Creative Nature Chia & Cacao Chocolate Chip Brownies

July 4, 2016 By: Cliona 0 Comments

We’ve all been there haven’t we? You’re tired, hungry, dieting and really really want some chocolate! What do you do? Well, if you’ve got the ingredients and the inclination you could make some 1 syn chocolate brownies, or you could make sure you have a quick, simple and healthy option to help you stay on track!

That’s exactly what health food company Creative Nature enable you to do with their home baking mixes, which come in two varieties – Chia & Mulberry Muffin Mix, and Chia & Cacao Chocolate Chip Brownie Mix. How great is that ?! Healthy baking mixes! I mean I love a gooey Betty Crocker brownie mix as much as the next gal, but it’s not exactly conducive to a good diet now is it?

I recently gave the Chia & Cacao Chocolate Chip Brownie Mix a try, and I have to say I was impressed! It might just be me, but sometimes when someone tells me that something is gluten, dairy, nut and soya free (which the brownies are) I immediately assume that it might also be a bit taste free too. I couldn’t have been more wrong with these however, and what’s more is they’re ready in just over 20 minutes which is a massive bonus! Perfect for when those chocolate cravings come knocking!

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I know what you’re thinking now, is how do they translate for those of us on Slimming World? And I can tell you now, that they’re pretty on plan! Each packet of mix makes 20 brownies (I made mine in small cup cake cases!), and the nutritional information on the packaging gives a serving size as 40g. They’re not on the Slimming World app yet, so I’m relying on the old 20kcal = 1 syn rule here, which makes one serving (143kcal) a very reasonable 7 syns! What makes these even better is that they’re full of fantastic nutrients, as chia seeds are a great source of protein, Iron, Omega 3, Fibre and Calcium, making them a damn sight more healthy than even your average healthy brownie.

In all honesty though, when it comes to judging a chocolate brownie, for me it comes down to just how chocolatey it is…and these win on that front too! Contrary (again) to my initial assumptions, they were rich and delicious, and didn’t miss out any chocolate flavour at all!

The final clinching factor however, was how filling just one 7 syn brownie was! Anyone who knows me knows that I am a hungry person…I eat three meals a day as well as a mid morning and afternoon snack, and it’s very rare that I miss out on any of that. I enjoyed one of my Creative Nature brownies at about 10am the day after I made them, and I honestly wasn’t hungry until gone 2pm the same day! That is completely unheard of for me, so these get a big thumbs up on the filling factor too.

The only thing to note is that the chia seeds do obviously add a bit of texture to the mix, which I loved, but don’t be surprised by them when you dig in. The brownies are also quite crumbly (although they’re not dry) so eat over a napkin!

Finally, for any vegans out there, Creative Nature have very kindly included two different methods of making the mix…the first is the regular way where you just add eggs and butter, and the second is a vegan recipe involving water, dairy free spread, a few more Chia seeds and water!

I was really impressed with these, and would thoroughly recommend stocking up on a few packets for those chocolate days! You can pick them up at Tesco and Ocado (RRP £5.49), as well as some health food stores, or you can grab them on Amazon here.

Don’t forget to pin this review for later!