Chocolate Prune and Walnut Brownies
Sooo squidgey!
My husband told me that I had to make something chocolatey over Easter
So given that I am the perfect wife and always do as I am told (???), I made these chocolate prune and walnut brownies…
can you believe that these are actually healthy?
These brownies have a gorgeous, squidgy texture thanks to the prunes, a crunch from the walnuts and a hint of brandy (so they are only for grown-ups right!)….mmm, a perfect balance of deliciousness!
delicious brownies that will also make you regular!
Share with friends, served with fresh raspberries….these ones came from our garden!
What a great way to celebrate Easter…
chocolate and raspberries…a match made in heaven!
Chocolate Prune and Walnut (Grown Up) Brownies
Prep time
Cook time
Total time
Author: Caroline Trickey adapted from Honest to Goodness
Serves: 16
Ingredients
- 1¼ cups (250 grams) pitted prunes
- 2 generous tablespoons brandy
- ⅔ cup coconut milk
- ¼ cup coconut oil or extra virgin olive oil
- ½ cup rapadura or brown sugar
- ½ cup raw cacao powder
- ½ cup oat flour (see notes below)
- ¼ cup rice flour
- 1 teaspoon bicarb soda
- 1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste (or vanilla essence)
- ⅓ cup chopped walnuts
Instructions
- Boil the kettle
- Place the prunes in a large bowl and pour over boiling water to cover
- Set aside for at least 30 minutes - then drain off liquid (I drink this - yum!)
- Heat oven to 180 degrees C and line an 8 inch (20 cm) square pan with greaseproof baking paper
- Add prunes to the bowl of a food processor along with the 2 tablespoons of brandy and puree until smooth
- Add coconut milk and oil and puree again until well mixed. You may need to scrape the sides of the bowl down
- Add sugar, cacao (or regular cocoa powder), oat flour, rice flour, bicarb soda and vanilla and blend until everything is incorporated (about 30 seconds). Again you may need to stop the blender and scrape the sides down
- Spread brownie mixture into the prepared pan and smooth over the top
- Sprinkle the walnuts over the top and using a bread and butter knife, push them down into the mixture
- Bake for 28-30 mins
- Allow to cool completely before slicing
- Well, they have less than half the amount of sugar of regular brownies
- They have less than 1/4 of the amount of fat (oil) of regular brownies
- They are packed with fibre from all the prunes, as well as oats and walnuts
- And that will make you more ‘regular’ than regular brownies!!
- Plus they taste a-m-a-z-i-n-g! And that makes me happy, which is part of being healthy, right 🙂
oh so goooood….
Notes:
- To make oat flour – put 1/2 cup whole rolled oats in a food processor and blend until finely chopped. This took approx 12 seconds in my thermomix! For a gluten free brownie, substitute with brown rice flour or if you try another type of flour (say buckwheat), please let me know how it goes.
- Yes, I use sugar in these brownies. Not any other sweet substitute (that really is just another form of sugar) or anything fake. No! I use the real thing, but just not a lot!!
- Thanks to Honest to Goodness who I got the original recipe and bought most of the ingredients from. I have adapted the recipe though according to what I had in my pantry, which included adding the brandy!!
- If you make these, please post on instagram using #healthyhomecafe. You’ve seen mine, so its now time to show me yours!
Enjoy 🙂
