ALMOND BUTTER BROWNIES (+ A GIVEAWAY)

A deeply chocolate-y summer picnic fix from Amy Chaplin's cult classic At Home in the Whole Food Kitchen. Win a copy of the ten-year-anniversary edition!!

Welcome!! ~ This is a reader supported publication. Upgrade to paid below for full access to recipe archives. And please hit that ❤️ if you enjoy these letters, which helps other people discover my work.

Hello, friends!

I’m excited to share a recipe from an old/new again book today, but first, let’s talk about cookies. This time last year, I spent some time revising and photographing my four best cookies, the kind of treats that make perfect accompaniments to end-of-the-year school parties, graduations, summer picnics, and camping trips. I compiled them into a Best Cookies E-Book, along with a cookie class (which you can still download and watch), featuring all my best tips and tricks for achieving those dreamy, pastry-shop style cookies.

I’ve been reaching for this collection again and again in the last two weeks, baking up treats for every closing ceremony and school event. Mátyás will always ask for my Chocolate Chip Cookies for Modern Times, Greta for Peanut-Butter Cookies dipped in chocolate, while I’m a Perfect Ratio Oatmeal Cookie girl. And my husband? He is Double Chocolate Shortbread all the way (with iced coffee, of course).

To ensure that anyone who needs these easy, reliably delicious recipes has access to them, I've lowered the price to download the e-book here. (Paid subscribers, you have access to all these recipes in my archives.)

As I reviewed this gem of a collection, I noticed one cookie-adjacent summer treat is missing: Brownies.

I have a love-hate relationship with brownies (anyone else?). My mom’s brownies are the only brownies I've ever loved—deeply fudgy and bold in chocolate. Almost every brownie I’ve eaten since I left our family home, I’ve found too sweet, not chocolatey enough, cakey instead of fudgy, or just plain not worth it. But while my mom’s brownies are perfection, it also takes oodles of sugar to achieve that granularly fudgy texture I love. Which brings me to...

Amy Chaplin

!!

Brownies are the last thing I think of when I hear Amy’s name. I was introduced to Amy’s work way back when she was the chef at Angelica Kitchen, New York City’s go-to vegan restaurant of its time. You couldn’t work in women’s magazines in those days (as I did for a decade) without meeting up for a meal at Angelica’s. She later left the restaurant world and wrote At Home in the Whole Food Kitchen, which won an IACP and a James Beard award (the Oscars of the food world!), and a second book, Whole Food Cooking Every Day. (You may have also seen her work in The Washington Post, Vogue, New York magazine, The Huffington Post, or Vegetarian Times).

Amy is famed for her nourishing soups and porridges, savory grain bowls, soothing teas, and tonics. The Martha Stewart crew dubbed her The Goddess of Healthy Delights, a title she comes by honestly; she was raised in a remote area of rural Australia by vegetarians who grew and cooked everything they ate. (That’s Amy, pictured below, with her sister, and their mother on their family land circa early 1980s. Swoon!). In her book, she recounts helping her parents with tasks like keeping bees, brewing ginger beer, making tofu, and grinding wheat into flour, among other chores that put the family’s food on the table. In Amy’s words:

“It never occurred to me when I was growing up that as we ate from the garden, collected raw milk in jars from a local biodynamic farmer, and composted and collected rainwater, we were living an eco-friendly lifestyle. This cycle of growing, harvesting, cooking, eating, composting, and enriching the soil was deeply rooted in us.” ~

Amy Chaplin

Fast forward to today, Amy is living in upstate New York (not far from me), raising her own two (very beautiful, very blonde) kids with much of the same ethos that surrounded her childhood. And her much-loved book, now a decade old, has been re-released in an anniversary edition, accompanied by a wonderful new introduction that is a joy to read.

Among the dozens (hundreds!) of delicious, nourishing recipes in Amy’s book worth sharing with you, including incredible soups and salads, and stunning tarts and galettes (like Blackberry Lemon Cream Tartlets and a Fresh Peach Tart with Walnut Crust!), I kept coming back to this brownie.

It occurred to me that having a go-to brownie that doesn’t rely on heaps of sugar is a good move for me—and you.

In the vein of Loving the Foods That Love You Back, chocolate and sweets aren’t taboo, even in the most homemade, garden-to-table world-view, but we do need to find a better way to enjoy them as a culture if we want to live better and longer. Using natural sweeteners like maple syrup and dates (instead of bleached, granulated sugar), plus adding fiber (almonds, dates) to slow down sugar’s effects on our bodies, are smart moves. Amy’s brownies do just that.

These brownies are giving the kind of carefree, wholesome summer I crave for my kids this year, sunflowers and all. Below, you'll find the recipe in written and PDF form (which you can print and keep alongside your Classic Cookies E-book). But first, as promised in my headline, here’s your chance to WIN THE BOOK:

As with other recent book posts, you have a chance to win the anniversary edition of Amy’s beloved book, At Home in the Whole Food Kitchen. This time, instead of giving away just one book to one lucky winner, we have THREE copies of the book to give away, which means—yes— we will have three winners!!! Details to enter are below the photos, and keep scrolling for the recipe.

Cheers to the end of the school year and treats we feel good about lining every party table.

xx

Sarah

ENTER TO WIN: To win this book, like this post (use the heart button) and leave a comment below, answering one of the following questions (choose whichever piques your curiosity more!):

• Have you ever baked using dates as the sweetener?

• What are your favorite nutrient-dense, low-sugar sweets or treats?

• How would winning this book change how you eat at home?

We will pick a winner at random and contact you (via email) to receive your goodie box in the mail. (Must be 18 years + and US based to win. See official rules below*)

---

ALMOND BUTTER BROWNIES WITH SEA SALT*

*Adapted from At Home in the Whole Food Kitchen by

Amy Chaplin

Toasted almonds, dark chocolate, and flaky sea salt are a divine combination. When you’re in the mood for a rich, chocolaty treat, these brownies hit the spot. Of course, they’re made with 100 percent whole-grain spelt, which gives them great body and a delicious nutty flavor. (Note: I used a oat-flour blend, but you could also make these with gluten-free-flour blend).

Ingredients

• ½ cup packed pitted deglet noor dates

• 1½ cups whole spelt flour, oat flour, or gluten-free flour

• ¾ cup unsweetened cocoa powder

• 1½ teaspoons aluminum-free baking powder

• ¼ cup plus 2 tablespoons toasted almond butter, store-bought or homemade (page 117)

• ¾ cup extra virgin olive oil, plus more to oil the pan

• ¾ cup maple syrup

• ¾ cup maple sugar or organic, unbleached sugar

• ¼ cup plus 2 tablespoons almond or coconut milk

• ½ teaspoon sea salt

• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract

• 3½ ounces dark (85 percent) chocolate, coarsely chopped and divided, or about ¾ cup chocolate chips

• ½ cup toasted almonds, chopped

• Maldon or fleur de sel, or other flaky sea salt, for garnish

Method

1. Place dates in a medium bowl and cover with boiling water. Let soak for 20 minutes or until softened, then drain well.

2. Preheat oven to 350ºF. Line pan with parchment paper; brush paper and sides of pan lightly with

3. oil, and set aside.

4. Sift flour, cocoa powder, and baking powder into a medium bowl; whisk to combine and set aside.

5. Place almond butter, olive oil, maple syrup, maple sugar, almond milk, salt, vanilla, and drained dates in a food processor; blend until smooth. (It’s okay if a few small date pieces are not blended.) Pour

6. into sifted flour mixture, and stir with a rubber spatula until almost combined. Reserve 2 tablespoons of chopped chocolate and stir the remaining chocolate into the batter, being careful not to overmix. Transfer the batter to the prepared pan and spread it out evenly. Sprinkle with toasted almonds, remaining chocolate, and a large pinch of sea salt.

7. Bake for 30 minutes, or until the edges pull away from the sides of the pan and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Remove from oven and allow to cool completely. For best results, refrigerate until completely cold before cutting. These brownies keep well for three or four days when stored in an airtight container in the fridge.

MAKES FIFTEEN 3 × 2½-INCH BROWNIES / EQUIPMENT: 13 × 9-INCH PAN (aka. QUARTER SHEET PAN)

COOK’S NOTE: Amy said she uses regular dried Deglet Noor dates here, but you can use Medjool dates if you prefer, which is how I tested them. If they’re super moist and soft, you can skip the soaking step.

Amy Chaplin's Almond Butter Brownies

4.27MB ∙ PDF file

Download

Download

A NOTE ABOUT COOKBOOKS:

I only include cookbooks in my letter that I love and use myself. My favorites make it into my bookshop on Bookshop.org. Buying from Bookshop.org helps support the viability of small booksellers and gives me a tiny kickback at no cost to you.

---

*Excerpted with permission from At Home in the Whole Food Kitchen: Celebrating the Art of Eating Well by Amy Chaplin. Photographs by Johnny Miller. © 2014 by Amy Chaplin (2025 edition). Reprinted with permission from Roost Books. Boulder, CO.

OFFICIAL GIVEAWAY RULES

Open to U.S. residents only, 18+ years old. No purchase necessary. To enter, follow the steps in the giveaway post. Entries close on Sunday, June 8 at 11:59 PM EST. One winner will be chosen at random and contacted via DM. If we don’t hear back within 48 hours, a new winner may be selected. This giveaway is not affiliated with Instagram/Facebook/Substack.