These brownies are divine! They’re easy to make and really hit the spot. Sweetened with dates and banana, they’re healthier than the usual brownie, with just as much flavour!
Sugar-free date, almond, fennel seed and banana brownies
By Dominic Franks (www.belleaukitchen.com)
Ingredients
- 200g pitted Medjool dates – chopped
- 100ml boiling water (used to soak the dates)
- 1 very ripe banana – mashed
- 50g wholemeal rye flour
- 25g ground almonds
- 75g unsweetened cocoa powder (or raw cocoa powder)
- 130g unsalted butter
- 2 teaspoons fennel seeds
- 2 large free-range eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste
- 100g almonds – roughly chopped
Method
- Preheat the oven to 180C/160C fan/Gas Mark 4. Grease and line the base and sides of a 20cm square cake tin.
- Place the chopped dates in a bowl, pour over the boiling water and leave to soak for about 15 minutes.
- Gently melt the butter in a small pan along with the fennel seeds so the flavour infuses into the butter.
- After the dates have been soaking for 15 minutes, spoon them into a blender or food processor, along with the banana and blitz until they are shredded. Then pour in the melted butter and fennel seeds.
- Next, add the two eggs and vanilla bean paste to the food processor and blitz. Then add the flour, cocoa powder and the ground almonds. Blitz again until you have a thick glossy paste. This can also be done in a large mixing bowl if a food processor isn’t available.
- Finally, stir in 2/3rds of the chopped almonds, being careful not to break them up too much. Now spoon the mixture into the brownie tin. Sprinkle the remaining almonds on top.
- Bake for 15 – 20 minutes until the top is firm to the touch – set aside on a wire rack to cool completely in the tin, then cut into squares.
- Eat and of course, enjoy.