Best Ever Brownies (D-F)

I know that I've sung my avocado brownies from every rooftop, and won't shut up about them, but I may have found something better (I have)

A little while ago my mum and I popped over to our friend's for dinner. She cooked us an amazing meal, lamb tagine with apricot and black olive cous cous, I was in absolute heaven.

Then she brought out pudding. Apple Kuchen (oh my goodness!) and brownies.
Now, I've had my fair share of brownies, toffee brownies, peanut & cake batter brownies, oozy brownies, brownies made with avocado, slutty brownies, cakey brownies, raspberry and white chocolate brownies and ooey gooey ones, but this was the best brownie I have ever had.

Just as I thought it couldn't get better, H announced that they were dairy free.

After bugging her daughter for days, E finally gave me the recipe, I tweaked it a bit after doing some googling and calculations (confusing to say the least) so that it only contained dark chocolate (check the allergens to make sure there's no milk!) so there was no way anyone could go wrong with it.

I can't get across how good these are so whack on the oven to 180C

125g dark chocolate

150g prunes, pureed

200g soft light brown sugar

3 egg whites

1tsp vanilla essence

65g plain flour

First weigh and puree your prunes, once they're pureed, have an open mind because they'll taste delicious.

Mix the pureed prunes into the soft brown sugar, the add the vanilla.

Weigh and melt your chocolate,

Then add the prune mixture to the chocolate and stir until smooth and silky.

Finally, sift in the flour, add a few handful of nuts if you wish then pour into a 6inch square tin and bake for 1 hour or until firm to touch.

After you've waited for that cruel hour to pass, whip them out and let them cool in the tray, when they've solidified a little, cut them up and gorge yourself, after that long hour of waiting, you deserve it.

I thought this was especially fitting after the most recent GBBO episode!

I made these for a girlie sleepover with two of my best girlies before we headed off to uni and Ellie headed off to Australia, snuggled in duvets, watching classic films and eating so much we were groaning and holding our tummies!

The prunes in these make these deliciously rich, moist and fudgey, they tick all of my brownie boxes, the only thing they don't do is tap dance!

Just look at Wispy asking..

Skinny Chocolate Fudge Brownies

A few nights ago I was trawling through Bloglovin' and found a recipe for dairy free brownies. Without thinking, I took a photo of the ingredients on my phone, but didn't note down who's it was, I've changed this slightly to fit what I had in my pantry but if the base of this recipe is yours, then thank you, because it's so scrummy and dairy free!

It makes the most delicious, fudgey brownies. Don't let the photos make you think that they're cakey, no siree, they're ooey and gooey and sans butter!

1 medium avocado

1 large egg

1.5 breakfast cup of granulated sugar (I'm going to try it with sweetener soon)

3/4 breakfast cup of cocoa powder

1/4 breakfast up of plain flour

First mash that avocado up as smooth as can be:

 

Add an egg..

Stirin your sugar and your cocoa powder.
I found it was easiest to add a little at a time or the powder went everywhere.

Lastly fold in your flour.

Look at that ooey, gooey mixure...

Do a finger taste test, no ones watching or judging..

Pour into a foil lined brownie tin.

And for the sake of the brownies, please grease that foil, or you'll be stuck (or rather your brownies will be).

I used a standard brownie tin (20 cm sq) but that was a little too large, my brownies came out quite thin (I don't really trust thin brownies) so I doubled them up and stacked 2 together to make a decent size.

Pop them in the oven at 180 celcius for about 15 mins, depending on how thick the batter is in the tin. 

The avocado is a much better replacement for butter, not only cutting out dairy, but they're full of good fats to make your nails grow and your hair shiny, plus they're rumoured to help you lose weight.

Brownies that make you lose weight and make your hair shine?
Yes please.

  

 Just one more...



The Big 1-8

Yesterday I hit the big 1-8, and after my form's track record of celebrating birthdays, I wasn't sure what to expect.
The night before I had started churning out chocolate chew balls and sausage rolls in their masses ready for my form and my mum even made one of her specialities, brownies, complete with marshmallows and chocolate chips.

WARNING: FOOD PORN!

To start the day off I went out for breakfast to Crabtrees with my mummy and my godmother, Jill.

Crabtrees is the best café near me, their wedges are to die for! Sadly, I didn't get the chance to take a great deal of photos because I was so ravenous and over excited but all three of us went for smoked salmon with poached duck eggs on toast which had definatley been homemade.
It was incredible.
Ever since I can remember I have had an aversion to eggs, I don't mind it when I can't see them like in cakes but not any more!!

Both the meal and the company were the perfect way to start the day but I had bid my farewells and get off to school.

Our class have always organised joint presents, everyone puts in about £10 and gets the birthday girl a joint present, my class gave me such amazing presents, I mean just look at the card!

 

 

 

This is a cookie stamp, so before they jump into the oven I can make sure everyone knows they're homemade!

 

And obviously there were cheese pies...

 

I thought we were ordering pizzas for lunch, and I went to get them with I and M, but instead they drove me to the Suffolk Food Hall where the rest of my class and boyfriend were waiting, I don't think I've ever been so shocked, again I didn't get many photos at all because I was a little bit overwhelmed.

The week before M and I had had a mille-feuille and her lovely mum (who I've never met) made me this beautiful cake, layers of delicious puff pastry, sandwiched with cream and topped with berries and rosemary flowers, then surrounded by beautiful blossoms and sprigs of mint from their garden.

 

Outside the food hall is the most fantastic thing ever. A bouncy pillow.

After gorging ourselves silly we thought it best to work it off!

 

In the evening my boyfriend and mum cooked up a storm with some chicken satay, a delicious Jamie Oliver recipe that I must repost.
I wasn't allowed to do anything but arrange the lettuce, so here's my contribution.

 

Then it was time for cake!
I was literally so full, but you probably know by now that I can always manage some more!

I had the best birthday I've ever had, and today was my last day of school, as a little tribute to my lovely class I thought I'd include a couple of pictures of our day:

Yes, we did spend the day as chillis, there wasn't an actual reason why, and yes, one of our pranks was leaving dead mice we got from a pet food shop around the school, it wasn't my idea!