Spiced Pumpkin Brownies

Thursday marks the annual holiday of Thanksgiving for our friends across the pond, which means that they get an extra day of festivities and food ahead of Christmas (we're not jealous, honestly). To celebrate, we wanted to include a featured recipe that would act as nod to the traditional Thanksgiving menu, while also bringing a fresh twist to the festive flavours associated with the holiday.

For this reason, we decided to feature this delicious Spiced Pumpkin Brownies recipe, created by Ruth over at Nutritiously Naughty. These little squares of deliciousness are a perfect alternative to your typical pumpkin pie, and put a healthy spin on your average autumn/winter recipes. They are naturally free from dairy, gluten and refined sugar, while also being low fodmap, making them perfect for those of you with sensitive tummies!

To see more of Ruth's comforting and delectable pumpkin recipes, Click Here

Ingredients:

  • 200g pumpkin 
  • 100g coconut oil (melted)
  • 50g gluten free oat flour 
  • 30g vegan vanilla protein powder (or 25g extra oat flour & 1/2 tsp vanilla extract)
  • 1 tsp ground cinnamon 
  • 1/2 tsp ground ginger
  • 1/4 tsp grated nutmeg
  • 50ml unsweetened almond milk
  • 50 ml maple (20ml more if you like them sweeter)
  • 2 eggs
  • 70g cacao powder

Step 1 - Peel the pumpkin and cut into 2cm chunks, then steam for 7-10 minutes until soft, and leave to cool. (If you can't find a fresh pumpkin, used tinned). 

Step 2 - Preheat the oven to 170°C, then line an 8x8 inch brownie tin with baking paper.

Step 3 - In a food processor combine everything except the cacao powder, until a smooth batter is formed.

Step 4 - Separate 50g of the batter into a bowl for the topping.

Step 5 - Add the cacao powder to the processor, and process once again until the mixture is combined.

Step 6 - Pour your batter into the lined brownie tin.

Step 7 - Drizzle little spoonfuls of the leftover pumpkin mixture on top of the brownie batter, then swirl around using a knife or skewer, to give your brownies a marble effect.

Step 8 - Put your mixture in the oven to bake for 15 minutes, until the mixture holds its shape, but is still a bit soft.

Step 9 - Leave to cool completely, before cutting into squares.

 

Click here to see the full selection of tasty, healthy and nutritious recipes from Nutritiously Naughty!

 

Products You May Find Helpful

8 Inch Square Cake Tin
£7.40 inc V.A.T.
Chocolate Brownie Tray
£5.50 inc V.A.T.
Large Cooling Rack
£3.60 inc V.A.T.
 

Coffee Cake

Today is the start of UK Coffee Week and what better way to mark the start of this brilliant week than baking this delicious gluten free coffee cake with dark chocolate.

Gluten Free cakes are now becoming more popular as people start to realise how fantastic the gluten free alternatives are, and this gluten free coffee cake is no different. This cake is very easy to bake and requires just 6 ingredients. The tastes of the espresso and dark chocolate complement each other perfectly, and the almonds add a nice crunch to it. So why not celebrate UK Coffee Week 2015 by making this delicious gluten free coffee cake with dark chocolate!

Photo by Apostoloff (view original here)

 

Ingredients:

For the Cake

  • 20ml of espresso
  • 70g of caster sugar
  • 4 eggs
  • 175g of unsalted butter
  • 200g of dark chocolate
  • 200g of almonds

Instructions:

Step 1-Preheat your oven to 170 degrees and grease/line a 20cm loose base cake tin with baking paper.

Step 2-Add the 200g of almonds to a food processor and blend until they are finely ground. Be sure not to overdo them as they will become sticky.

Step 3-Add the 200g of dark chocolate and 175g of unsalted butter to a bowl and melt over a pan of hot water. Ensure the bowl doesn’t come in to contact with the water.

Step 4-Separate the eggs and whisk the 4 egg yolks and 70g of caster sugar until it forms a thick paste, this should take no more than 5 minutes with an electric whisk.

Step 5-Fold the chocolate mixture along with the ground almonds in to the sugar and egg mixture.

Step 6-In another bowl, whisk the egg whites until they are stiff and add these to the cake mixture as well.

Step 7-Pour the mixture in to your 20cm loose base cake tin and bake for 25 to 30 minutes to cook well. You can adjust this depending how well you like your cake cooked. Allow the cake to cool for 5 minutes before removing from the tin.

Step 8-All there is left to do is enjoy a slice of this Gluten Free Coffee Cake with Dark Chocolate to celebrate UK Coffee Week!

Source: Jamie Oliver 

Products You May Find Helpful

Loose Base Cake Tin
£8.64 inc V.A.T.
Non-Stick Cake Tin
£10.28 inc V.A.T.