Raw Chocolate Brownie Fingers

I simply can not explain to you how amazing these brownies are. They're rich, sweet, gloriously gooey and without a doubt my favourite go-to treat to satisfy that chocolate craving. I strongly believe these brownies are better than the traditional brownie, maintaining that squishy, melt-in-your-mouth texture. What's better is that they only take 5 minutes to make! They're sugar, dairy and gluten free, only use 5 ingredients and also bursting with fibre and protein - what couldn't there be to like?! 

The secret to these brownies are the medjool dates. They're packed full of fibre which can help lower cholesterol and fight obesity. Did you know that just one date contains 6% or your recommended daily fibre intake?! They're also bursting with all the essential vitamins and minerals needed to maintain a healthy body. Vitamin B-6 tops the vitamin list and are essential to our body for the metabolism of food and formation of new blood cells. Meanwhile potassium tops the mineral list, allowing the body to carry out electrical impulses that stimulate muscles and nerves.

So go on, make these heavenly gooey delights for your family and friends. Trust me, it'll be love at first bite. 

Makes 8 Gooey Fingers:

8 medjool dates

1 cup pecans 

1/2 cup walnuts

2 tablespoons cocoa powder

3 tablespoons spoons maple syrup 

Method:

-  Whiz up pecans and walnuts together in a food processor until crumbly. Then add the (pitted) dates, cocoa powder and maple syrup and blend again. 

- Put into a loaf tin and either refrigerate for 3 hours or freeze for one to allow them to set. Keep in the fridge to maintain freshness.

Enjoy!

Chocolate Lava Surprise

This is the most delicious, forgiving yet impressive yummy chocolate pud I've ever made. There is something special about breaking through the chocolate outer shell to uncover a gooey chocolate lava stream that oozes out onto the pristine white plate. 

It is the perfect dinner party delight as it will surprise the oblivious guests and make you feel like an accomplished chef (if you get it right..no pressure). You can make the mixture  days in advance, put into the ramekins, freeze & then defrost a couple of hours before you want to cook them, or simply make on the day and put into the oven 10 minutes before you want to serve. 

Serves 4

125g finest quality dark chocolate (70% +)

125g unsalted butter

3 large eggs

150g sugar

35g plain flour (Italian 00 is ideal)

butter & flour to prepare the ramekins

Method

- Preheat the oven to 200 degrees and grease 4 ramekins with butter and dust with flour. Put the chocolate and butter suspended over a pan of simmering water and allow to melt (if you're feeling lazy, put in the microwave for about a minute to 90 seconds, but pause and check often).  Stir gently until smooth and beautiful.

- In a separate bowl, whisk the golden caster sugar with 3 large eggs.

- Combine the 2 bowls, beat together and then stir in 35g plain flour.

- When you’ve finished your main course and you feel like you could eat again, divide the mixture into 4-5 ramekins and bake hot for 8-10 minutes until they are well risen and cracked on top.  Serve with sprinkled icing sugar and single cream. I like to add a couple of raspberries to give it more colour and attempt to make it look slightly healthy.

When you break into it, it should look like this below…mmmm!

Chocolate Roulade

The perfect pudding for a hassle free dinner party. Mary Berry's chocolate roulade is simply gorgeous. The absence of flour in this recipe makes it extremely light in texture, but the high cocoa content makes is super rich and delicious.

This recipe is great for dinner parties as you can do the bulk of it (the cakey bit) the day before and simply cover with a damp cloth, place into a plastic bag and leave overnight until the big day.

Serves 8-10

175g/6oz good-quality dark chocolate finely chopped

6 free-range eggs, separated

175g/6oz caster sugar

2 tbsp cocoa powder

300ml/10fl oz double cream

icing sugar to dust 

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 180C/160 Fan/Gas 4. Lightly grease a 33cm x 23cm/13in x 9in Swiss roll tin then line the base and sides of the tin with a large sheet of greaseproof paper, pushing it into the corners. Make a small diagonal snip in each corner of the paper; this helps to fit the paper snugly into the corners of the tin.

2. Melt the chocolate in a bowl set over a pan of barely simmering water. (Do not let the base of the bowl touch the water.)

3. Place the egg whites in a large bowl and whisk until stiff but not dry. If you turn the bowl upside down, the whites should be stiff enough not to fall out.

4. Put the egg yolks in a separate bowl with the sugar and whisk using the same whisk (no need to wash it) on high speed for 2-3 minutes or until thick and creamy and the mixture leaves a thick ribbon-like trail when the beaters are lifted. Pour in the cooled chocolate and gently fold together until well combined.

5. Gently stir two large spoonfuls of the egg whites into the chocolate mixture to loosen the mix, then fold in the remaining egg whites using a large metal spoon (you don’t want to squash out the air you have just beaten in). Sift the cocoa over the top and lightly fold it in. Pour the mixture into the prepared tin and gently move the tin around until the mixture is level.

6. Bake in the preheated oven for about 20-25 minutes until risen and the top feels firm and slightly crisp. Remove from the oven, leave in the tin (expect the roulade to fall and crack a little) and set aside until cold.

7. Whip the cream until it just holds its shape. Lay a large piece of greaseproof paper on the work surface and dust it lightly with icing sugar. Turn the roulade out on to the paper so its lining paper is on top, then carefully peel off the paper. Spread the roulade with the whipped cream, leaving a border of about 2cm/¾in all the way around the edges. With one of the shortest edges facing you, make a cut along it with a sharp knife, going about half way through the sponge. This will help to start the rolling up. Now roll this cut edge over tightly to start with and use the paper to help continue the tight rolling, by pulling it away from you as you roll. Don’t worry if the roulade cracks - that is quite normal and all part of its charm.

8. Finish with the join underneath then lift the roulade onto a serving plate or board using a large wide spatula or two fish slices. Dust with icing sugar.

Enjoy!

Chocolate & Beetroot Brownies

It's time to experiment with the roots! Just as you thought carrot cake was mad enough, beetroot brownies come along. There is nothing more satisfying than a gooey chocolate brownie, but it unfortunately has that 'i shouldn't have had that,' feeling attached to it. Well why not try out these gooey chocolate beauties, with around half the fat of regular brownies. Oh my god, you just have no idea how good they are. If you looked at the recipes name and scowled, then you are the people I want to try this recipe more than anyone and I promise you'll be a beetroot brownie convert. Right, enough talk more action - let's get cooking! 

Makes about 20

Total make and bake time: 45 minutes 

 250g unsalted butter, cut into cubes

250g dark chocolate (about 70% cocoa solids), broken into pieces

3 medium eggs

250g caster sugar

A pinch of sea salt

150g self-raising flour (wholemeal ideally but white works well too)

250g beetroot, boiled until tender, cooled, peeled and grated

Method

- Grease a shallow baking tin, approximately 20 x 25cm, and line the base with baking parchment.

- If you haven't cooked the beetroot then top, tail and peel the beetroot – you’ll need about 250g flesh which was 2 large beetroots for me. Roughly chop and put into a large bowl. Add a splash of water, cover with cling film, then microwave on high for 12 mins or until tender. When complete, leave to cool.

- Put the butter and chocolate in a heatproof bowl. Set the oven at 180°C/Gas Mark 4 and put the bowl in it for a few minutes until the chocolate and butter start to melt. Stir, then put back in to the oven for a few more minutes to melt completely. Of course, you could melt them together in the traditional way, over a pan of hot water, but it is a shame not to exploit the warming oven.

- Whisk the eggs and sugar together in a large bowl until combined then beat in the melted chocolate and butter until smooth. Combine the salt with the flour, sift them over the chocolate mixture, then gently fold in with a large metal spoon. Fold in the grated beetroot – be careful not to over-mix or it will make the brownies tough. I have a Kitchen Aid mixer at home and didn't fold the mixture as on a low setting, it does the same thing. 

- Pour the mixture into the prepared tin and smooth the top with a spatula. Bake for 20 – 25 minutes; when the brownies are done, a knife or skewer inserted in the centre should come out with a few moist crumbs clinging to it. Don’t be tempted to overcook them or they will be dry. Remove the tin from the oven and leave on a wire rack to cool before cutting in to squares. 

Taste and enjoy! ...Have you been converted?

Top tips

- If you don’t have a microwave, boil the whole, unpeeled beetroot until tender (leaving the skins on prevents them from becoming waterlogged), then peel and use as above. For a real cheat, use 400g ready-cooked beetroot – just be sure to buy the type without vinegar!

- Only have plain (wholemeal) flour left? No worries, I just added 1 1/4 teaspoons of baking powder and it worked a treat!