada that have lived there for a generation on one side, and generations on the other, and they say they feel like they’re from another “planet”, so don’t feel bad ! You crack me up 🙂 I really do look forward to your blog email every morning. Not only do I get something fun to make, but you always make me laugh.
This looks great ! I think I have everything I need to make this over the weekend.
For the heavy/whipping cream gal; in the US, they’re the same thing. In Canada, (like UK), maybe not so much, lol !
Carolyn says
Thanks, Kate. I still think Almond Joy is a complete misnomer!
Vicki says
That explains why people ask if they can use heavy vs. whipping cream. I am from the US and always wondered why, since I have always considered them the same thing.
Hanna says
Wow your recipes Carolyn, sooo good!
It´s such a shame that when you post your recipes on swerve sweetener they cant be printed or saved, can’t you tell them to sort their website out? 😉
Carolyn says
You can easily cut and paste, but I also know that they are working on a new site design so why don’t you email them and put in that request? They love reader emails!
Vicki says
This link has a printable version: http://www.swervesweetener.com/recipes/almond-joy-brownies/
Unfortunately it doesn’t have Carolyn’s great intro. And it confused me at first, since it has another name (Sarah?) on the top of the page.
Vicki says
* Sorry, I meant the original link on this page seemed to have another name on the page.
Katie says
Just wondering if these freeze well? Thanks in advance!
Carolyn says
They will do pretty well, but I think the ganache might recrystallize a bit. CAn’t say for sure because we didn’t freeze them, we ate them too fast!
Lauren Kelly Nutrition says
You, my friend are an absolute genius! These look amazing and I can’t believe they are low carb! Great job!
Meritxell says
Hi Carolyn, I’m new on LCHF and I’m not still used at things like xantham gum. I’m pretty sure that I can bought it on the Internet but here, in a small village in Catalonia) I could not find it. May I use gelatin instead?
Carolyn says
Not sure that gelatin would give you the right consistency. It should be thick but still creamy…not gelled.
Linda says
Carolyn, these that’s amazing. This is the first chocolate/brownie recipe that I’ve tried, that has a balance of sweetness and texture. Thanks so much for sharing this recipe. Linda.
Paul says
Good on you and your choco/coco/almond tooth!
Hope says
I would like to thank you for posting this recipe on my 50th birthday! I know we’re now a week+ past, that’s okay I’m going to make this little gift today for Oscar Night and enjoy being fifty and fabulous!
Sandra says
I made the Almond Joy Brownies last night using 1/3 of the recipe. It was delicious. Caroline, thank you for the wonderful recipe.
The number of eggs needed came into question since the recipe called for 5 eggs. (Should I use 1 egg and more water, 2 eggs and less water, or 1 egg and 1 yolk?) I used 2 eggs. The brownie was lighter than many brownies, more cakey. It was delicious.
A note to people reducing the recipe for fewer servings: Something fun about making 1/3 of this recipe was the new pan that I used. It was a really odd size. I had never seen one like it before I found this one at the back of a shelf. It was 2 ¾” by 12 ¼”. – – Close to 1/3 the size of the 9” by 13” the original recipe uses. It was perfect for this recipe. The pan brand is Borcam. It is probably a European brand. The user’s guide referred to use in a cooker or gas hob.
Estrela says
Hi Carolyn. I guess one could use xylitol instead too?
Tracy says
I would love to know the answer to this as well, thanks
Carolyn says
I don’t know, I didn’t try it. It’s certainly worth a try.
Amy says
Hi there 🙂 I have made the recipe and it came out amazingly well! The whole family absolutely loved it, the only problem was that it made so much! I’d really like to halve the recipe and I’m not sure whether to use 2 or 3 eggs. Conversely if I make up a full batch can part of it be frozen? If so that would solve the egg problem as have no doubt the kids approve of a stash of frozen brownie slices awaiting their convenience.
Thanks for the recipe!
Amy
Carolyn says
When I want to halve a recipe like this, I usually do something like 2 eggs and one egg white. That might work. But I think they should be able to freeze well too.
jackie says
I am new to THM and am trying to collect some recipes to get started…would this be THM compatible? Maybe an S? These look so yummy!!!
Carolyn says
Yes, it would. Almost everything I do is an S Recipe. 🙂
Elisabeth says
I’ve made this once before, about a year ago. If memory serves me correctly, it wasn’t a hit – I overcooked the brownie portion and my ganache didn’t cover the entire pan. Well, I made it again today, and the difference was night and day!
For the brownie portion, I used 1/2 cup granular Swerve and 1/2 cup erythritol, for no other reason than economy (I have a 3 lb bag of erythritol). I baked it for exactly 22 minutes – the center was still a tad jiggly after 20.
For the filling, I made 50% more than the recipe called for. I prefer Mounds to Almond Joy so I skipped the almonds.
For the ganache, I made 25% more than the original recipe. There was plenty to cover the entire pan, plus some left over to dip some cooked bacon slices in and have chocolate covered bacon. 🙂
The end result was heavenly!! Very rich and decadent! I’m so glad that I tried the recipe again – it’s officially become my favorite low carb dessert!
Carolyn says
Well so glad to hear it! Thanks for sticking it out. 😉
pam says
I attempted to access the link, but it said it was broken. I’d love to see this recipe, but unfortunately you didn’t put it on this page.
Annalise says
Where is the recipe????
Carolyn says
Click the link that says “Please see my…”
Y says
I like that you respond to everyone. Your great….
Carolyn says
Thanks!