Triple Chocolate Brownies

Unbelievably quick and easy brownies! And mouth-watering too! I thought nothing can beat the low-fat brownie with beetroot, but this is a serious contender... A bit sticky, but deliciously chocolatey. And no eggs needed.

Ingredients

240 g apple puree (I used baby food from a jar)

60 g cocoa powder

125 g self-raising flour

1/2 tsp bicarbonate of soda

100 g caster sugar

75 g plain chocolate

75 g white chocolate

50 g pecans

icing sugar, to dust

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 180 C, line a 20x20cm baking tin with baking paper and set aside.

2. Pour apple puree into a mixing bowl then sift in the cocoa, flour and bicarbonate of soda. Add the sugar and 2 tbsp of water, then mix until just combined. Gently fold in the chopped chocolate and pecans. 

3. Transfer the mixture to the tin, then bake for 25-30 min until the centre feels set but a little fudgy.

4. Cool in the tin for 5 min, then turn out on to a wire rack. When completely cool, slice into squares and dust with icing sugar.

Recipe sourced from Healthy Food Guide, November 2012, p. 65

Chocolate Coffee Muffins

Ingredients

• 2 cups buckwheat flour
• 2 tablespoons instant coffee granules
• 1 tablespoon ground coffee
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon 
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 cup milk
• 1 egg
• 125 g butter, melted
• 200 g dark chocolate, finely chopped
• pinch of salt

Instructions

1. Mix flour, coffee, sugar, salt, cinnamon and baking powder in a bowl.

2. In another bowl, combine cooled butter with milk and egg.

3. Combine dry and wet ingredients. Add chocolate chunks.

4. Spoon the mixture into small muffin cases in a muffin tray. Place the tray in a pre-heated oven at 190ºC and bake for about 20 minutes.

Low-fat Chocolate Brownie

This is seriously scrumptious little brownie. I never considered myself a big fan of chocolate cakes or brownies (I like them, but they're not on the top of my list of favourites), but this one... I think I'll have to revise the chart... So soft and tender, with this crusty top... And can be frozen for later (if you resist the temptation to finish it off...)

Ingredients

• 100g cooked beetroot, grated

• 175g plain chocolate, roughly chopped

• 4 eggs, beaten

• 300g dark brown sugar (could be a little less, unless you're a sweet tooth)

• 150g plain flour, sieved

• 50g mini marshmallows (optional)

Instructions
 
1. Preheat oven to 180 degrees C.
2. Line a 23cm square tin with baking parchment.
3. Melt the chocolate:

• Break chocolate and place into a heatproof bowl.

• Sit over a pan of barely simmering water and allow the chocolate to melt, stirring occasionally.

• Set aside to cool down slightly.

4. Beat eggs and sugar together for 5 minutes or until foamy.
5. Combine melted chocolate and grated beetroot.
6. Fold in the chocolate mixture and flour with a spoon. Do not overmix. Spoon into tin.
7. Bake for 30 minutes or until the brownies are cooked through.
8. Scatter with marshmallows, and cook for 2 minutes. Leave to cool. Cut into 16 squares and serve.

Chocolate Beetroot Cake

The recipe adapted from The nutrition guru and the chef. Nice and moist. To make it gluten-free, I used coconut flour instead of plain white. It also adds extra coco-nutty flavour. I topped with cream cheese mixed with icing sugar and vanilla essence.

Ingredients

• 85 grams Dark Chocolate
• 3 medium Eggs
• 300 grams brown sugar
• 200 ml Olive Oil
• 300 grams Cooked Beetroots (you can buy already cooked, vacuum packed beetroot in any supermarket), puréed
• 1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract (or 1tbsp vanilla essence)
• 30 grams Cocoa Powder
• 200 grams coconut flour (or plain flour)
• 1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder (or gluten free baking powder)
• 1/4 teaspoon salt

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 180 degrees C

2. Blend or mash the beetroot until slightly smooth but still some ‘chunks’ remaining.

3. Melt the chocolate (85grams) over a double boiler

3. In a separate bowl, whisk together the eggs, sugar and oil.

4. Slowly add the cooked beet purée, the melted chocolate and vanilla into the egg mixture.

5. Beat just until combined. Don’t overdo it.

6. Sift the cocoa. Add this and the almond meal (or plain flour), baking soda and salt to the beet batter.

7. Fold just until everything is combined. Don’t over mix the batter.

8. Pour the cake batter into the prepared cake tin. 

9. Bake for approximately 50 minutes.  

10. Remove from oven and leave to cool in the pan.