Ingredients
- 100g unsweetened chocolate at least 70% cocoa
- 1/2 tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1/4 tsp baking soda
- 100g)pitted dates
- 2 eggs
- 2 tbsps oil
- 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
Preheat the oven to 350 F (180 C).
In a food processor, pulse chocolate, cocoa powder and baking soda until texture of coarse sand.
Pulse pitted dates, then eggs, oil and vanilla.
Transfer the batter into a 4x8 inch (10 x 20 cm) baking dish or loaf tin which has been greased or lined.
Bake for about 25 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.
Allow to cool before serving.
Method
Well, well, well what do we have here? There is obviously no such thing as a healthy Brownie - but this comes pretty close, in that it has no (or very little) processed sugar and no flour. You can make it with whatever healthy (and flavourless) oil you like - I used rapeseed cos i had it to hand.
The main health kick here is the absence of processed sugar. I am on a kick of trying to cut out processed sugar from my diet as far as possible and, as is the way of these things, you end up craving certain things. It is only when you cut down sugar you realise how addictive it is - because if you "sneak" some, you can really feel the rush!
What I miss most is chocolate, and dark chocolate is my preference. But the good news is that dark chocolate (70-80%) has very little added sugar anyway and you can use the one with the lowest amount you can find in this recipe.
It is of course sweetened - but done so through fruit sugar, still in the fruit - in the form of dates. In this it shares DNA with Sticky Toffee Pudding, and actually the texture of this brownie is quite reminiscent of that. You don't really notice the absence of flour as the dates provide a texture. Actually it is a pretty goof brownie. Chocolatey enough so that a small piece suffices and actually containing some of your five a day.
Give it a go. The youngest liked it and that is a high barrier to pass as she is the Brownie Princess in our house, making the Late Wife's hand-me-down recipe very often. I find that one too light on chocolate personally and prefer this. The recipe here is half the quantity specified in the original and so i made it in the bottom of a large loaf tin which worked well.