Coconut Flour & Coconut Blossom Syrup Fudge (vegan)

Last month I mentioned that I have a thing for fudge at the moment.  I have made vegetarian fudge, vegan fudge and even raw fudge.  Well here are some more that I have dubbed as Quadruple Coconut Fudge as its made with coconut flour, coconut blossom syrup, coconut oil and dessicated coconut. 

For a long while, I have been dilly dallying what to do with my stash of coconut flour...  By the way, Is coconut flour the same as coconut milk powder????? I cannot seem to get a definitive answer on this question on any of the website, or maybe I am just not cooking in the right places. Anyway, this recipe for Coconut Flour Fudge is much of an on-going experiment with coconut flour being treated a little like milk powder for Indian style Burfi's. 

This Coconut Flour and coconut Blossom Syrup Fudge is good for up to 3 weeks as long as its kept in the fridge. I preferred this a few days later when the texture changed.  It firmed up even further and became more fudge like. It also crumbled like sugary icing fudge too, but I must warn you this is not sugary sweet, it has a subtle sweetness. 

Lisa's Kitchen No Bake Cocoa and Peanut Butter Fudge (vegan)

I have a number of food bloggers recipes bookmarked, as well as those from cookbooks. I have been making an attempt to cook them, not just drool over them and admire them.

Today's bookmarked recipe comes from Lisa's Kitchen,  I play along to Lisa's No Croutons Required and My Legume Love Affair cooking challenge, by the way I am hosting MLLA this month, so please join in if you can.  

Sweet Potato Fudge with Cacao Nibs (vegan)

Like the  vegan and vegetarian meatballs, I am having a thing about fudge at the moment.

In recent days, I have made beetroot fudge, chocolate fudge and now these vegan tiger orange coloured Sweet Potato Fudge Bites with Cacao Nibs.  

Vegan Beetroot Creme Brulee with Pomegranate Seeds

Its been two years since I last made a vegan Creme Brulee, and I was looking for an excuse to use my new cooks kitchen blow torch that was gifted to me two years ago, when I grumbled to my husband that the Brulee topping of the Creme Brulee I had made were not perfect. Christmas came that year and I found one under the Christmas tree. 

I  made these stunning vegan Beetroot Creme Brulee's  with Pomegranate Seeds last weekend. 

These Beetroot Coconut Creme Brulees are vegan and were a a bit of an experiment.  I was not sure if the heaviness of the beetroot was solidify, I was pleased with my first attempt as the Beetroot Coconut Creme Brulee turned out pretty amazing.  I have to admit there are still a couple of tweaks required as its not perfect,  but I am happy to share what I have already with my readers as Valentines Day is coming.  

The Beetroot Coconut Creme Brulee really, really was luscious, it was creamy, it was delicious and it was really amazing to eat breaking through the shardy sugar glass with my little spoon. 

I am going to be honest and forgive me if its sounds boastful, that is not my intention, bit I was rather surprised and a little impressed with myself that I was able to create something so gorgeous in my home, this is the kind of dessert you find at avante garde vegetarian and vegan restaurants. I am even secretly smiling to myself. 

The photograph above of the vegan Beetroot Coconut Creme Brulee, one without the sugar topping, and one with the brulee sugar topping and then I finished it all off with a generous scattering of ruby pomegranate seeds.

Apple Crump Scrump Slice

Last year when I was given a bag full of foraged apples by the neighbours, I made lots of tasty sweet things.  

Devon Apple Cake which was absolutely delicious.  D loved it more than me, for him it was a proper cake made with eggs and butter. 

Then there was Apple Snow Crumble which we had with cream and then custard, then came Johanna's Apple Slices.  

I've had Johanna's Apple Slice bookmarked ever since I saw it. Not only did it sound sumptuous, the recipe was even simpler.  But there was something about it that reminded me of a recipe called Apple Crump that I used to make all the time when I lived in Glasgow with the windfall apples from my small back garden.  I never blogged about it because it was not the prettiest to photograph, but it was one of the most easiest and most delicious apple dessert recipes I had ever had, of course I regret now not blogging  and sharing it, something so delicious worthy of recognition should not have been kept hush hush.  

The original recipe for Apple Crump recipe was showcased by a contestant called Janet Jones on Britain's Best Dish.  Even though the recipe was super simple, I had safely tucked away the scribbles of the Apple Crump recipe in the breadmaker instructions booklet, but in between moving to Wales from Scotland, it has been lost.  I was really gutted.  I could not find the recipe on the internet either.  I found this very strange as after appearing on Britain's Best Dish, the Apple Scrump recipe was very popular with lots of foodies raving about it. The only reference on the Internet that I could find to the Apple Crump recipe was on a cooking forum.  I have written the recipe below full credit to Janet Jones for those of you like me who loved it.  

Although Johanna's Apple Slice reminded me of the Apple Crump, its very different in more ways than one, but lets not compare and agree they are both delicious in their own ways. 

The Apple Slice was everything I had imagined, it was delicious, even D thought so.  We enjoyed it so much that we have had it twice last year and I know we will have it again come the apple season in the UK. 

Johanna through her blog Green Gourmet Giraffe: A Vegetarian in Melbourne continues to inspire me.  I don't want to gush, but she is truly exceptional. I think I may have cooked more recipes from her food blog than any other and have no doubt that I will continue to do so. Johanna will be celebrating 10 years in blogosphere and her blog has remained humble, down to earth and honest and I love it. Please do pay her a visit if you are not familiar with her at Green Gourmet Giraffe.

Cranberry and Pecan Torte

We always have fresh cranberries this time of year, but not for too long.  Like Pumpkins during the Autumnal Season, they disappear from the supermarket shelves as soon as Halloween has passed; and this is the same with cranberries.  Cranberries vanish once and for all as soon as Christmas and the festive season has come and gone. 

I try to make the most of fresh cranberries while in season.  Around the festive holidays, I often make Nigella Lawsons Cranberry, Orange and Almond pudding for Christmas.  Its become a firm favourite in our home, however this time we actually had a traditional Christmas Pudding.  I think it came in a hamper last year or even the year before, but I can't remember for sure.  So we tucked into the steamed Christmas Pudding late Christmas evening and this Cranberry and Pecan Torte was made early this afternoon.

The recipe comes from Entertaining Vegetarians by Celia Brooks.  I have made this Cranberry Pecan Torte before, a long time ago.  In fact it was in 2004 on Christmas day. This made me smile to myself and the fact that I was making it again, over a decade later.  I know this, as I had scribbled in pencil how delicious the recipe was with a note to make again...Gosh I am getting old.

This morning was our fourth day not leaving the house (except to go in the garden to empty the kitchen scraps into compost bin and refill the bird feeders - its been a busy garden with the bird life).  I spent the day in the kitchen trying to get creative and use up some of the excess fruit and vegetables I picked up last week for  the festive holidays.  Also, we both go back to work tomorrow, so I cooked a couple of dishes in advance that could easily be reheated when we get in late.  This Cranberry and Pecan Torte though, was more out of greed than necessity. 

The making of this Cranberry and Pecan Torte was a joint effort.  D cracked the pecan shells for me, gosh he made such a mess with the shells flying here, there and everywhere.  He's a much better housekeeper than me, as soon as he finished shelling the pecan nuts, out came the hoover and the mess was cleared away.  He is also my dishwasher!  

This Cranberry and Pecan Torte is very, very sweet and sharp which D loved.  Its sticky and chewy too.  I loved how the fresh cranberries burst bleeding into the batter. 

Raw Vegan Butternut, Mango, Orange and Marigold Layer Cake

This is  not a cake 'cake' with a sponge, and its not a cheesecake though on first glance that is how it appears.

This is a Butternut, Mango and Orange Marigold Layer Cake,  which I have also pretentiously dubbed as Sunrise Cake.

The bottom is an almond crust, the middle Mango and butternut Squash filling is infused with Mango sweetness and then the topping finished off with a zingy zesty orange  jelly made with agar agar and then finished off with a light scattering of dried marigold flower petals - all depicting colours of the Sunrise. 

I was impressed with myself, though I have to admit the rice paper butterflies actually look a little out of place, here or maybe dare I say it tacky - I did like the scattering of the dried marigold petals.

This is not a very sweet cake, needs a squirt of (soya) cream to cut the richness of the butternut mango filling and the sharp twang from the orange topping.  Its also a very big cake, you can slice it in 8 pieces generously or in 14 slices.  I took some of it into work and shared it with my friends and some colleagues from omnivores to vegans and told them this Butternut, Mango and Orange Marigold Layer Cake was a Raw, vegan and gluten free cake. They were all very impressed and said they felt virtuous and quite light eating it.  

Violet Coconut Bars

Today I thought I would share some of my Naked Violet Coconut Bars too - Is it a fudge, is it a 'Bounty' bar, is it a cake....it indeed is a sweet treat. 

These are just a variation of my Coconut Ladoos aka Bliss Balls from last month generously coated in edible violet crystals.    As Dr Oetker have confirmed that the violet crystals are suitable for vegans.

I also want to share something amazing whilst we were gardening today.  A swarm of bees elegantly, yet loudly buzzed over us on their way somewhere, it was a little thrilling, exciting and a little magical. 

It is with this reason, that I am sharing this picture once again on my blog.  D my husband took a while back.  It a fuzzy bee bumbling and buzzing in our garden around a purple allium.  

Naked Violet Coconut Bars
You will need some silicon moulds
Makes Lots 
Ingredients
4 tablespoons violet crystals
180g dessicated coconut
125g coconut flour
2 teaspoons Violet Syrup or vanilla
4 tablespoons maple syrup or agave syrup
1/4 teaspoon salt
170g coconut oil 
Method
Scatter the violet crystals at the bottom of each silicon mould.
Then blitz all the remaining ingredients in a blender.
Then transfer the filling evenly between the mould, presing with a back of a spoon until all of the mixture is used.
Refrigerate until ready to eat.
Carefully unmould to reveal a pretty purple topped coconut bar.  

White Coconut Vegan Ladoos

South Asian people traditionally don't really do cakes, they celebrate those special occasions like parties, weddings, birth of a child (grandchild, great grandchild....) and significant events like Diwali, Eid and Vaisaki and so forth with a colourful boxes of Mithai - which loosely translates as Sweets.

Laddu or Ladoo are probably the most well known Indian Sweet, followed by Barfi and Jalebi.  

I often describe Laddu's as the original bliss ball!.  Laddu's are golden balls of crumbly deliciousness, 

If you have ever watched the outstanding movie Monsoon Wedding, you will have noted throughout the film various scenes leading to the wedding day (and the wedding day) where various characters are having their mouths stuffed with a whole laddu.  I could never eat a whole one in one go - honest.  Little mouse bites for me. Yes, I am a lady  - sometimes. 

Sweet Parsnip Pie with Edible Flower Petals

A few good years ago when I began this blog, a fellow blogger commented that they loved that I made the most of an ingredient often using it for both sweet and savoury recipes.  I am guilty of it this time too.  After making this Sweet Parsnip Pie I made a Parsnip and Oat Porridge, I  usually eat porridge with freshly grated apple stirred into the mix but decided on trying it with parsnips and it was remarkable and naturally sweet, though I did throw in a handful of golden raisins.  I also made a Parsnip Crumble with some frozen berries and wait for it - Vanilla and Parsnip Creme Brulee.  

I've not always liked parsnips.  I have often found this root vegetable too sweet for my taste so one-day - a long time ago - I had decided it would be reserved mostly for sweet cakes and bakes, the way carrots are used in carrot cake (or if your South Asian like me, gajjar ka halwa aka Carrot halwa), though I must admit parsnips still makes an appearance in occasional savoury dishes. 

Back to the Sweet Parsnip Pie or should it read Sweet Parsnip Tart?!   Its a little hard to describe too, think American Pumpkin Pie. 

The parsnip pie was wonderfully creamy white like a brides lace dress until the spices kissed the pureed parsnip turning it into a deep vanilla colour.   The pie - tart was almost mousse like, almost velvety and sliced beautifully too.  You can eat it at room temperature, but if you wish to make it more of a pleasurable experience, then nuke in the microwave for a few seconds, then top with either freshly whipped cream or Vanilla or Coconut ice-cream.

Vegan Vanilla - Coconut Creme Brulee with Coconut Sugar

This vegan Coconut Milk Creme Brulee was a bit of an experiment and it turned out pretty okay. 

I've made vegan Spiced Creme Brulee once before, but its been a long while and having been given a couple of cans of coconut milk recently by one of my sister in laws who was not that overly keen on its richness and wondered if I would use them.  Of course I would, I took them both.  

So vegan Coconut Creme Brulee was to appear on my table once again.  The experimental part was substituting the caster sugar with  my recently acquired coconut sugar. It was all lovely and creamy white, but as soon as the coconut sugar began to dissolve with the heat, the creamy white coconut turned into a coffee caramel colour.  I got a tad nervous about its taste and if it would be bitter.   

I had nothing to worry about, it turned out lovely.  It was not sickly sweet, but the light coconut caramel sweetness was pleasing.  The creme brulee was unctuous, custardy, wobbly and thick.

However, I did have one little hiccup, but nothing that could not be resolved.  I did the sugary glassy topping originally with coconut sugar and it did not produce a hard glassy topping.  I then decided to do the other 2 with caster sugar and it was much better producing the glassy burnt caramelised topping that you break with the back of a spoon.  The only thing I do not possess a burner, so did it under my electric grill and anyone who has a electric grill knows..... its drawback.  So a blow torch is on the wish list.  

Fudge Like Peanut Butter Seed Bites

These Peanut Butter Seed Bites are ridiculously sweet and rather moreish.  

I sliced them originally in flapjack style, but after taking a bite of one.  I decided to cut them in half again, as they are super sweet and a bite or two would be suffice. 

I describe these bites as fudge like, as they are rather fudgy to touch, but when you bite in its full of seeds and dried fruit.  

Communists Love Rhubarb and Custard Doughnuts/Donuts

This is the first time I have ever made doughnuts or donuts if your in the USA, and vegan and gluten free ones to boast further. Although I am very pleased with on how they turned out, I'm not 100% happy sharing the recipe as it may need a little tweaking.  

You see the original recipes used xanthum gum, an ingredient that appears on lots of gluten free pastry and baked goods recipes.  I did not have any, so I made these doughnuts without it.  Its omission did not seem to do any harm to the recipe, but how would I really know having not made these before.  

Anyway, in half of them I dolloped a teaspoon of Duerrs Rhubarb and Custard Jam into the batter of each doughnut just as they were to go into the oven: and in the other half, only once baked I injected the Rhubarb and Custard Jam with an icing syringe set. Well let me tell you, I now know why jams are not put into the doughnuts whilst baking, they burst or burn into the moulds. As this Rhubarb and Custard Jam's consistency was a little thicker, I used one of the larger nozzles to inject the jam into the finished doughnut.  A word of advise, this icing syringe is great for injecting jam into regular size doughnuts, but is not necessarily good for intricate icing of cookies like gingerbread men.   

D really liked these doughnuts and said that they were moist and had the consistency of deep-fried doughnut, even though these were baked in the oven.  The doughnuts got further praise from one of my brothers who actually sent me a text the following evening describing them as 'delicious - please make more', so they must have been A okay. 

As I said, this was my first time making vegan gluten free doughnuts, so I hope to make them again, with similar results, so I err  a little on the side of caution when I share the recipe below which is adapted from Babycakes. If you don't have this Rhubarb and Custard Jam, then substitute with another jam or try something different like banoffee curd or even my own creation of Rhubarb Hibiscus Butter , just remember to omit the custard powder from the recipe below.    I am sharing some of these doughnuts with Bake of the Week hosted by Casa Costello.

Vegan Beetroot and Raspberry Jelly

I made a Carrot Jelly infused with Pomegranate Seeds a little while ago, and then thought why not give it a go with some Beetroot Juice and some homegrown raspberries.  

I've had some Beet It Beetroot Juice in the fridge for the past couple of weeks. It is quite velvety and smooth and really strong in flavour, that you sip it slowly like good wine.  I have been drinking it on and off, in small 'shot' portions.  

As well as drinking it, I have also used for a couple of recipes such as the vegan BBQ Beetroot Seitan 'Steaks'.  But wanted to go one step further and enjoy it for what it was, rather than just use it as an additional ingredient so a grown up version of jelly came to mind, but at the same time bearing in mind the potency of the beetroot hit, I knew it would be madness unless you are a true lover of beetroot to make pure beetroot jelly, so to cut down on the intense deep beetroot richness, I decided to throw in a lot, and I mean a lot of fresh raspberries from the garden and it worked fantastically, as well as beautiful to look at.  

Whilst making it and stirring in the agar agar, I got a tad nervous wondering if it would actually set as the juice was quite velvet thick.  But there was no need to, it worked well, there was that wibbly wobblyness that you expect from a jelly. Taste wise the beetroot juice jelly was now mellower in flavour and very enjoyable, even I liked it and those of you who have been reading my blog will know that I have come to like and appreciate beetroot over the years and shown how versatile a vegetable it can be in both savoury and sweet dishes: from currys to cakes and desserts.  

I will be making this Beetroot Jelly again come October for Halloween, and I may call it Vampire 'Beet Blood and Guts Jelly' or something like that to get the nephews and nieces attention.  Anyway, feel free to top off the Beetroot Raspberry Jelly with a little cream or vegan alternative, but D said he did not think it was necessary and I have to agree. 

I will post the recipe later today. Makes 4 - 6 portions depending on trifle dish sizes. Recipe can easily be halved. 

Raspberry Chocolate Brownies

Young cool nephews and beautiful nieces,  are reading this blog post? as I made these Chocolate Brownies to tease you from afar.

Yes, I can hear you all 'what a mean Aunty Shaheen!' 

Yeah more for me and your Uncle, but you can have some if you come on over, better be quick as they are disappearing fast. 

So that its not all sugar and chocolate,  l stirred some home-grown raspberries into the chocolate batter and scattered some on the top too.

 There is nothing more to say, except that they are scrummy - I have already had two pieces. 

Fresh Strawberry and Blackberry on Raw Cinnamon Almond Crust

I was conversing with a blogger friend some time last week and we both agreed that it was the first time that we had seen both locally grown strawberries and blackberries side by side.

It has been a strange summer, not that I am moaning it has been a fabulous change from the dreary persistent rain that has overshadowed me since I moved back to Wales.  So its been nice to see the sun still shining, though the early mornings and evenings are beginning to get a bit nippy on the cheeks.

Vegan Chocolate and Raspberry Bundt Cake

I didn't get round to taking a photograph of  it, but I made my first ever Clootie Dumpling last year for St Andrews Day and wow, it turned out pretty good; not pretty to look at, but pretty good to eat.  I had wanted to make Clootie Dumpling again for my Burns Night Menu, along with  other sweet Scottish delights such as Crannachan and Typsy Laird Trifle , but time got the better of me and I ended up making a Vegan Chocolate and Raspberry Bundt Cake; and the Irn Bru Jelly as mentioned in a previous blog post.

A bundt cake is a cake baked in a cake tin with as hole in the middle.  The cake tin also has a ridged edging.  My bundt tin has ridge edging but it didn't come out distinct as it should have, I think it was because the raspberries were moist and seeped through a little, but I think you get the idea from the photograph. 

So what is so Scottish about this cake?! The raspberries of course - they are from Scotland, albeit frozen from the freezer. I would have loved to have adorned the cake furthermore with fresh raspberries, but they are not in season here, so frozen raspberries it had to be this time.  This was a good cake.  The squished soft raspberries burst inside whilst cooking flavouring this chocolate cake that would have otherwise have been a little dry on the palette.  Very nice indeed and its sliced generously too.    I've also made this cake with Summer berries.

Recipe to follow at the weekend.
If you don't have a bundt pan, use a large deep round pan.  It will be fine.
Scottish Raspberry and Chocolate Cake

Sweet Potato Cranberry Brownies

I know some of you have made resolutions to lose a few inches from your waistline, so please don't be too mift with me with what I am about to share with you - a rich decadent chocolate brownie made from sweet potatoes and cranberries.  Its based on the Beetroot Brownie recipe featured on my blog last year. I figured I'd have a go at replacing the beetroot with sweet potatoes this time- Isn't that how lots of (acclaimed) bakers get their ideas, thinking outside of the box, except I am not a baker, well not a real baker, but an experimental cook and this substitute worked fabulously. 

I don't rave too much about chocolaty things, but oh my goodness, these are terribly good treat for your eyes, mouth, tongue and tummy - just not for your waistline.  For those of you who want to curb your curiosity, a small piece will suffice, not a whole slice or bar of brownie as I'd like to call it - that would surely make you faint with joy.

I've actually been terribly good over the festive period not over-indulging in rich, decadent  food.  The odd chocolate piece has passed my mouth, but other than that its been plain and simple. 

The orange of the sweet potatoes gets completely lost in the cooking of the brownie, in fact you would not know sweet potatoes was a key ingredient in this recipe. If you do get round to making it, please let me know what you think.  I am entering this recipe into Javelin Warrior's Made with Love, Mondays recipe round up of from-scratch recipes: and  into December -January editiion of Simple and In Season, a monthly event created by Ren Behan at Fabulicious Food. This month it is being hosted by Karen at Lavender and Lovage.   

Sweet Potato, Cranberry, Chocolate Brownies
Makes 10 squares if you want big indulgent greedy slices; or15 pieces if your being very good.
A2K Ingredients
250g unsalted butter, cut into cubes
200g plain chocolate (about 70% cocoa solids), roughly chopped
250g golden caster sugar
3 medium free range eggs
150g self-raising flour
Pinch of salt
200g-250g sweet potatoes, peeled and grated
Handful of fresh or dried cranberries
Method
Preheat the oven to gas mark 3/170oc. Lightly grease a baking tin that's roughly 8 inch by 8 inch. Line the bottom with baking parchment paper too.
Put the cubed butter and chocolate into a bain marie or heatproof bowl and melt the chocolate and butter in the bowl held over a pan of simmering water.
In another bowl, whisk the sugar with the eggs. Stir in the melted chocolate mixture. Sift in the flour and salt, stir gently, folding in the grated sweet potato and cranberries. Pour carefully and evenly into the prepared tin.
Bake for 25-30 minutes. Be very careful not to overcook the brownies. Remove from the oven, then stand the tray on a wire rack until cool enough to cut into squares. Adapted from this recipe previously posted on my blog.

Banana Toffee Curd Cream Cake

Wow, there just doesn't seem to be enough hours in the day for me to sit down and blog anymore.  I am missing not only blogging about what I have made in the kitchen, I am also really missing reading fellow bloggers blogs and what you have all been up too.  When I get a whole day to myself, I intend to just sit in front of the computer and catch up - promise. 

Anyway, this evening I have managed to get away from the cafe a couple of hours earlier.  So after, a little catch up on housework, I have sat down to share a recipe I made last week for the cafe.  Its a rather decadent Banana Toffee Curd Cream Cake.  

This Banana Toffee Curd Cream Cake has appeared on my blog in a previous guise.  Its actually a simple Banana cake recipe that I make.  Instead here, I have split the batter between two 8 inch round baking pans; and then slathered it generously with home-made Banana Curd, as well as some freshly whipped double cream.  

I've had a couple of people approach me and ask if I would make them a whole cake to take home.  Now that is approval. 

I am sharing this crowd pleaser with Karen at Lavender and Lovage and Kate of What Kate Baked for their Tea Time Treats. The theme for this month is Summer Fairs and Fetes; Cake Stall Cakes and Bakes - now that's a mouthful! 

Raw Beetroot and Chocolate Almond Brownies

Nowadays, lots of chef spout that it is their mission to re-introduce beetroot to the masses and therefore have tried to come up with inventive and innovative recipes to appeal even to the carnivorous and it certainly has worked. As over the past five years or so, the beetroot has re-emerged in a number of appealing disguises, whether its savoury such as: beetroot risotto, beetroot fritters; or sweets such as: beetroot cake, beetroot muffins, beetroot ice-cream and of course, beetroot and chocolate brownies - how can one resist?!

Well, I have to admit, I have delved into lots of beetroot recipes over the past 10 years, but have been lazy at making my own Beetroot Chocolate Brownies at home, simply because they were appearing at most eateries I frequented. However this was to change this week, when I picked up another bunch of beetroot still with red vein leaves in tact.  Sadly, the heat of the recent sunshine quickly affected the freshness of the beetroot leaves so this was discarded.  Also the beetroot skin was starting to soften too, so rather than lob it in the compost bin - I thought it was about time I had a go at making some Beetroot and Chocolate Brownies at home. Call it my laziness, but I did not bother boiling or roasting the beetroot and simply grated and added it raw to the chocolate batter. It made a wonderful difference, compared to other Beetroot brownies I've enjoyed in the past, this one not only retained its red velvet colouring, I noted that there was a bit more chew to the brownie too. I liked it.  More so my mother Loved it, so much so - she did not share her generous piece with her grandchildren and that action itself speaks volumes. 

I know many fellow bloggers are familiar with Beetroot and Chocolate Brownies, thanks namely to Hugh Fearnley Whittingstall - a food inspiration of mine since his days as host for TV Dinners, but I have to admit, I was introduced to the chocolate and beetroot combination a long while ago when trying to get my head round eating beetroot, I think it may have been thanks to a vegetarian chef called Nadine Abensur. 

Also one of the first blogs, I came across showcasing 'Beetroot in a Chocolate Brownie' was this one and the author acknowledged discovering the recipe in Cuisine Gourmande . I especially liked the fact that she used raw beetroot.   I also saw a Beetroot Brownie Cake recipe in a cookbook previous to Hugh's, unfortunately I cannot think which veggie cookbook it was, and it is simply for this reason that I decided to go ahead and make a slight variation of Hugh's recipe.

I am sharing this recipe with Jacqueline at Tinned Tomatoes. Jacqueline is hosting Junes Edition of Bookmarked Recipes: a monthly blog event initiated by Ruth of Ruth's Kitchen Experiments. I have seen the recipe reproduced on a number of blogs, so as well as providing a link to the original recipe below, I have decided to go ahead and share it here, with my very slightly adapted alterations.

Raw Beetroot and Chocolate Almond Brownies
Makes 10 squares if you want big indulgent greedy slices; or15 pieces if your being very good.
Ingredients
250g unsalted butter, cut into cubes
200g plain chocolate (about 70% cocoa solids), roughly chopped
250g golden caster sugar
3 eggs
150g self-raising flour (we use wholemeal self-raising)
Pinch of salt
50g whole blanched almonds, roughly chopped  (optional)
250g raw beetroot, peeled and grated
Method
Preheat the oven to gas mark 3/170oc. Lightly grease a baking tin that's roughly xx. Line the bottom with  baking paper too.
Put the cubed butter and chocolate into a bain marie or heatproof bowl and melt the chocolate and butter in the bowl held over a pan of simmering water.
In another bowl, whisk the golden sugar with the eggs. Stir in the melted chocolate mixture and stir to combine. Sift in the flour and salt, stir gently, folding in  the (optional) almonds and beetroot. Pour carefully into the prepared tin.
Bake for 20-25 minutes.  Be very careful not to overcook the brownies. Remove from the oven, then stand the tray on a wire rack until cool enough to cut into squares.  Slightly adapted from Hugh Fearnley Whittingstalls recipe here.