So I made these chocolate brownies during the week. Super fast and supremely easy! Mint, vanilla and chocolate such a delectable combination…that said if you are not a paid up member of the “Mint Lovers Club” you can always add orange zest and a splash of juice for chocolate brownies with a fruity twist!

You will need a 9inch (22cm) squared cake pan, you can use smaller for a higher rise. I like them bite size- what make it more complicated to eat?!!

Minty Chocolate Brownies Vegan & Gluten free

• Two generous dessertspoons of organic coconut oil
• Two teaspoons of cashew nut butter
• Half a teaspoon of peppermint extract or four drops of culinary peppermint oil
• Half a cup of unsweetened almond milk
• A third of a cup of a good quality raw agave
• Two teaspoons of vanilla powder or extract or two pods
• A scant third of a cup of rapadura /sucucant sugar
• A third of a cup of pure cocoa powder
• A rounded teaspoon of arrowroot powder
• One and a half teaspoons of baking powder
• Half a cup of ground almonds
• Half a cup plus three dessertspoons of fine maize meal
• A quarter teaspoon of Himalayan pink salt or good sea salt
• 35g(1.25oz) of chopped up 70% dark chocolate
• A quarter cup of warm water (boiled and left to cool a bit)

Method

Preheat your oven to 170C (fan) or 340F. Line your tin with paper and lightly grease with some coconut oil.

Grab a medium sized bowl and put in your vanilla powder/ pod (if using extract add it to the wet instead), sugar, ground almonds, maize meal and salt. Press out any lumps. Get a sieve and sieve in your cocoa powder, arrowroot and baking powder. Mix them all together evenly. Set to one side.

Chop your chocolate, it does not have to be super finely chopped as coming across the odd chunk is an extra treat! I used an organic one that has some wild harvest beans in it too..swanky. This is to be sprinkled on top of the brownie batter. Measure out your warm water.

You will need to melt the wet ingredients, so get a perspex bowl and put over a saucepan of lightly simmering water, it should fit safely and the water should not be touching the base of the bowl. Pop in your coconut oil and cashew nut butter first and once they have melted add in your peppermint extract, agave and almond milk. Once it is all melted together and your kitchen smells minty fresh take it off the heat.

Use an oven glove or towel to pick the bowl up and pour the lot into the middle of your dry ingredients. Fold the gooey mixture together –  gently does it. You don’t want to knock air out, we are making brownies not bread! 🙂 When combined (no big lumpy flourier bits and a uniform colour) Pour the (quite runny) batter into the cake tin. Quickly now- no dilly dallying- sprinkle your chopped chocolate ontop and press in ever so slightly. Pour your water over the top and put into the middle of your preheated oven.

It takes twenty five minutes, fast…but you have to wait a good ten minute before removing it from your tin. I was impatient and as you can see by the picture it stuck a little. Gluten free equals handle with care. Once cooled a bit you cut it into bite sized chunks! Ta-Da! Brownies.

O and here is the Yin Yoga I did this evening. Lovely gentle Yoga practice for the start of the week. Not crazy push yourself advanced- but is in the holding of even the most simple pose that you find the beauty of a yin practice.

Xs Aissa