This one goes out to all my fellow sweet tooth peeps…
Is there even much point writing an introduction to this because I’m sure you’ve already scrolled down to the ingredients list to see if you have everything in your cupboards, or if you need to make a stop off at the supermarket on the way home. I don’t blame you because these brownie bites are everything. They’re not too horrendous in the health department given that there’s not a huge amount of sugar in there (don’t get me wrong it’s still a fair amount, but much less than I’ve seen in other recipes!) and the majority of the mix is made up from nut butter. This is a recipe that I’ve adapted from Madeline Shaw’s ‘A Year of Beautiful Eating Book’, where I switched around the ingredients a little because I didn’t have everything I needed and actually they turned out pretty tasty and I’ve been making them in the adapted way ever since.
They really do taste like the real deal and sprinkle a bit of cocoa powder on top and a couple of chocolate swirls and would you look at that? Brownie bites that keep the worms from biting before or after lunch. I’ve been making them weekly for the past month or so and trust me, they don’t hang around long…
‘IS IT A CAKE? IS IT A BROWNIE?’ CHOCOLATE BITES (makes 16+ squares): The texture of these cocoa-rich bites is a tough one to pinpoint, so either leave them to cook for a little less time than recommended to amp up the stodge, or give them their allotted time in the oven for a more spongey texture. Either way, I like them diced up and can easily scoff on two (or five) for some mid-afternoon sweet tooth satisfaction.
You will need: 2 Eggs, 1 TSP Vanilla Extract, 175g Smooth Cashew or Almond Nut Butter, 120g Coconut Sugar (this can easily be subbed for Granulated Sugar), 1TSP Bicarbonate of Soda, 50g Cocoa Powder
Preheat the oven to 170℃ (fan oven temperature, adjust others accordingly) and line a square 20cm x 20cm baking tin with a baking paper and a bit of butter or coconut oil around the edges. This recipe is really as easy as mixing all of the ingredients together in a bowl by hand, or in a food processor if you can’t be arsed with the elbow grease (and all the washing up!). Mix together until it looks smooth and sticky. Then transfer it into the baking paper lined tin and cook for 20-25 minutes. You’re looking for it not to wobble when you remove it from the oven, but you don’t want to the top to go too hard. Leave to cool and then slice into squares, rectangles, whatever serving size you fancy and enjoy.
If you need me today, I’ll be making a batch of these at lunchtime and then stuffing them down my cake hole all afternoon, so Mark will be lucky if he even gets a look in. Give me a shout if you make them and let me know what you think. You’ll be in brownie bite heaven I’m sure. If you fancy some more recipes, here are some others to channel your inner Mary Berry with…
Healthy-ish Chocolate Orange Cookies
One-Bowl Salted Caramel Brownies
The Perfect Breakfast Topper: Apple Sauce
Photos by Lauren Shipley
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