Chocolate Beetroot Brownies

A moist flourless chocolate beetroot brownies recipe that begs the question as to whether a food can be healthy and damn delicious.

I’m a little lost for words as to how to introduce you to this deliciously moist chocolate brownies recipe. It delivers a delectable chocolate hit while being moist and not too sweet.

I’ve always been a sucker for moist cakes. So, that was a must for me!

Is this a healthy chocolate brownie recipe?

What challenges me is that some may declare that this chocolate brownies recipe is healthy because it is free of sugar, dairy and gluten and is flourless.

The thing is, omitting those ingredients does not make a recipe healthy per se. This is for two reasons.

The first is that none of those ingredients are inherently bad. Yes, some people have allergies and intolerances to dairy and gluten, and we continually hear messages that we ought to reduce our sugar intake. However, that doesn’t mean that, for most people, omitting these foods from our diet is necessary for good health.

If you’re not sure about whether you should omit sugar from your diet, you may find this previous blog helpful, sweet relief from sugar detoxing.

No food is healthy or unhealthy

Secondly, no food is healthy or unhealthy in its own right.

Food can provide nutrition that supports good health. It can be devoid of health-promoting nutrients. Or it can be correlated to illness when eaten in excess. However, this does not make a food inherently healthy or unhealthy.

Labelling food in this way can cause us to attach our self-worth to the food that we eat or entice blame or shame should we eat unhealthily. Therefore, I find it more helpful and less stress-provoking to consider food based on the nutritional value it provides.

And although I choose foods to nourish my body, enjoyment of the foods I eat is an equally important consideration.

Fortunately, these flourless chocolate brownies meet both these requirements!

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Print Recipe

4 from 3 votes

Chocolate Beetroot Brownies

Course: Desserts & Sweet Snacks

Keyword: dairy-free, sugar-free, gluten-free

Author: Tansy Boggon

Ingredients

Ingredients – Wet

• 260 g raw beetroot, cut into chunks ~ 2 medium beets
• 6 Medjool dates, pitted and soaked in hot water for 15 minutes (or 12 small dry dates)
• ¼ cup 60 ml runny honey or maple syrup
• 2 eggs
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract or paste

Ingredients – Dry

• 150 g 1 ½ cups almond meal (blanched or unblanched)
• 3 tablespoons cacao, carob or cocoa powder
• 1 teaspoon baking powder or ¼ teaspoon baking soda
• ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
• pinch salt

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 160°C. Line a square deep baking tray with baking paper.
• Combine beetroot, dates, liquid sweetener, eggs, oil and vanilla in food processor or blender on high speed for one minute. Then add dry ingredients and mix through, either in mixing bowl or using food processor.
• Pour mixture into baking tray (or spoon into paper-lined muffin tins). Bake for 45 minutes or until a fork comes out clean.
• Remove from oven and cool completely in tray.
• Top with wholesome chocolate frosting or serve topped with raspberries, yogurt or ice cream and shaved chocolate.

Notes

Don’t have access to a blender or food processor?

You can grate the beetroot and finely chop the dates before combining with the other wet ingredients.