makes
16
prep
15 minutes
cook
30 minutes
difficulty
Easy
makes
16
serves
preparation
15
minutes
cooking
30
minutes
difficulty
Easy
level
Ingredients
- 60 g pitted dates, finely chopped
- 60 g coconut oil (or unsalted butter, softened), plus extra to grease
- 3 eggs
- 100 g ground almonds (almond meal)
- 1 pear, quartered and cored, skin on
- 140 g dark chocolate (70% cocoa solids)
- 25 g Brazil nuts, chopped
- pinch of salt
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 180°C and grease a 20 cm square cake tin.
Put the dates in a small saucepan with a splash of water. Cover and gently simmer for 3-5 minutes or until they soften. Allow them to cool, then blend them with the coconut oil in a food processor or with a hand blender. Transfer the mixture to a large bowl and add the eggs, then the ground almonds, and beat until everything is incorporated. Dice the pear into ½-cm squares and stir it into the mixture, too.
Melt the dark chocolate in a heatproof bowl set over, but not touching, a pan of steaming water (or microwave it on a medium heat for 1-2 minutes). Allow it to cool a bit before stirring it into the brownie mixture with the Brazil nuts and salt. Pour the mixture into the tin and bake it for 15-20 minutes, or until a knife comes out clean. Delicious with a dollop of crème fraîche, if you like.
Recipe and image from The 8-Week Blood Sugar Diet Recipe Book (Simon & Schuster Australia, $35, pbk). Photography by Joe Sarah.
Cook's Notes
Oven temperatures are for conventional; if using fan-forced (convection), reduce the temperature by 20˚C. | We use Australian tablespoons and cups: 1 teaspoon equals 5 ml; 1 tablespoon equals 20 ml; 1 cup equals 250 ml. | All herbs are fresh (unless specified) and cups are lightly packed. | All vegetables are medium size and peeled, unless specified. | All eggs are 55-60 g, unless specified.
