If you’re a fan of rich, decadent desserts, then you know there’s nothing quite like a fudgy brownie to satisfy that sweet tooth. These brownies are dense, moist, and full of intense chocolatey flavour. Here, we use cacao powder instead of cocoa powder, which offers a full-bodied flavour that’s perfect for dark chocolate enthusiasts.

This brownie is also refined-sugar free right up to the ganache, which is naturally sweetened with dates. By making cocoa butter ganache from scratch, this ganache is not only free from emulsifiers, but also stable at room temperature and resists melting, even in tropical climates 🌴

Get ready to indulge in a treat that’s simple to make but absolutely luxurious to eat!

Kitchen Essentials You Will Need

• Kitchen scale
• Blender
• Food thermometer
• 8 x 8 inch baking pan

Recipe

Ingredients:

Brownie

• 1/4 cup + 2 tbsp (65g) Almond butter
• 1 + 1/4 cup (180g) Coconut sugar
• 1/4 cup + 3 tbsp (80g) Olive oil
• 1/4 cup Water
• 3 tbsp flax meal (mixed with 9 tbsp of water)
• 1 cup (90g) Cacao powder
• 1/2 cup + 1 tbsp (65g) Oat flour
• 1/4 tsp Sea salt

Date Ganache

• 90g Dates
• 60g Cocoa butter
• 20g Cacao powder
• 90g Oat milk

Method:

Prepare the brownie:

1. Prepare flax eggs by mixing flax meal with 9 tbsp of water. Set aside for 10 minutes.
2. Mix cacao powder, oat flour and salt.
3. In another bowl, mix almond butter and oil until everything is nicely incorporated. Add in the rest of the wet ingredients – water, chia eggs and sugar, and mix evenly.
4. Add dry ingredients to wet ingredients and mix evenly.
5. Bake at 160 degrees celcius for 30 minutes.

Prepare the date ganache:

1. Blend dates and oat milk in the blender until smooth.
2. Melt cocoa butter using the Marie bain method. Create a water bath by filling a small pot with water to about 1/3 high. Bring the water to a boil.
3. Switch the flame off and bring the pot away from the flame to the table counter.
4. Place cocoa butter in a mixing bowl and place it on top of the water bath.
5. Stir the mixture until all the cocoa butter melts. With a thermometer, ensure that the mixture does not exceed 40 degrees celcius.
6. Once all the cocoa butter has melted, add cacao powder in small portions and stir until everything is well incorporated.
7. Begin the tempering process. Place the mixing bowl in the fridge to cool the mixture to 25 degrees celcius. This will take about 10 minutes.
8. Reheat this mixture to about 28 degrees celcius and stir. Add in date mixture and stir until smooth.
9. Repeat the cooling and reheating process a second time to obtain a smooth ganache texture.

Frosting the brownie:

1. Ensure brownie is completely cooled.
2. The ganache may have hardened while waiting for the cake to cool. If this happens, reheat the mixture again over a marie bain to achieve a spreadable consistency.
3. Once frosting is complete, place the brownie in the fridge for 10 minutes to set/harden the ganache. If you live in a cold climate, this step may not be necessary.
4. Enjoy!