Chocolate Brownies

Gluten Free and Dairy Free

What can I say about the brownie. It is by far my favourite treat, it's rich, it's chocolate and it is addictive. It was the first gluten free thing I ever made.

I have gone through so many variations and experimentations of this recipe and made them so many times I've lost count. The brownie page of my hand written recipe book is covered in chocolate stains. I don't think I could live without them. I make them every week and my friends are constantly asking for them, so I always make them in large batches of about 20. Somehow I still manage to limit myself to one per day.

This recipe makes about 9 brownies

INGREDIENTS:

150g dark chocolate

50g dairy free margarine

2 eggs

170g soft light brown sugar

50ml oil 

50g ground almonds

40g rice flour

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 tsp baking powder

2 tsp vanilla essence

METHOD:

1) Preheat oven to Gas Mark 3.5 / 170C / 335F

2) Line a square baking tray (roughly 9x9 inch)

3) Melt chocolate over a double boiler.

4) Take off the heat and stir in margarine until melted, then set aside to cool slightly.

5) In a bowl, beat the eggs with an electric mixer until light and fluffy (don't over do it, it should look frothy)

6) Add the sugar and beat until smooth.

7) Add the oil and beat again to combine.

8) Add the chocolate in small amounts and mix gently after each addition. Then beat well for about a minute.

9) In a separate bowl, mix the almond, flour, salt and baking soda.

10) Add the flour mix to the chocolate mix and beat for a minute or so.

11) Add the vanilla and beat a final time for 30 to 40 seconds.

12) Feel free to add chocolate chips at this point, or chopped nuts if you so desire.

13) Spread batter into tray.

14) Bake in centre of the oven for 25 to 30 minutes (It varies from oven to oven). 

(The brownies will rise in the centre when baking, you will know they are done when this has fallen and gone flat again. You don't want them  to bake too long after this.)

15) Leave them to cool in the tray, then remove and cut. Eat and drool.

Vegan Whiskey Chocolate Truffles

The first time I made these, I made specifically because I had a bottle of whiskey that I was given as a gift but I couldn't use because I don't drink (hurts my tummy). I was racking my brain trying to think what to put whiskey in so I could cheatingly have it, then it just popped into my brain, truffles.

A simple quick recipe, though it was tricksey for me at times. First time I made it, perfect, delicious, luxurious. The next three times, it was too melty, then too hard and crumbly, then too melty again. And every time since it has been grand, perfect, yum yum yum.

Normal chocolate truffle recipes use cream, but to make it dairy free and vegan, I use coconut milk, or coconut cream, they both work well. And it doesn't even taste like coconut.

INGREDIENTS:

250g Dark Chocolate, the darker the better
80ml Coconut milk or coconut cream
45ml Whiskey
Cocoa powder for rolling the truffles

METHOD:

1) Bring the coconut milk/cream to a boil, all bubbling and dancing.
2) Take off the heat and add the chocolate. Whisk until it is all smooth and shiny looking. (Good tip, make sure the chocolate is in small pieces, it will melt easier this way.)
3) Then add in the whiskey and give it a good ol' whiskin, mix it well. I find it helps if you heat the whiskey up a little before adding it to the mixture.
4) Then just pop it into the freezer for a couple of hours, check it every hour and see how it is getting on. It should be firm yet malleable, easy to shape into balls and not sticky and melting on your fingers.
5) When it is ready, scoop and roll into balls and roll the little beauties around in some cocoa powder in a bowl, then eat them or wrap them individually or put them in a box. You might need to pop them back in the freezer for a bit to firm them up again.

Of course, you can use whatever liquor you want, I expect brandy would work well, or if you just want plain truffles, substitute the whiskey with more coconut milk, just boil it all, then add the chocolate. Enjoy!