Who doesn't love chocolate brownies during the holidays? I made this Mexican brownie recipe extra special, because they have a bit of kick. Try my recipe for spicy Mexican hot chocolate brownies if you want an easy to make healthy dessert that is grain-free, gluten-free and dairy-free.
📋 Recipe Snapshot
Quick Recipe Facts
⏱️ Ready In: 45 minutes.
👩🍳 Skill Level: Easy
🍫 Flavor: Rich, fudgy, chocolatey, with warm cinnamon and a subtle Mexican-inspired spice that perfectly complements the deep cocoa flavor.
🌿 Diet: Gluten-free with wholesome ingredient swaps and naturally made without refined flour.
🌞 Best For: Holiday dessert platters, potlucks, cozy gatherings, chocolate lovers, and festive baking.
🥣 Make Ahead: Bake a day in advance to allow the flavors to deepen. Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days, refrigerate for up to 1 week, or freeze for up to 3 months for an easy make-ahead dessert.
🌀 Harmony Moment: These fudgy Mexican hot chocolate brownies blend rich cocoa with warming spices for a wholesome twist on a classic dessert. All bringing comfort, celebration, and a little extra joy to every bite.
Jump to:
- Quick Recipe Facts
- Why You'll Love These Mexican Hot Chocolate Brownies?
- ☕️ Ditch the Cup of Hot Chocolate and Make Healthy Spiced Brownies Instead!
- 🥣 Ingredients Needed for Spicy Mexican Hot Chocolate Brownies
- Have A Specific Food Allergy?
- 👩🍳 Instructions For Hot Chocolate Brownie Recipe
- 🇲🇽 How to Make Mexican Hot Chocolate Gluten-Free Brownies?
- 🧡 Learn How to Make Healthy Spicy Mexican Chocolate Brownies
- 📖 Recipe Card
- 🥜 Do You Like Nuts In Your Brownie Recipe?
- ❓ Are You into Brownie Corners or Do You Like the Middle Brownies Better?
- 💙 Substitutions
- Need to substitute an ingredient?
- 🥚 Healthy Food Swaps Guide
- ❄️ Storage Tips
- Pro Baking Tip
- 🤔 FAQ - Common Questions
- Didn't find the answer you're looking for?
- Your Holiday Nourishment Starts Today!
- 😀 Enjoy This Easy, Spicy Mexican Hot Chocolate Brownie Recipe!
- 💬 Comments
The perfect special holiday recipe. My Mexican hot chocolate recipe from my Beauty Nutrition Index cookbook inspired me to make this spiced hot chocolate brownie recipe.
If you love hot chocolate recipes, you might also like my healthy peppermint hot chocolate recipe that is low in sugar. Also, try my homemade peppermint marshmallow recipe.
Why You'll Love These Mexican Hot Chocolate Brownies?
- High Fiber - Black beans add resistant starch fiber, which makes our gut happy by producing short-chain fatty acids. These help reduce inflammation.
- Vitamins & Minerals - Raw cacao contains polyphenols and also magnesium, iron, zinc, calcium, copper, potassium, and manganese.
- Functional Dessert - They're a functional dessert designed to nourish and satisfy
- Healthy Holiday Recipe - A fun and festive twist on a traditional brownie recipe.
Made with warming spices for a wholesome dessert recipe.
☕️ Ditch the Cup of Hot Chocolate and Make Healthy Spiced Brownies Instead!
Now you can have that delicious taste of hot cocoa in spiced brownie form. But with a bit of spice, so let's make Mexican Hot Chocolate Brownies.
🥣 Ingredients Needed for Spicy Mexican Hot Chocolate Brownies
- Raw Cacao Powder - You need chocolate to make chocolate brownies, right?! Yes, but we are using raw cacao powder, but you can also use unsweetened cocoa powder.
- Chocolate Protein Powder - This ingredient bumps up the protein content of the brownies. If you prefer not to use it, simply add an extra ½ cup of all-purpose gluten-free flour to the recipe.
- All-Purpose Gluten-Free Flour - I prefer all-purpose gluten-free for most of my baking needs.
- Eggs - This ingredient helps bind the brownies together. If you are vegan, please substitute with flax eggs. See notes below.
- Black Beans - This is my magic ingredient to make extra fudgy brownies, with a fair amount of fiber and protein added. You won't taste the beans in the brownies, I promise.
- Maple Syrup - This is my preferred sweetener of choice, but you can use honey or any other sweetener you feel comfortable using. Adjust the recipe as necessary.
- Vanilla Extract - Brings all the sweetness and balances the spicy too.
- Marshmallows - These are optional, but how can you have hot chocolate without mini marshmallows? That is why this ingredient is perfect, mixed right into the batter and also as a topping when cooling.
- Cayenne Pepper - You need a spice with a bit of kick, and cayenne pepper is the perfect spice for this Mexican brownie recipe.
- Cinnamon Powder - A yummy warming spice that adds more flavor to the brownie batter recipe.
See the recipe below for quantities.
Have A Specific Food Allergy?
Click the buttons below to ask AI how to alter it for your diet!
👩🍳 Instructions For Hot Chocolate Brownie Recipe
Mix dry ingredients for Mexican brownies recipe.
Process black beans for the brownie batter.
Combine wet and dry ingredients. Fold in optional ingredients.
Place into an oven at 350 degrees. Let Mexican brownies cool and add more optional toppings. at 350 Fahrenheit
Hint: I like to add my extra toppings, such as mini marshmallows, while it's still warm out of the oven, but before cutting. This allows the marshmallows to melt a bit into the top of the Mexican cinnamon brownies.
🇲🇽 How to Make Mexican Hot Chocolate Gluten-Free Brownies?
This recipe might sound complicated, but it's not. It's actually really easy to prepare. It will definitely become a holiday recipe on repeat year after year.
🧡 Learn How to Make Healthy Spicy Mexican Chocolate Brownies
Learn how easy it is to make healthy version of Mexican cinnamon brownies.
📖 Recipe Card
Healthy Mexican Hot Chocolate Brownies
Ingredients
- 2 large eggs
- ⅓ cup raw cacao powder
- ¼ cup maple syrup
- 3 tablespoons coconut milk (Unsweetened)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 can black beans (Drained and rinsed)
- ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon, ground (Mexican is best "canela)
- ¼ teaspoon sea salt
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ½ cup all-purpose flour, gluten-free
- 2 scoops chocolate protein powder
Optional Ingredients:
- ¼ cup walnuts (Roughly chopped)
- ¼ cup marshmallows, mini
- ¼ cup mini chocolate chips, semi-sweet (Dairy-Free)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line an 8 by 8 baking pan with parchment paper. Optional to spray with nonstick cooking spray or grease with butter. Set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl, combine your dry ingredients: protein powder, flour, baking powder, salt, cayenne pepper, cinnamon, and cocoa powder. Set aside.
- Process black beans in a food processor, blender, or well mash with a fork.
- Combine the wet ingredients: eggs, maple syrup, coconut milk, black beans, and vanilla extract.
- Combine the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients. Whisk until well combined.
- Now is the time to add any optional ingredients, like walnuts, mini marshmallows, and chocolate chips.
- Fold in optional ingredients gently into the brownie batter. Reserve some extra marshmallows and chocolate chips for topping after removing from oven.
- Pour brownie batter into a prepared baking dish. Bake for 30 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Remove from oven. Add any extra toppings now. Allow to cool, and then cut into 12 brownie slices.
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Nutrition
The information shown is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator. Modify as needed and enjoy.
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🥜 Do You Like Nuts In Your Brownie Recipe?
You either love nuts in your brownie recipe or you hate them. You do you. I prefer walnuts in my brownie recipes, so if you want to add them, I used ¼ cup chopped walnuts into the batter before baking.
📥 GET THIS RECIPE IN YOUR INBOX 📥
Just share your email, and we'll send it straight to your inbox! Plus, enjoy weekly doses of nutrition & wellness tips, and healthy recipe inspiration as a bonus!
❓ Are You into Brownie Corners or Do You Like the Middle Brownies Better?
I don't have a preference one way or another. I love all gluten-free brownies equally. If you want to get that crackly topping to your brownies, you can drizzle melted butter or coconut oil over the top of the batter before baking.
💙 Substitutions
Making the best Mexican brownie recipe is a personal preference in terms of dietary needs. Check out some easy substitutions and variations to customize this recipe to your liking.
- Protein Powder - If you prefer not to use chocolate protein powder, you can substitute it with an additional ½ cup of all-purpose gluten-free flour. Alternatively, for a nutty flavor and moist texture, ½ cup of almond flour can be used. Keep in mind that almond flour may result in a denser brownie and slightly alter the protein content.
- Raw Cacao Powder - Unsweetened cocoa powder can be used in place of raw cacao powder. This substitution will still provide a rich chocolate flavor.
- Cayenne Pepper - For a milder spice, reduce the cayenne pepper to ⅛ teaspoon or omit it entirely. If you enjoy a spicier kick, you can increase it slightly, but be cautious as a little goes a long way.
- Sweetener - Coconut sugar can be replaced with maple syrup or honey in equal amounts. Note that using liquid sweeteners may affect the batter's consistency, so adjust the dry ingredients accordingly.
Need to substitute an ingredient?
Ask ChatGPT suggestions on how to substitute the particular ingredient.
Vegan Egg Substitute
Make flax eggs. A flax egg is simply ground flax seeds and water mixed into a slurry mixture. When a recipe calls for a typical egg, use a 1:1 ratio, so one flax egg for every typical egg used.
Mix one tablespoon of ground flax seed with three tablespoons of water for every egg the recipe calls for. If you want a handy food swap guide, download my Food Allergy Substitions guide today.
🥚 Healthy Food Swaps Guide
Check out my free Healthy Food Swaps Guide for how to swap out different foods if you suffer from food allergies, sensitivities, intolerances, or simply an aversion.
❄️ Storage Tips
These cinnamon spicy brownies will last about 3 days in an airtight container at room temperature. They last a bit longer in the refrigerator, you can store for up to a week in the fridge.
To freeze Mexican cinnamon brownies, simply stack them with parchment paper between the brownies. They last a good 3 months, stored in the freezer in a freezer bag or container.
I love to grab these individually as a healthy snack during the week. The perfect little bite of chocolate goodness.
In the mood for other brownie recipes with holiday flavor, try my Peppermint Black Bean Brownie Recipe.
Pro Baking Tip
If you want a smooth, lighter Mexican brownie, I suggest you process the black beans in a food processor or blender. However, if you want more texture and a fudge brownie, you can simply mash the black beans with a fork.
But, make sure to break them up well with the fork. I have done this handy trick when I'm short on time and don't mind a denser fudge brownie.
🤔 FAQ - Common Questions
These FAQs should help address any common concerns or questions you may have about making these Mexican brownies.
Can You Substitute Almond Flour For The Protein Powder?
Yes, you can substitute almond flour for the protein powder in your Mexican hot chocolate brownies recipe. However, it's important to note that this substitution will alter the nutritional profile and texture of the brownies.
Are Mexican Brownies Spicy?
That depends on the amount of spice you add to these Mexican hot chocolate brownies. I created these with a medium level of spice, but if you prefer more spice, add more cayenne pepper. Also, if you prefer less spice or no spice, omit the cayenne or use less in quantity.
What's A Great Substitute For Vanilla Extract In Brownie Recipes?
I like to use vanilla bean powder as a substitute for vanilla extract when making a Mexican brownies recipe. During the holiday season, it's quite easy to run out of vanilla extract because of all the baking going on, but I like to keep this handy substitute on hand throughout the year.
Can You Make Mexican Brownies Without Vanilla Extract?
Yes, of course. Like I mentioned earlier, this is my secret trick to make brownies without vanilla extract, which is to substitute it for vanilla bean powder.
Can I Make These Brownies Vegan?
Yes, to make vegan brownies, substitute the eggs with flax eggs (1 tablespoon ground flaxseed mixed with 3 tablespoons water per egg) and ensure your protein powder is plant-based.
Are These Brownies Gluten-Free?
Absolutely! This recipe uses all-purpose gluten-free flour, making it suitable for those with gluten sensitivities.
Can I Add Nuts Or Chocolate Chips?
Certainly! Chopped nuts like walnuts or pecans, as well as chocolate chips, can be folded into the batter for added texture and flavor.
How Should I Store The Brownies?
Store the cooled brownies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days, or refrigerate for up to a week. For longer storage, freeze them for up to 3 months.
How Spicy Are These Brownies?
The cayenne pepper adds a subtle heat that complements the chocolate and cinnamon flavors. If you're sensitive to spice, consider reducing the amount or omitting it.
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All-in-one holiday wellness guide + meal plan gives you everything you need to support metabolism, blood sugar, digestion, & hormones during the busiest time of the year.
😀 Enjoy This Easy, Spicy Mexican Hot Chocolate Brownie Recipe!
If you make these healthy, spicy cinnamon Mexican hot chocolate brownies, let me know in the comment section below. Have you ever tried a gluten-free black bean brownie recipe before?
You can also connect with me @EatYourNutrition on Instagram. I love seeing your photos. #EatYourNutrition #LauraVillanueva
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