These Beetroot Brownies are soft and fudgy with a rich flavour, and definitely don't taste of vegetables! They're vegan, gluten-free, refined sugar free, date-sweetened, grain-free, oil-free and nut-free optional.
2teaspoonsbaking powder(ensure gluten-free if necessary)
To decorate (optional):
Dark chocolate chips * (ensure vegan/gluten-free if necessary)
Instructions
For the beetroot:
Cut both ends off and dice the beetroot.
Place in a pan and cover with water.
Bring to the boil and turn down and simmer on a low heat for around 30 minutes, until soft enough to gently pierce with a fork.
Drain and leave to cool slightly before peeling off the skins - they should come off very easily.
For the brownies:
Preheat the oven to 180 degrees Celsius (350 degrees Fahrenheit).
Drain the dates and place in a food processor or blender with the cooked beetroot, almond butter and almond milk.
Blend until completely smooth, mixing it around a couple of times if necessary.
Transfer into a large mixing bowl along with the ground almonds, cocoa powder, salt and baking powder.
Mix well, adding a tiny splash more milk if it’s looking too dry.
Transfer the mixture into a square or rectangular baking tin lined with greased baking paper – I used a 23cm/9inch square baking tin.
Sprinkle over chocolate chips to decorate, if desired.
Bake in the oven for 20 minutes. They should be slightly cracked at the top and slightly firm inside but still quite gooey – be careful not to overcook!
Leave to cool completely (and ensure the frosting firmed up) before cutting into squares .
Keeps covered in the fridge for up to a few days.
Video
Notes
*For a refined sugar free version, use refined sugar free chocolate chips.
You can use any type of nut or seed butter – almond butter, peanut butter, cashew butter, sunflower seed butter, tahini etc.
You can replace the ground almonds with ground hazelnuts, ground walnutsor ground sunflower seeds.
You can make them nut-free by using ground sunflower seeds instead of ground almonds, sunflower seed butter or tahini instead of almond butter and nut-free plant-based milk.
Tips for baking with beetroot
Make sure your beetroot is cooked until very soft, which will make it easier to blend up.
Make sure to blend up the cooked beetroot until completely smooth - nobody wants chunks of beetroot in their brownies!