Mmm, welcome back to Bake With Beaut.ie and the fabulous Rosanne from Like Mam Used To Bake. We trust you're not all baked out over the Christmas season yet - and that your festive boiled fruit cake went down a storm! Today we're doling out the ultimate in chocolaty goodness, the flourless brownie.
I’m a bit fussy when it comes to brownies. I rarely order them when I am out as they are always a bit of a disappointment. A brownie, in my humble opinion, should be dense and moist and squidgy and deep and dark and chocolaty. Drooling yet? More often than not they are a bit too spongy and sweet and, well, not chocolaty.
I originally made these with flour but swapped it out for ground almonds one day in an attempt to start offering some gluten free recipes on my blog. The results were seriously good, moister than the original and addictively moreish. Even those who claim not to be chocolate lovers are hooked on these brownies, and I swear there have been rows in this house when the last one mysteriously disappears.
As they travel well they are ideal for cake sales or an office treat. They can be made in advance which makes them ideal for parties. Oh, and they freeze beautifully so I’ve taken to freezing half a batch when I make them so that I always have something to hand when I fancy a real treat with my coffee.
Ingredients
200g unsalted butter
250g plain chocolate (70% cocoa solids)
200g dark brown sugar
3 large eggs
125g ground almonds
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50g cocoa powder
Method
Preheat the oven to 160°C/325°F/Gas Mark 3. Line a 27cm/10 ½in x 16 ½cm/6 ½in brownie pan with tinfoil.
Cut the butter into cubes and break up the chocolate. Place both into a heat proof bowl. Set the bowl over a pot of gently simmering water to melt. Make sure that the bottom of the bowl does not touch the water to avoid spoiling the chocolate. Once melted, remove the bowl from the pot of water and set aside to cool for around 5 minutes.
While the chocolate mixture is cooling add the sugar to a large mixing bowl followed by the eggs. Mix together with an electric hand-held whisk/stand-alone mixer on a low-speed for around 3 minutes until smooth and creamy and a slightly paler colour than the mixture was originally.
Add the chocolate mixture to the sugar mixture and gently fold through.
Sieve the ground almonds and the cocoa powder into the chocolate mixture to ensure that you do not end up with powdery lumps in the baked cake. Gently fold this through before pouring into the prepared tin.
Bake in the preheated oven for 25 minutes. When ready the brownie should still have a slight wobble in the centre or a skewer inserted into the centre should come out slightly smeared in gooey brownie deliciousness. Place on a wire rack and allow to cool. Cut into squares as big or as small as your belly desires and serve while still warm or cold - it’s completely up to your brownie-eating preference.
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Are you going to try out this mouth-watering recipe? We'd love to see a pic of the fruits of your labour when you do so send an old tweet it @beaut.ie!
