Dark chocolate brownies

If you’re a brownie fan, chances are you already have a stack of favourite recipes collected over the years. Like shoes, can you ever have too many? Obviously not. There’s always room for one more. Many of my brownies come disguised with fruit, some have vegetables lurking in their seductive depths, while others are gluten or refined sugar free. Then there are downright corrupt ones reserved for when only the deepest of chocolate extremity will do. And now, I’m adding these Dark chocolate brownies to the stack. Judging by the rate at which they disappeared, they’re the new healthy and delicious success story.

There are several brownie recipes on the blog, all of which I love and this recipe is no different. Here’s what I look for in a decent brownie:

• Unmistakably chocolatey taste
• Scandalous toppings
• Respectably-sized squares that hold their shape long enough to reach their destination (my mouth)
• Adequate sweetness to hit the spot
• Fudgy, but not cloying texture

High expectations for a brownie, but these little fellers can do it. Trust me. We’ve done it 4 times and we’re still nuts about them. They’ve also been given a healthy make over with a couple of smart ingredient swaps. Instead of butter, we’re substituting with coconut oil. By using a combination of almond meal and wholewheat flour, the brownies taste nuttier while still retaining good structure. And what’s a brownie if not, a sweet ending? I use medjool dates and my all round favourite local brand of truly unrefined cane sugars, Natura Sugars Dark Demerara sugar. The result is a caramel-y fudge-like taste that ticks all the boxes.

You can dive in at this point or, you could this – Ganache the top and pile with summer berries. The berries taste awfully good, though. With a simplified blender recipe and a host of wholesome ingredients, I hope this’ll soon be your go-to brownie recipe. Side note : Depending on how fudgy you like yours, follow the baking times stipulated below. I test with a skewer at 18 minutes. It should be gooey but will firm up as it cools.

Dark chocolate brownies

Makes 16

• 160g Medjool dates, pitted & soaked in boiling water for 10 minutes
• 100g (1/2 cup) Natura Sugars Dark Demerara Sugar
• 100ml coconut oil
• 5ml (1 tsp) vanilla extract
• 3 eggs (xl)
• 115g whole wheat flour
• 100g almond meal
• ½ teaspoon baking powder
• 50g (1/2 cup) cocoa powder
• a pinch of salt
• 80g walnuts, toasted and roughly chopped

Ganache

• 100g 70% dark chocolate
• 60ml coconut milk
• 200g berries, for topping (optional)

1. Preheat the oven to 170 C.
2. Line and grease a 20cm square baking tin with parchment paper.
3. Drain the water off the dates and transfer to a processor.
4. Add the Natura Sugars Dark Demerara Sugar, coconut oil, vanilla and eggs to the dates.
5. Blitz until smooth. Sift the whole wheat flour, almond meal, cocoa powder and salt together into a bowl.
6. Add the chocolate mixture to the dry ingredients and mix to combine.
7. Add the walnuts and fold through.
8. Spoon the batter into the tin and smooth over.
9. Bake for 18-20 minutes.
10. Cool completely in the tin.
11. To make the ganache, melt the dark chocolate and coconut milk together and whisk until glossy.
12. Spread the ganache over the cooled brownie and top with berries, if using.