Wholesome Christmas Tree Brownies
How festive are these Christmas Tree Brownies from Theresa, the proud owner of Cinnamon & Bluebells . Soft and gooey, chocolatey, fragrant, decadent, moreish, pretty and healthy. Plant-based, gluten-free, sugar-free, protein-rich, packed full of goodness and flavour, these wholesome treats will blow your mind! So much fun to make with the kids and adults alike. Try them at Christmas and you will fall in love.
Equipment
- 1 baking tin
- 1 baking parchment
- 1 saucepan or microwave
- 1 whisk
- 1 mixing spoon
- 1 food processor
- 1 food scissors
- 1 sieve
Ingredients
- 500 g tinned or jarred chickpeas, drained and rinsed well
- 220 g almond butter (we use Whole Earth)
- 40 ml rapeseed oil (or sunflower oil)
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- ½ tsp almond extract
- 120 g dark chocolate (we use Green & Blacks 70% cooking chocolate)
- 150 ml plant based milk of choice (we use Alpro Vanilla)
- 200 g xylitol
- 50 g ground almonds
- 2 tbsp raw cocoa powder
- ½ tsp baking powder
- ½ tsp bicarbonate of soda
- ½ tsp salt
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- 1 tsp all spice
- 50 g chopped hazelnuts (plus extra for topping)
- 100 g dark chocolate, roughly chopped
To decorate: a few wafer rolls, pomegranate seeds and ground almonds
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 200°C, 180°C fan.
- Line a 33x23cm (13"x9") baking tin with baking parchment and set aside.
- Place the 120g of dark chocolate and the milk into a bowl and heat in the microwave or on the stove over boiling water, till the chocolate has melted.
- Whisk the mixture so that it becomes smooth and silky.
- In a food processor, add the chickpeas, almond butter, rapeseed oil, vanilla and almond extracts and the melted chocolate mixture. Process until very smooth.
- Add the xylitol, ground almonds, cocoa powder, baking powder, bicarbonate of soda, salt, cinnamon and all spice and blend.
- Finally, add in the chopped hazelnuts and chocolate.
- Spoon the mixture into the prepared tin and bake for 30 minutes.
- Remove from oven and allow to cool completely on a rack before removing from the tin.
- To decorate, cut triangle shapes and use pieces of the wafer rolls for tree trunks. Dust with ground almonds and sprinkle with some fresh pomegranate seeds.
Notes
Note: These brownies will keep for a few days in a sealed container. You can of course make them any time of the year.
Recipe courtesy of Cinnamon & Bluebells (www.cinnamonandbluebells.com)
Recipe courtesy of Cinnamon & Bluebells (www.cinnamonandbluebells.com)