Sharing a healthier take on brownies with these extra fudge-y Whole Wheat Dark Chocolate Coconut Brownies! Made entirely with whole wheat, coconut oil, a splash of vanilla, PLENTY of dark chocolate, and are secretly dairy-free and nut free. Even if you aren’t looking for healthier, don’t let the whole wheat scare you away, these brownies are melt-in-your-mouth delicious! You would never even know they were “healthier”. Every bite is soft, fudge-y, extra chocolate-y, and with LOTS of coconut flavor. They’re oh so very good. It’s hard to eat just one! Add a light drizzle of melted dark chocolate and a sprinkling of flaked salt to make the BEST EVER healthier brownie. Perfect for weekend baking, holiday’s, or just whenever you may be craving a fudge-y bite of chocolate, but want to be a little bit more healthy!

brownie on white board with coconut flakes, glass of milk, and melted chocolate

→ This post is also available as a Web Story: Healthy Whole Wheat Brownies

About The Recipe

Wednesday are just MADE for chocolate, you know? Especially Whole Wheat Brownies! They’re extra fudge-y, decadent, and SO DELICIOUS. You really would never know they were made from whole wheat flour. Every bite is oh so very chocolate-y with just a hint of coconut.

We couldn’t resist whipping up a batch of these “healthier” brownies!

brownies stacked on top of each other in a pyramid shape with more brownies behind

five brownies on board with two glasses of milk and more brownies behind

Since it’s January, we figured it would be fun to get up a few better-for-you/healthy-ish type recipes, but we really wanted to make sure everyone had some of the best indulgent treats from childhood! We knew one of the things we just HAD to do this month was brownies…but we wanted something REALLY special.

So, what pairs well with chocolate..? Well, coconut, of course!

When developing this recipe, we had just enough coconut oil left to make this recipe. We swapped out the butter traditionally used in our brownies for coconut oil and used entirely whole wheat flour. No blends! Plus, we used a LOT of chocolate.

Which, is totally okay. Because if you’re gonna be a little bit healthier, dark chocolate is the way to go!

three stacked brownies on board with melted chocolate and two glasses of milk behind

And trust me when I say, these brownies are THE. WAY. TO. GO.

Not only are they insanely delicious, but we found that if you leave them for about 12 hours (aka just overnight), the grit from the whole wheat flour completely disappears! Like…entirely! The brownies become the same texture and mouth-feel as a traditional brownie. So, if you can wait that long for a delicious brownie, then it’s totally worth it!

But…if you’re like me and you can’t, that’s totally okay, too! These brownies are utterly delicious either way.

Why You Should Make These Whole Wheat Brownies

They’re super simple to make!
Perfect for healthy January.
Fudge-y, gooey, and SO. DARN. GOOD.
A delicious bake that friends and family will enjoy.
Ultra chocolate-y! Aka the perfect treat for a chocoholic.
Very little to no gritty texture in the brownies!

five brownies on white board with small bowl of coconut flakes

Equipment Needed

Stand Mixer
Glass Bowls
Rubber Spatula
9 Inch Square Pan
Parchment Paper

Ingredients

(Full ingredient amounts and instructions can be found in the recipe card at the bottom of the post)

Whole Wheat Flour
Salt
Dark Chocolate
Coconut Oil
Large Eggs
Granulated Sugar
Vanilla

chocolate discs, sugar, whole whet, coconut oil, vanilla, and eggs on counter

How To Make Healthy Brownies

Step 1: Melt the chocolate

In a large glass bowl, microwave the dark chocolate and coconut oil in 30 second intervals, until completely melted and smooth. Be sure to stir well in between each! Set aside.

chocolate discs and coconut oil in glass bowl

Step 2: Make the batter

In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine the eggs, sugar, and vanilla. Beat on high speed for 10 minutes.

Stir in the chocolate mixture.

Add the whole wheat flour and salt. Stir until combined.

whole wheat flour added to chocolate mixture

Step 3: Bake

Pour the brownie batter into a lined cake pan and bake at 350 for 40 minutes, or until the brownies are done.

Let the brownies cool in the pan before lifting out. Cut into 16 bars.

What Type of Chocolate Should I Use?

For this recipe, we highly recommend using a high quality (no baking chips!) dark or a bittersweet chocolate! Both have very similar health benefits and taste amazing with the coconut. Anywhere from 60% – 70% works wonderfully with this recipe.

Whole Wheat vs White Whole Wheat

When it comes to whole wheat flours, the difference is very little! They both bake the same way and have the same health benefits. Where they stray apart is flavor. White whole wheat has a weaker flavor than traditional whole wheat. So, if you’re just trying whole wheat baking for the first time, you might want to try white whole wheat!

five whole wheat brownies on white board with a bite taken from one with more brownies around and a glass of milk

How To Tell When Brownies Are Perfectly Baked

We found that, with these whole wheat brownies in particular, it’s much harder to gage when they are actually done. When baking, we always use a cake tester, but in this case, that simply didn’t work for us. The cake tester came out clean even though the brownie was still, in fact, completely raw in the middle.

The best way to tell when these brownies are done is not by color, not by testing, and not by smell, but by following the baking times down below and watching the brownie. You, of course, still want a bit of a fudge-y center, but not raw batter. Another way to tell is when the brownies just begin to pull away from the pan.

If the brownies are still under baked after all this, you can actually put them back in their original pan and rebake! You will have to gauge baking times, but you must allow it enough time to not only get hot in the middle, but to actually start to cook again. Depending on the severity of the rawness, this could take anywhere from 15-40 more minutes in the oven.

three stacked brownies on board with melted chocolate, two glasses of milk behind, and coconut flakes around

whole wheat brownies on white wood baord with melted chocolate, glass of milk, and more brownies behind

How To Store

After these brownies have cooled, you can store them a few different ways! In an airtight container or a zip top bag and left at room temperature for 2-3 days, in an airtight container or zip top bag in the fridge for 5-7 days, or store in the freezer in a freezer safe bag for up to 2 months!

Substitutions

You can use white whole wheat flour instead of whole wheat for a less intense flavor.
Milk chocolate can be used in place of dark, but it won’t have the same health benefits.

whole wheat brownies on white board with glass of milk behind

Expert Tips

Make sure to beat the eggs, sugar, and vanilla for a full 10 minutes!
Don’t skip lining the pan. You’ll need it to lift the brownies out.
Once the chocolate and flour is added, only mix to combine! You do not want to over-mix.
For the best texture, let these brownies sit for 12 hours before eating! The gritty texture dissipates and gives these brownies a classic brownie texture.

When you make these Whole Wheat Dark Chocolate Coconut Brownies, leave a comment down below! We love hearing from you and answering any questions you might have! Also, be sure to tag us on social media and hashtag it #BakersTable.

5 from 2 votes