I like my brownies so fudgy you need to eat them with a spoon, if you know what I’m saying. These rich, gooey brownies have a hint of hazelnut reminiscent of Nutella and are sweetened only with dates.
If you can get your hands on unsweetened hazelnut butter or make your own, it will be an absolute treat, but you can sub in any unsweetened nut butter for great results. This one is a classic that you will make over and over.
Reprinted with permission from THE VEGETARIAN RESET by Vasudha Viswanath, The Collective Book Studio, January 2023. Photo credit Alexandra Shytsman.
Hazelnut Brownies
16 pieces
Ingredients
- 15–20 pitted mejdool dates (12 oz/340g)
- 1 cup/ 240ml hot water
- 4 eggs, beaten
- 1 cup/ 224g hazelnut butter or other nut butter (no sugar or additional oil added)
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 cup/112g blanched almond flour
- 1 cup/86g unsweetened cocoa powder (I use Valrhona for an intense dark colour)
- 1 tsp baking powder
- ¼ tsp salt
Instructions
- 1 Immerse the dates in hot water, cover, and let sit for 10–15 minutes. Drain and reserve the water. In the carafe of a food processor or blender, blend the dates with 1/2 cup/120ml of the reserved water until smooth. You can add more water from the remaining reserved water as needed, 1 tablespoon at a time.
- 2 Preheat the oven to 350°F/180°C.
- 3 In a large bowl, whisk together the beaten eggs, hazelnut butter, vanilla extract, and date paste until smooth. In a separate bowl, mix the flour, cocoa, baking powder, and salt.
- 4 Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients gradually, mixing well until fully incorporated.
- 5 Grease an 8-x-8-x-1 1/2 in/20-x-20-x-4-cm baking pan or casserole dish and pour in the batter. Bake for 18–22 minutes (see cooking notes).
- 6 Let cool for 30 minutes. Slice into 16 rectangles and serve. You may need to run a butter knife around the edges to loosen.
