Wowzers! These were so easy and I don’t have a very strong motor on my blender so the texture of the brownies is sometimes nutty mixed with the smooth! The ganache is NOT compulsory but makes it even more dramatic. Adding the ganache does make it less healthy with the white sugar and the chocolate wasn’t vegan.
Ingredients 200g dates (There seemed to be a date shortage around South Birmingham this week; I used pre-chopped, packaged ones which i soaked in hot water for 10 mins) 100g nuts (the main nut i used was walnut with some hazelnuts but you could add almonds, cashews-any i bet) 60g cocoa powder pinch of sea salt For the Ganache topping 75g dark chocolate 50ml almond milk 1 tbs +1/2tbs of melted coconut oil 1tbs icing sugar pinch of sea salt
METHOD
1.Blend the nuts in a processor
2. Add the cocoa powder and salt to the blender and pulse together
3. Put this mixture in a large bowl
4. Drain the dates from their water (if re hydrating them) and blend together in the mixer
5. When the desired texture is reached (i don’t think it needs to be a puree) add the nut and cocoa mix to the dates and mix together (my blender failed at this so using a wooden spoon worked just as well!)
6. the mixture should be super squidgy and using a spatula press this onto a lined tin or dish making it about 1cm in thickness; (keep it contained!) Put in fridge
7. for the ganache heat up the almond milk to a HOT heat and drop the chocolate pieces into it to melt. (Cover and leave for a while)
8. Melt the coconut oil and add this to the chocolate milk and put in fridge to cool down a little
9. Take both the brownie and ganache out of the fridge. Test the ganache-whisk the icing sugar into it. It needs to be thick so add more icing sugar if you desire!
10. spread the ganache onto the brownie thickly!
note- there maybe leftover ganache but it works well with strawberries/spread on toast/ eating off the spoon…