Rains and Chocolates go hand in hand for me. Even though I am someone who does not enjoy Chocolates at all (I had a Chocolate making business in a past life and got sick of making them). However there is something about the Rains that make me crave for some gooey soft Chocolaty comfort.
And if you have been reading my blog you would know how many of my posts are inspired by rains. My heart sings and craves for comfort every time it rains. I have a kitchen with huge French windows so I can stand in my kitchen and watch the rain drench the balcony outside and provided much needed relief to my thirsty plants and somehow even to me.
So when the weather in Perth decided to play havoc yesterday I decided to make something Chocolaty and warm to cheer me up. I had recently discovered “Coconut Sugar” from which i had made some delicious coconut sugar brownie's using them, left with just one last cup of the coconut sugar i decided to make Gluten Free Chocolate Brownies.
I had made these Brownies before but had burned them so I decided to try them again and this time I thought of doing them gently. So I whipped up all the ingredients in the mixer and while the Brownie baked I put on some Norah Jones on the I pod and just sat on the Lounge watching the rain.
The Brownie cooks under 30 minutes and is soft and fudgy in texture. As it is has no flour but a lot of Eggs it is airy and light and the addition of Peanuts gives it a Salty bite which somehow works really well. Also without the flour and the addition of Coconut Sugar I somehow felt a little less Guilty about eating them then I usually would.
Here is the recipe (Preparation time 10 minutes, cooking time 30 minutes
Ingredients:
1 1/4 cup Semi sweet dark Chocolate Chips
1 cup softened unsalted Butter
4 Large Eggs
1 cup Coconut Sugar
6 tbsp Unsweetened Cocoa powder
2 tbsp Cornstarch
1/2 tsp Kosher Salt
1 tsp Instant Espresso Powder
2 tsp Vanilla extract (I used pure home made Vanilla extract)
1 cup chopped dry roasted salted Peanuts
Method:
1) Preheat the oven at 170 degrees C and line a square baking dish with non stick baking paper.
2) In a bowl or food processor add the soft Butter and Chocolate chips and mix well. Add the Eggs, Coconut Sugar, Salt, Espresso Powder, Cornstarch, Vanilla extract and Cocoa powder and mix well. The batter will like look lumpy and thick. Remember we are not adding any flour so the Eggs will make the Brownies very light.
3) Spread the mixture evenly in your baking tray. Cover with the chopped Peanuts and press them gently in the mixture.
4) Increase the oven temp to 180 Degrees C and Bake for 25 – 30 minutes till the Brownie has cooked and the batter has set and is a little firm.
Cool down and cut into squares. The baking time varies for every oven. The original recipe only called for baking for 20 minutes and my Brownie was under cooked. The second time I cooked it for a bit longer and watched it like a hawk. So please use your judgement while baking it as you know your oven better than I know mine.
Recipe Courtesy – Carol Kicinski