Fudgy chocolate brownies – vegan and gluten free

Gather

• 2 tablespoons chia seeds
• 6 tablespoons water
• 85g (8-9) soft destoned dates
• 10g coconut oil (soft but not liquid)
• 35g brown rice flour
• 20g potato flour
• 25g cassava (or tapioca) flour
• 30g oat flour (use GF oats if required)
• 4 tablespoons cacao powder
• pinch of salt (I use pink Himalayan)
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 250g sweet potato (baked and cooled, flesh only)
• 3 tablespoons maple syrup
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
• 30-45ml milk (I use unsweetened carton coconut)

Prepare

1. Mix the chia seeds with water, stir well and leave to thicken.
2. Squish the dates together with the oil until they resemble a paste (this is easiest done by hand). Add the flours and mix well until you have a breadcrumb consistency.
3. Add cacao, salt, cinnamon and baking powder and combine until all ingredients are evenly distributed.
4. Stir through the sweet potato, with the maple syrup, vanilla and the chia mix (it should now be sufficiently thick).
5. Add the milk a tablespoon at a time, mixing well between each addition. The desired consistency should be smooth but not runny.
6. Pour into your prepared pan, shake to level the top and bake at Gas mark 4 (350f / 180c)  for 25-30 minutes. The brownies should be pulling away from the sides when cooked. You can try a skewer test but as the brownies are fudgy this might not give the best judgement!
7. Allow to cool in the tin for 5-10 minutes before cutting into brownie size chunks!
8. Enjoy!

Serve & Store

• Serve on their own with a hot drink.
• Add a scoop of ice-cream or chop up into bite-size chunks and stir through ice-cream!
• Try warm with custard or cream.
• Store in a cool dry place for up to a week (if they last that long)!