CHOCOLATE & PISTACHIO BROWNIES

For half of this weekend, I had an old friend visiting me from Sydney. We had worked together 3 years ago in Washington D.C, and had not seen each other since. I was amazed that during the 26 hours that she was in Brisbane, she was not particularly interested in seeing the sights, museums, galleries, but instead wanted to talk about my blog, healthy cooking and nutrition. Of course I LOVED THIS! We made dinner and dessert together on Friday night, and she vowed to learn how to cook when she returned home to South Korea shortly. I was dying to try out a new brownie recipe I had discovered in ‘The Best Gluten-free, Wheat-free and Dairy-free Recipes’ cookbook by Grace Cheetham and thought this was the perfect occasion. Like a true fearless (or is the word erratic?) baker, I changed the recipe considerably, however the brownies were the tastiest gluten-free, dairy-free dessert I have ever had the pleasure of eating… If I force one recipe down your throat from my blog, this is the one!  

INGREDIENTS

• 50g dairy-free spread (like Nutalex), plus extra for greasing pan 
• 2 eggs, lightly beaten (preferable free range)
• 200g dairy-free dark chocolate (a minimum of 70% cocoa solids)
• 35-40g pistachios, shelled & finely chopped
• 1/4 cup maple syrup
• 1/2 cup gluten-free plain flour
• 1 teaspoon vanilla essence
• 1 teaspoon gluten-free baking powder
• baking paper

COOKING

1. Preheat a fan-forced oven to 180 degrees celsius. Lightly grease a narrow baking tin (around 20 x 30cm) with spread and line the base and sides with baking paper. 

2. Place chocolate in a large heatproof bowl or frying pan, breaking the chocolate into pieces (if bought as a block). Place the bowl/frying pan over a saucepan of boiled water that has been reduced to a simmer (make sure that the bottom of the bowl/pan does not touch the water). Stir frequently until chocolate has melted, then add the dairy-free spread, stirring until melted and mixed in. 

3. Remove the bowl/pan from the heat. If using a frying pan, place the melted chocolate in a large bowl. Stir in the eggs, vanilla essence and maple syrup, mixing well. Then add the flour and baking powder, making sure to sift these ingredients as gluten-free flour can be very lumpy. Stir well to combine, using a metal spoon. Fold the pistachios into the brownie batter gently. 

4. Pour the batter into the prepared baking tin, spreading the mixture evenly. Bake in the oven for 35-40 minutes until brownie has risen and is quite firm to touch. (Another way to test- insert a skewer into the middle of the brownie- if the skewer comes out with just a little mixture on it, the brownies are done). Remove from heat and cool for 10 minus in the baking tin, then place on a plate or wire rack for 15 minutes to cool. Cut into however many brownie squares you desire. 

Serves / only a few dire chocolate fans

Total Preparation time / 12 minutes 

Total Cooking time / 35- 40 minutes (cooling time is an extra 25 minutes)

x E