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dessert

Fudgy Pumpkin Buckwheat Brownies (Gluten Free)

by From Scratch Farmstead April 7, 2023

These fudgy pumpkin buckwheat brownies have it all! They are nutritious and gluten-free, yet still taste delicious with a dense brownie texture.

Buckwheat Brownies – A Staple in Our Home

We are in the thick of it at our house. Joelle is recovering from a broken leg and the birth of our new baby all happening in the last few weeks! That being said, we haven’t been doing a lot of cooking and have been incredibly grateful for tons of friends and family dropping off so many meals for our family.

healthy pumpkin buckwheat brownies recipe

But, one of the few things that has remained stocked in our fridge, even in the midst of the crazy last few weeks has been these delicious pumpkin buckwheat brownies.

We love them because they:

Come together in just a few minutes but make a large pan to last us several days!
Pack in way more nutrients than your standard brownie.
Are made with naturally gluten-free and grain free buckwheat flour.
Satisfy any sweet tooth.

Buckwheat – A New Favorite

Honestly, until a few years ago, I had never even heard of buckwheat flour.

When we began our real food journey, we began experimenting with all sorts of gluten and grain free flours, fermenting grains, and sourdough. Somewhere along the way, we were introduced to buckwheat flour when a friend dropped off an extra bag that she had.

I had heard of buckwheat pancakes. So, we tried those first and were big fans!

Then, we wanted to explore more of what this nutritious flour had to offer. More experimenting occurred and these buckwheat muffins became another family favorite with these pumpkin buckwheat brownies following close behind.

What is Buckwheat Flour?

While it sounds like it should be closely related to standard wheat flour, buckwheat flour is actually completely different and considered a pseudocereal. It is the ground version of buckwheat which is not a grain at all but actually a fruit closely related to wild rhubarb.

Buckwheat grows easily, even in harsh conditions. It also has a robust nutrient profile. For these reasons, it has become popular to grow around the world.

Once the plant has matured and dried, the inner fruit is what is ground and turned into flour. Depending on how much of the dark hull is left on will determine whether the flour is light colored or speckled with dark flecks.

Nutritional Benefits of Buckwheat Flour

Buckwheat flour offers more nutrients than most standard grains. While buckwheat is not known for being particularly high in vitamins, it is rich in minerals: manganese, copper, magnesium, iron, phosphorus.

Also, as compared to most seeds and grains, buckwheat is low in phytic acid which blocks the absorption of vitamins and minerals. This means that the abundant minerals present in buckwheat flour are more easily absorbed.

Buckwheat is also particularly high in health promoting antioxidants and fiber.

tartary buckwheat flour for fudgy brownies

There are two main varieties of buckwheat: Tartary Buckwheat and Common Buckwheat. When it comes to nutritional benefits, Tartary Buckwheat surpasses common buckwheat handily.

Another benefit of buckwheat is that it’s heat safe and perfect to bake with. Instead of losing nutrients when it is cooked, buckwheat actually increases the nutrient values that it provides when heated.

How to Use Buckwheat

Depending on where you are in the world, buckwheat has varied uses. It is commonly made into soba noodles in Japan. In many places around the world buckwheat is turned into pancakes or blinis. Galettes, yeast rolls, and other uses in baked goods are standard uses for buckwheat flour.

How to Store Buckwheat Flour

As with other flours, it is best to store buckwheat in the freezer to preserve freshness and retain nutrients.

Ingredients in Pumpkin Buckwheat Brownies:

Buckwheat flour

Our favorite sources of buckwheat flour are either this common buckwheat flour from Janie’s Mill or for a more nutrient dense splurge, this Himalayan Tartary Buckwheat is a great option!

Cocoa Powder (or cacao powder)

Either cocoa or cacao powder can be used in this recipe. Cacao is the raw and unprocessed form of chocolate. Cocoa powder is the heated form of cacao that is much more standard on grocery store shelves. While cocoa powder is inferior in nutrients to cacao powder, it still retains antioxidants despite its heating. When buying cocoa powder, be sure to look for a product with cocoa powder being the only ingredient as mixes often contain added sugar. Dutch-processed cocoa powder is a cocoa powder that has been treated with an alkalized solution making it less acidic and richer in taste than regular cocoa powder.

Brown Sugar

Alternatively coconut sugar can be used in place of brown sugar if preferred. We generally source organic brown sugar at Costco.

Pumpkin Puree

We substitute butternut squash puree for pumpkin puree in this recipe and it works perfectly. You can learn how to make your own butternut squash puree in our post—How To Roast Butternut Squash Two Ways.

how to roast butternut squash and make puree

Eggs

Dense, fudgy brownies are preferred to cake like brownies in our house so we’ve found that 2 eggs is the perfect amount for this recipe.

Milk

We use whole, raw milk but any milk or dairy milk alternative will work.

Chocolate Chips

Semi-sweet chocolate chips are our favorite but dark or milk would work too! Save a few extra for sprinkling over the top of your brownies.

Baking Powder

Always look for aluminum-free baking powder. Bob’s Red Mill is our favorite brand. Or you can make your own using this baking powder recipe.

Salt

A bit of sea salt compliments chocolate perfectly. Redmond Real Salt is our go to favorite.

Pumpkin Buckwheat Brownies Recipe

Ingredients:

1 Cup Buckwheat Flour
1 Cup Cocoa Powder (or cacao powder)
1 Cup Brown Sugar (or coconut sugar)
2 tsp Baking Powder
½ tsp Salt
2 Eggs
2 Cups Pumpkin Puree (or butternut squash puree)
1 Cup Milk
1 Cup Chocolate Chips

Directions:

1. Mix dry ingredients (buckwheat flour, cocoa powder, brown sugar, baking powder and salt).

2. Add wet ingredients (eggs, pumpkin puree, and milk) and mix thoroughly.

3. Stir in chocolate chips, reserving a few for sprinkling over the top if desired.

4. Pour into greased 9×13 baking pan. Sprinkle with additional chocolate chips if desired.

5. Bake at 350 for 20-25 minutes until cooked through.

Notes:

We store these brownies in the fridge for up to 5 days. They also freeze very well.

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Similar Recipes:

Fudgy Pumpkin Buckwheat Brownies

Yield: 9x13 pan

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Cook Time: 20 minutes

Total Time: 25 minutes

Ingredients

1 Cup Buckwheat Flour 
1 Cup Cocoa Powder (or cacao powder) 
1 Cup Brown Sugar (or coconut sugar) 
2 tsp Baking Powder
 ½ tsp Salt 
2 Eggs
 2 Cups Pumpkin Puree (or butternut squash puree)
 1 Cup Milk 
1 Cup Chocolate Chips

Instructions

Mix dry ingredients (buckwheat flour, cocoa powder, brown sugar, baking powder and salt).
Add wet ingredients (eggs, pumpkin puree, and milk) and mix thoroughly.
Stir in chocolate chips, reserving a few for sprinkling over the top if desired.
Pour into greased 9x13 baking pan. Sprinkle with additional chocolate chips if desired.
Bake at 350 for 20-25 minutes until cooked through.

Notes

We store these brownies in the fridge for up to 5 days. They also freeze very well.

April 7, 2023 4 comments

homemade chocolate milk with healthy ingredients

Healthy Homemade Chocolate Milk with Cocoa Powder

by From Scratch Farmstead February 20, 2023

Nothing is better than a cold glass of chocolate milk. Perfect for birthdays or holidays, special occasions or just a fun treat, this healthy homemade chocolate milk recipe is the perfect option. It comes together in just a couple of minutes and is filled with tons of extra nutrients without any junk food ingredients.

Jump To Recipe

Since getting our milk cow, Thimble, homemade chocolate milk was an occasional treat that we would whip up as a special treat from time to time. But most recently in my 4^th pregnancy, fixing a glass of this healthy chocolate milk has become a daily occurrence. Every afternoon, my routine has been to sit down and enjoy a glass of this delicious homemade chocolate milk. This has meant perfecting the recipe and doing everything possible to make it as healthy and nutrient dense as possible.

Why Homemade Chocolate Milk?

The beauty of making something yourself is you are in the driver’s seat of everything that goes into it. While you can easily pick up a bottle of chocolate milk from the store, the typical ingredients contain additional gums, coloring and flavoring agents, and sugars.

Another chocolate milk alternative, the one that I grew up with, is making chocolate milk by mixing milk with chocolate syrup. But this too is processed syrup with the most common first ingredient being high fructose corn syrup.

In this homemade chocolate milk, you get to decide what kind of milk you use, what type and how much sweetener you add and whether you want to add other nutritious ingredients like collagen or egg yolks. And while the argument against homemade cooking is often the added time that it take, this chocolate milk can easily be whipped up in less than 5 minutes! Win, win!

What Type of Milk?

Any kind of dairy or non-dairy milk will work for this recipe! However, our preference is to use whole, raw dairy if at all possible.

We prefer raw milk for several reasons:

1. We know where it comes from.

Over the last several years, we’ve been either purchasing raw milk from small local farms in our area or producing it ourselves once we got our family milk cow. This is important to us because unfortunately the practices at many large-scale conventional farms are geared toward the highest production possible which often comes to the detriment of the health of the animal, consumer, or environment.

For example, most conventional farms milk with Holstein cows, which were bred for maximum production. However, because of the properties and genetics, the milk from these cows also tends to be more difficult to digest and contains less cream and beneficial properties. We prefer milk from heritage cow breeds – we have a Jersey – which tends to be more digestible and super creamy. Whenever possible our philosophy is to source something local or do it ourselves. Either way, it’s definitely worth the extra effort to consume quality milk.

2. More nutritious.

Raw milk is a living food that contains more beneficial microorganisms, vitamins, and minerals. Back almost 100 years ago when technology wasn’t what it was today, it was nearly impossible to refrigerate and distribute milk in an efficient way. Because of this, alongside often poor hygienic conditions, raw milk was making people sick. The answer was pasteurization. This process heats the milk, killing all of these microorganisms in milk. Unfortunately, that means that it kills all the good stuff along with the bad. Heating milk has remained the standard practice, but when handled and stored properly, raw milk can both be significantly more nutritious and healthful.

3. It tastes better.

While of course this is open to interpretation, everyone we’ve interacted with has agreed that once you are used to it, the taste of raw milk is far superior.

The Rest of the Ingredients

Homemade chocolate milk has 3 essential ingredients: milk, cocoa powder (or cacao powder), and some sort of sweetener. With just those three things, you can make a delicious glass of chocolate milk. But there are a few extra things we like to add to make it even better and more nutritious!

Sweetener: To sweeten this chocolate milk we prefer to use either organic and unrefined cane sugar, honey, or maple syrup. All three work great. You can play around with how much you like to add. We prefer to make it not super sweet as in the recipe below. But you can always add a bit more to suit your tastes!

healthy ingredients for homemade chocolate milk

Collagen: We are always looking to add extra protein to our diet—especially in pregnancy. Adding collagen is a great option because it is completely unflavored and dissolves easily so it goes completely unnoticed. Great Lakes Wellness grassfed collagen is our favorite brand for this.

Egg Yolks: Adding raw egg yolks to chocolate milk is another way to boost the nutrition and can even help give it a smoother and creamier texture. Despite the criticism egg yolks have gotten in recent history, they are actually extremely robust in health promoting nutrients. Egg yolks contain some of the highest amounts of choline (especially important in pregnancy), fat soluble vitamins A, D, E, and K, are rich in fatty acids DHA, AA, and CLA, carotenoids, and are a robust source of many vitamins and minerals including Calcium, Iron, Phosphorous, B6, B12, Manganese, Folate, Selenium.

Equipment Needed to Make Homemade Chocolate Milk

Another bonus of this recipe is that no special equipment is necessary. Yes, you can certainly mix it in a blender or use a hand blender. But, you can also easily mix it by hand! Simply shake vigorously in a mason jar or stir thoroughly with as whisk. The main thing is making sure everything is well mixed, dissolved, and that there are no cocoa powder or collagen clumps.

Can You Scale This Recipe?

Yes! The recipe listed below makes 2 cups of chocolate milk but you could easily scale it up, or down, as desired. We will often make it in a half gallon jar when serving to a larger crowd or, if it’s just me, one to two cups is sufficient.

Can You Make in Advance or How Long Does It Last?

Yes! When we are making it in advance, I follow all of the steps listed in the recipe below and store in a mason jar with lid. Then when ready to serve, simply give the jar a good shake so that everything is well mixed and serve. This homemade chocolate milk will easily last for a few days in the fridge.