Vegan Beetroot Brownies

Fudgy gluten-free chocolate brownies made with beets! The combination of beets and chocolate is perfect, and you won’t even be able to taste them. My absolute saviour for a little chocolate treat. Vegan and dairy-free.

This recipe makes 12 slices

Equipment: chopping board, knife, 8×12 cake tray, large saucepan,

Prep Time: 55 minutes

 

INGREDIENTS:

  • 1 cup of plain gluten free flour mix – I recommend using doves farm
  • ½ cup cacao powder
  • 1 tsp ground cinnamon
  • 1 tsp gluten-free baking powder
  • ½ tsp baking soda
  • ¼ tsp salt
  • 1 cup cooked beetroot puree (prep in advance of buy pre cooked beetroot and blend them)
  • 1 cup coconut nectar
  • ½ cup of water
  • 1 tbsp vanilla

For the chocolate topping:

  • 1 cup of grated dark chocolate or vegan chocolate chips
  • ¼ cup non-dairy butter
  • ¼ cup water
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • ½ tsp pure almond extract
  • Cacao powder for dusting

 

METHOD:

• Pre-cook the beetroots by boiling whole raw beetroots in a large saucepan of water for 2-3 hours with the skins on. When they are cooked the skins will easily peel away and you can blend the beetroot into the puree ready for the recipe.

• Preheat oven to 165c. Lightly oil an 8 x 12 baking tray (or something of a similar size) and set aside.

• Mix flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt in a large mixing bowl. Add in all remaining base ingredients and mix everything with a mixer to combine well. Pour into the prepared baking pan and level the top with a spatula to smooth out the batter.

• Bake in a preheated oven for approximately 25 minutes until a skewer inserted in the centre comes out dry. Remove from the oven and place on a cooling rack for 10 minutes.

• In the meantime, prepare the chocolate topping by placing all ingredients in a glass or metal heat-proof bowl. Warm the mixture bain-marie and mix occasionally until everything is smooth and uniform. Once the brownie base has cooled a little, pour this mixture thinly and evenly over the brownies (use a spatula to spread it around evenly as needed). Allow the brownies to chill a little by placing them in the fridge for at least 20 minutes (once the tray has cooled enough to go in the fridge). 

• This will allow the topping to get absorbed into the brownies and add that delicious fudginess I’ve been talking about.

• Dust with some cocoa powder

• Store in the fridge for 5 days or freeze for up to one month