Beetroot season is almost here, along with cosy Autumnal evenings and plenty of grounding root vegetable goodness. High in iron, beets are a powerful yet humble vegetable, until they’re sliced into and everything is dyed red…. An uncommon ingredient in brownies, the beetroot here acts as the glue that sticks everything together, and gives a supremely satisfying fudgy texture.
With ingredients like cashews, beetroot and cocoa, these brownies are way more than a grab-and-go sugary snack, they’re a way to boost your body’s intake of very valuable nutrients like magnesium, zinc, iron and phosphorus, of which many people are actually deficient in. Cocoa and cashews are also incredibly mood-boosting, so if you know a brownie-lover in need of a healthy mood boost, bake them this.
If the idea of adding beetroot to brownies scares you, rest assured these are genuinely delicious, and not nearly as weird as sweet potato brownies, or courgette cakes…. Right? For my other brownie recipes, click HERE.
INGREDIENTS
(serves 6-8)
- 6 small beetroots
- 1 cup cocoa powder
- 2 tbsp coconut oil
- 2 eggs
- ½ cup coconut flour (or ground almonds, spelt, buckwheat or your own choice of flour)
- 2 tbsp honey, agave, stevia, coconut sugar, or any other sweetener of your choice
- 1 tsp baking powder
- ½ tsp baking soda
- pinch of salt
- 1 handful cashews
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- optional: 1 tbsp instant coffee or 2 tbsp brewed coffee
- optional: dark chocolate chips or broken pieces of dark chocolate
METHOD
Wash the beetroots and slice into small chunks
Steam or boil the beetroot chunks until tender
Once tender, leave to cool
In a large bowl, mix the cocoa powder, flour, sweetener, baking soda and powder, salt, dark chocolate chips if using, and cashews
Add the beetroot to a blender, keeping only a very small amount of liquid with it, put the rest of the liquid to one side for a moment
Blend the beetroot until it forms a puree – like consistency
Add the beetroot puree, eggs, coffee if using, and coconut oil to the dry mixture and mix well
Add a small amount of milk of your choice if needed, until a thick batter is created (it should not be runny)
Line an oven proof dish, cake tin or loaf tin with baking paper and lightly grease it with coconut oil or butter
Pour in the batter and top with a few more cashews
Bake on the middle or bottom shelf of the oven for 30-45 minutes – it’ll be done when a brownie scent fills the air, and the top is springy to touch
Once done, turn the oven off but leave it in there for 10 more minutes
Leave to cool on a wire rack or suitable surface
Cut into slices and enjoy!
Serve with this vegan ice cream, organic yoghurt or take a slice to work with you for mid-afternoon chocolate cravings.
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