Gluten-Free Chocolate Brownies (and back to school!)

Brownies...the ideal form of chocolate courage as summer draws to a close and the school year approaches! This recipe comes from my tried and tested food guru, Nigella Lawson. It is taken from her cookbook, "Nigella Express", and the recipe is entitled flourless chocolate brownies. For me, brownies are not fool proof and quite a few recipes I've tried, just didn't deliver, whether it be on appearance, texture or flavour. This recipe works - producing rich, dark, chocolaty brownies with just the right amount of gooeyness! They are also gluten free and so they are suitable for coeliacs or anyone suffering with an intolerance to gluten or wheat. Ground almonds are the secret ingredient and they really help to create that lovely dense and luscious consistency. Give them a go, I'm quite sure you won't be disappointed!

On the left from top: pre-oven, cooked, cut into squares. Main photo: the taste test!

Ingredients:

• 225 g dark chocolate - 60-70% cocoa solids
• 225 g unsalted butter
• 2 tsp. vanilla extract or paste
• 200 g caster sugar
• 3 beaten eggs
• 150 g ground almonds
• 100 g chopped walnuts/pecans/hazelnuts (optional)

Method:

1. Heat up your oven to 170 degrees C / 325 degrees F / gas mark 3. Get your baking tin ready - a 24 cm square non-stick tin - and give it a quick grease, just "to be sure, to be sure"!
2. Put the butter and chocolate in a heavy-based saucepan and melt on the hob over a medium heat.
3. Remove the saucepan from the heat, add in the sugar, mix and allow to dissolve.
4. Ensuring to keep the pan off the heat, quickly beat the eggs into the mixture, together with the ground almonds and extra nuts (if using).
5. Pour the entire rich and delectable mixture into the baking tin, smoothen out the top and place it in the preheated oven.
6. Bake for 25 - 30 minutes. The top will have set but inside the gooey goodness will remain.
7. Allow it to cool in the tin, cut carefully into squares or fingers and dig in!
8. Nigella serves this with hot chocolate sauce and ice-cream on the side - heaven! But I will leave the serving and eating decision making to you. I enjoyed my brownie with a dusting of icing sugar and a dollop of coconut flavoured Greek yogurt. Yum!
   

Just a few final words...my other life starts back with a bang tomorrow as I return to work as a teacher after a long and fabulous summer break. I feel very blessed to have a job which allows me the time to blog. Since I started Fascination Food over a month ago, I have enjoyed putting together each and every blog post and am so grateful for all the positive and supportive feedback. I hope to post as often as I can over the coming months as I settle back into the day job. Bear with me and thanks again for stopping by, reading and interacting.

Just a little bit of tongue and cheek teacher humour!
~ source: www.someecards.com