The Ultimate Chocolate Brownie
Ask people what’s in this deliciously moreish brownie and they’ll never guess my secret ingredient – dates. As well as making it extra-rich and moist, the dates make it a whole lot better for you than the everyday brownie, adding a healthy quotient of antioxidants, fibre, vitamins and essential nutrients such as iron. Some dates are much drier and harder than others so may take longer to soak and become soft.
Makes: 30 pieces
2 cups chopped dates
1 tsp baking soda
¾ cup boiling water
200g finely diced butter, at room temperature
4 eggs
2 tsp vanilla extract
2 cups caster sugar
1 cup dark cocoa, sifted
1 cup flour
½ tsp baking powder
250g dark chocolate chips or chopped dark chocolate
Preheat oven to 160°C and line a 30cm x 24cm slice tin with baking paper.
Put dates in a large bowl, add baking soda and boiling water and stir to combine. Add finely diced butter and stir until melted. Leave to stand for 20 minutes. Mash softened dates with a fork to break them up to a creamy consistency. Stir in the eggs and vanilla until well combined. Stir in the sugar, then add the cocoa, flour and baking powder and stir until smooth. Stir in the chocolate chips or chunks. Smooth into prepared tin and bake until it is set in the middle and begins to come away from the sides of the tin (about 50 minutes). Cool before cutting into
squares. Stored in a sealed container it will keep for a couple of weeks.
Recipe by Annabel Langbein