Fun and Fudgy Birthday Brownies with Vanilla Frosting

Preheat your oven to 350F and line a baking pan with parchment paper. In a bowl, combine the dry ingredients: almond flour, cacao powder, baking powder, and sea salt. In a small/medium pan on low heat, add your coconut oil (or ghee) and chocolate chips or chunks. Incorporate the maple (or honey/coconut sugar) and mix; they don’t have to completely melt. Remove from the heat; they will finish melting with the residual heat from the pan. When the wet mixture has cooled down, add your eggs and 1/2 tablespoon of vanilla extract and mix thoroughly. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredient bowl and mix until just combined. Use a spatula to transfer the batter to the prepared baking pan and even out the surface. Bake for 25 minutes; it will appear a bit soft, but settles in nicely as it cools. It's best to keep them refrigerated in a glass container.

For the Vanilla Buttercream: Combine 4 tablespoons of grass-fed butter (or Earth Balance vegan butter), 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract, 1 tablespoon of almond milk, and 1 cup of organic powdered sugar. Beat all ingredients on HIGH until risen and fluffy; about 2-2.5 minutes.

Enjoy the brownies with your favorite sprinkles!