Chocolate, Orange & Chilli Brownies (Vegan, Gluten-Free)

I wanted to bring you all the details of my teacher training trip today with this recipe but I also wanted to include the pictures which I have only just downloaded. So I thought the best thing to do was to bring you the recipe and then I could work on a separate post all about my trip. I am bursting with things to tell you but will save it.

So, on to the recipe, the idea for this recipe came from a Divine chocolate which is easily my favourite brand and I really love their orange and chilli bar and so thought it would make a great combo for a brownie. And trust me it really worked, I took these to my yoga class when I made them and they went down very well, in fact they just completely disappeared and I have already been asked for the recipe.

I have used lot GI sweeteners when making these as well as buckwheat flour so they are not only good for those of you that are gluten free but also perfect for those watching their blood sugar. Surprisingly one of these large brownies has a GL of only 5 making them a perfect sweet treat for those following the Low GL diet.

In an ideal world we would all give up sweet food and have perfect health but then I do also want to enjoy my life and we all need something that just makes us feel better when we eat it and these brownies will definitely do that. There is a surprising kick from the chilli in these brownies so if you want a little less heat use a bit less chilli powder or don’t use the extra hot stuff like I do.

Today I am feeling a bit sorry for myself because of how I have handled and feel about the actions of someone else (something I am learning not to do) and one of these brownies might really help to lighten the load. If you are feeling a little blue then knock up a batch of these, if they don’t help on their own the cooking will help to lift your mood and sharing them with a good friend and a cup of tea should have you feeling more yourself in no time.

Chocolate, Orange & Chilli Brownies

Makes 12-16

Prep Time: 15 mins

Cook Time: 25-30 mins

Total Time: 40-45 mins

Ingredients

100g/3/4 Cup + 1 tbs Buckwheat Flour
50g/1/2 Cup Almond Meal
35g/5 tbs Cocoa Powder
1 tsp Fine Sea Salt
1/2 tsp Baking Powder
1 tsp Chilli Powder
6 tbsp Coconut Oil
100g/3.5 oz Dark Chocolate, chopped, I used Divine Dark Chocolate with Orange & Chilli
75g/1/2 cup Xylitol
125ml/1/2 cup Agave Nectar
2 tsp Pure Orange Extract
125ml/1/2 cup Almond Milk
3 Flax Eggs

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 180C/350F/Gas Mark 4 and line a 22cm/9in brownie tin with greaseproof paper. (if you don’t have a 9in tin, like me just use a similar size and adjust cooking time)

2. In a large bowl mix together the buckwheat flour, almond meal, cocoa powder, salt, baking powder and chilli powder and set aside.

3. Heat the chocolate and coconut oil in a bowl over a saucepan containing hot water. Keep heating the water but make sure it does not touch the bottom of the bowl.

4. Once the chocolate and oil have melted stir in the agave nectar and xylitol and heat until the xylitol has dissolved. Remove from the heat and stir in the almond milk.

5. Make a well in your mixture of dry ingredients and then pour in the chocolate mixture and the flax eggs. Use a wooden spoon to mix well, it will make quite a thick batter.

6. Pour batter into baking tray and level out with back of spoon. Bake in the oven for 25-30 minutes or until an inserted cocktail stick comes out clean.

7. Leave to cool slightly then turn out of tin and cut into 12 large of 16 small equal pieces.

Nutrition

These are surprisingly good for you considering they are a sweet treat but the addition of almond in these brownies help to ensure the GI is low. In fact the estimated GI of these brownies is 30 and the estimated GL is 5.