Ingredients You’ll Need and Why

This recipe originally used sunflower seeds, not walnuts, but when I went through the testing process again I found the taste much richer with walnuts. See below for substitutions. These are my notes from recipe testing, and you can find the full recipe card below with complete measurements and instructions.

• Oats: use rolled oats if possible, but quick-cook are fine here too since they’re being ground into flour in any case. Oat flour can be used if you don’t have a food processor. I haven’t tested this recipe with alternatives. Use certified gluten-free oats if necessary.
• Walnuts: raw walnuts add a smooth, rich flavour to the brownies, and the soft nuts blend easily into a fine meal. Substitute other nuts like hazelnuts or almonds, or use sunflower seeds if preferred. Note that sunflower seeds might cause a slight greenish hue over time as they react to the baking soda.
• Cocoa: for the best result, use natural cocoa powder for this recipe, because it’s leavened with baking soda.
• Dates: use the softest dates you can find. I very rarely buy medjool dates as they’re so expensive and usually use deglet noor. Soak if needed.
• Milk: any non-dairy milk is fine. Pictured is oat milk. Make sure it’s unsweetened.
• Coconut oil: I recommend sticking with coconut oil, which re-solidifies as the brownies cool, making them easier to handle. I imagine vegan butter would be a fine substitute but I haven’t tried it. I did test with olive oil and the brownies were too crumbly.
• Chocolate: optional, but brownies should have chocolate. Use chopped dark chocolate or chocolate chips.
• Vanilla: a small amount of vanilla extract makes baked goods more complex tasting. You might not notice that it’s there but you can usually tell when it isn’t. Cinnamon is a good substitute.
• Baking soda: this is the leavening agent in the brownies, helping them to rise. The batter doesn’t rise a lot while baking but the baking soda will react to the acidity in the cocoa powder and cause some lift.

How to Make Breakfast Brownies

It’s an easy recipe, but you can refer to these photos during the process if needed to compare to what the mixture should look like at different steps.

Step 1: blend the oats and walnuts in a food processor or mini food processor until a fine meal forms. Alternatively use store-bought oat flour and almond meal (see tip below on making these without a food processor).

Step 2: mix in the remaining dry ingredients. If your cocoa is very lumpy, it can be sifted through a fine mesh sieve before adding. Add the dark chocolate.

Step 3: stir again to incorporate the chocolate. I tested mixing the chocolate in to the dry ingredients versus folding it in after the batter was mixed, and it didn’t make a difference – since this is a gluten-free recipe, there’s little concern about over-mixing.

Step 4: blend the dates and coconut oil until very smooth. The coconut oil will stay separated from the other ingredients, and that’s normal. It will mix in to the batter once added.

Step 5: add the date mixture, milk, and vanilla to the bowl. It’s important to use room temperature milk to prevent the coconut oil from hardening.

Step 6: stir very well to combine. It will be softer than traditional brownie batter. That’s normal.

Step 7: transfer to a lined square baking tin and smooth out the top. Don’t forget to line the tin! When I tested without parchment paper, the brownies stuck quite badly to my enamel baking dish. It might work with non-stick but I haven’t tried.

Step 8: bake until just firm around the edges and on the top. Cool completely in the baking dish before carefully removing and slicing into squares. For the cleanest squares, refrigerate before slicing (that’s a good trick for any brownies).

Expert Tips for the Best Brownies

• Make without a mixer: you can make these without a food processor. Use purchased oat flour and substitute almond meal for the walnuts. Mash very soft dates by hand or use date paste. You may need to increase the liquid a little bit as store-bought flour/meal are usually more finely ground, and I recommend weighing the ingredients if making this substitution.
• Soak the dates: if your dates are on the dry side, soak them in hot water for half an hour before blending. If they’re too dry the mixture won’t hold together properly, so this is an important step.
• Don’t worry about over-mixing: there’s little fear of over-mixing here since it’s gluten-free, so stir away.
• Cool fully: make sure the brownies are completely cooled before slicing, or they may crumble when cut. They taste even better when chilled so feel free to refrigerate before slicing.