Double Choc Espresso Brownies
Time: 1 hour 30 minutes
Serves: Makes 12
Ingredients:
Coconut oil, for greasing
75 g (3/4 cup) almond meal
2 tablespoons arrowroot or tapioca flour
40 g (1/2 cup) cacao powder
1 teaspoon gluten-free baking powder
1⁄2 teaspoon sea salt
150 g (1 cup) roughly chopped dark chocolate , plus extra, roughly chopped
125 ml (1⁄2 cup) hot SENSORY LAB espresso coffee
1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste or powder
125 g peanut or almond butter
125 ml (1⁄2 cup) maple syrup
Vanilla Ice Cream, to serve
Method:
Preheat the oven to 180°C and line the base and sides of a 20 cm square baking tin with baking paper. Lightly grease the baking paper with some coconut oil.
Add the almond meal, arrowroot or tapioca four, cacao powder, baking powder and salt to a bowl and whisk well to combine. Add half the chocolate chunks to a separate bowl and pour over the hot coffee. Leave for 1 minute for the chocolate to soften and start to melt, then whisk well.
Add the vanilla, nut butter and your sweetener of choice and whisk again to bring everything together.
Tip the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients, whisking vigorously for 1–2 minutes to form a smooth, lump-free batter. Stir in the remaining chocolate chunks, then spoon the batter into the prepared tin and spread it out in an even, thin layer.
For fudgy brownies, bake for 16–18 minutes, or until the centre of the mix still looks soft but the edges have firmed. Remove from the oven and leave to cool in the tin for at least 1 hour before removing and cutting into pieces. (These softer brownies can be harder to remove from the pan in one piece.)
For chewy, cakey brownies, bake for 20–22 minutes, or until the mixture is firm all over and the surface is flaky and cracked. Remove from the oven and leave to cool for 5–10 minutes before removing from the tin. These brownies are easier to remove in one piece.
Serve the brownies as they come, or with a dollop of vanilla ice cream and a sprinkle of grated chocolate, if you like.
Any leftover brownies (is there such a thing?) will keep stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days, or in the freezer for up to one month.
