Sugar-free brownies

These quick and easy brownies are made in just one bowl and contain no refined sugar. Soft, sticky dates provide all the sweetness, as well as being the main ingredient. The brownies have a rich, intensely chocolatey flavour and are quite dark, so they’re perfect if you love dark chocolate. If you prefer your brownies a little sweeter, simply reduce the amount of cocoa powder slightly. Highly recommended!

Makes 9 servings.

Ingredients for sugar-free brownies:

• 110 g butter
• 75 g plain flour or light spelt flour
• 170 g soft, sticky dried dates
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 70 g cocoa powder
• 70 ml milk
• 2 large eggs
• 80 g walnuts, roughly chopped
• 150 g raspberries (100 g for the batter + 50 g for the top)

All ingredients should be at room temperature.

Melt the butter and leave to cool. Place the dates in a food processor and chop finely. Add the sifted flour, baking powder and cocoa powder, followed by the milk and eggs. Blend briefly, just until combined (do not overmix). Add the butter and blend briefly again. Add the walnuts and 100 g of the raspberries and fold through. The batter will be very thick.

Line a 20 × 20 cm baking tin with baking paper. Transfer the batter to the tin and spread it out evenly. Arrange the remaining raspberries over the top, gently pressing them into the batter.

Bake the sugar-free brownies at 170°C for approximately 20 minutes (the original author suggests as little as 15 minutes). When tested with a skewer, the brownies should not be raw, but the skewer may have some batter on it. Do not overbake – the brownies should remain moist and slightly fudgy rather than resembling a regular cake.

Remove from the oven and leave to cool, then cut into 9 squares.

Enjoy!

Recipe source: “Bake” Lorraine Pascale.