Last week a mystery box arrived at my kitchen door, courtesy of Food 24. It contained a handful of Woolworths baking ingredients – chickpea flour, vanilla extract and cashew nuts. My first thoughts were to make these gluten free cashew nut brownies.
If you’re in it for good health, look no further than these densechocolate brownies with chunks of dark chocolate. With wholesome thoughts floating around in my head, the aim was to include as many unrefined ingredients possible. For natural sweetness I opted for medjool dates (my all-time fav everyday snack) and runny honey in place of sugar. The cashew nuts and dates are first softened in hot water which helps add the necessary fudge-factor. And because we’re all busier than bees this time of year, the recipe is a blitz and blend method that’s simple enough to do, even for midweek baking. Brownies are brave. They can fly solo, although scoops of dripping peanut butter nice cream and hot chocolate sauce is clearly better. Here’s to happy, healthy baking.
Gluten free cashew nut brownies
- 180g medjool dates, pitted
- 100g Woolworths raw cashew nuts
- 100ml (1/3 cup plus 1 tbls) coconut oil (in liquid form)
- 80ml (1/3 cup) honey
- 2 eggs (x-large)
- 1 teaspoon Woolworths vanilla extract
- 60ml (1/4 cup) Woolworths chickpea flour
- 30g (1/3 cup) cocoa powder
- pinch of salt
- 100g 70% dark chocolate, roughly chopped (optional)
- Preheat the oven to 180º C.
- Grease and line a 18cm square cake tin with baking paper.
- Soak the dates and cashew nuts in boiling water for 1 hour. Drain thoroughly.
- Place the dates, nuts, coconut oil and honey in a processor and and blitz until the mixture is completely smooth.
- Scrape down the sides, add the eggs and vanilla extract and blitz once more.
- Sift the chickpea flour, cocoa and salt together. Add the dry ingredients to the date mixture and pulse briefly to incorporate.
- Fold through the dark chocolate pieces if using and transfer the batter to the baking tin. Smooth over with the back of a spoon.
- Bake for 18-20 minutes.
- Set aside to cool in the tin before slicing into squares.
- Serve as is or with peanut butter nice-cream or vanilla bean ice cream and chocolate sauce, if you wish.
You might like to try these brownie slices too
Healthy zucchini brownies with avocado frosting
Salted pretzel brownies with caramel sauce
8 Comments. Leave new
Beautiful photography. Very creative idea.
Oh yum.
Thank you Di.
You would be a star Masterchef Mystery Box Survivor. 🙂
Oh wow, these look so good, I love cashews so I bet these are great. The stack of them with the ice-cream dripping down looks so good!
All I need is a fork 🙂
You’re right Angela. Nuts and brownies are so good together. Thank goodness they’re super-healthy too!
I think the Masterchef kitchen is all sorts of pressure Marie. These are a doddle to make, so no pressure there. Enjoy.
Thank you Da. Glad we managed to save you at least one!
OMG so fudgy and chocolatey! I’m drooling, these look amazing! Love that they are made with whole ingredients!
I’m with you there, Bethany. Always super-chuffed when I can incorporate healthy and delicious into one. It just feels right eating these brownies.