Saturday 12 April 2014

Spiced Chocolate Brownies

I was craving something pretty specific yesterday - I needed to reward myself with something sweet and naughty to break up the monotony of revision, but it really had to be something rich and with a bit of bite, rather than the usual light, spongy goodness I tend to go for. And of course, because of my impending deadlines and impatient nature, it had to be relatively quick and easy to make... Brownies were the obvious solution!

Being at home with my parents meant I didn't have as many of my preferred free-from baking supplies - ground almonds being one of the major ones - but this actually just sped up the whole process, and the brownies definitely weren't lacking in anything. In fact, they went down a treat with the whole family!

Ingredients:
75g gluten-free flour
50g cocoa powder
1/4 tsp baking powder
100g soft light brown sugar
75g caster sugar
1 1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp chilli powder
110g Pure (or other dairy-free 'butter')
2 eggs, separated
1 tsp vanilla extract

Method:
Grease and line a baking tin/dish (about 20cm square) and set the oven to 170°C.

  1. Combine the flour, cocoa, baking powder, spices, brown sugar and about half of the caster sugar in a large mixing bowl.
  2. In a separate bowl, use an electric whisk to beat the egg whites until they are thick and foamy, and gradually whisk in the remaining caster sugar to form meringue-like peaks.
  3. Beat together the butter and egg yolks in another separate bowl, then combine with the dry ingredients.
  4. The mixture will be quite dry but the addition of the egg whites will loosen it - fold half the egg white 'meringue' in gently, then the other half, until the mixture is just combined.
  5. Pour into the baking dish and bake for about 20 minutes - Brownie is best eaten when it is still damp and squidgy inside, so be careful not to overcook it!




My brother had just been offered a job that day, so to celebrate I served the brownies warm with a rich chocolate sauce, soya cream and strawberries, and a glass of champagne - Proper pudding!

Maia


4 comments:

  1. These look really tasty; I'd never have thought of putting chilli or cinnamon in a brownie before. Do they just enhance the flavour or are they really noticeable?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks! I think it just enhances the flavour, but it depends how how much you put in, and how hot your chilli powder is I suppose!
      My mum knew there was something different about them but couldn't put her finger on it, so I guess thats good. I would probably add a little bit and test before you bake, if you decide to try it x

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  2. Love the blog! Keep up the amazing work! x
    do you want to follow each other's blogs on GFC?

    www.fashionsmama.blogspot.co.uk

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you!
      Yeah that sounds great - will do now! x

      Delete