Chocolate and Beetroot Brownies
We love Beetroot! They germinate easily, they’re delicious as a micro-green in salads, the leaves can be picked and used while the root continues to swell, they can be pickled or stored over winter, in mild climates they can even stay in the ground over the winter to provide a delicious veg to roast or to make beetroot soup or even to use in baking.
This recipe isn’t just a means to use up excess beetroot (is there such a thing?) it makes a genuinely delicious treat. This is an adapted version of the recipe in Hugh Fearnley Whittingstall’s ‘River cottage Every Day’ – a really brilliant book.
Ingredients
- 250g Beetroot (peeled)
- 250g Butter
- 250g Dark Chocolate
- 250g Caster Sugar
- 150g Plain Wholemeal Flour (we use the excellent flour from the Litlle Mill in Kilkenny)
- 1 tsp Baking Soda (or a little sourdough starter for the purists – but then you’ll have to leave to prove…)
- 3 eggs
- A pinch of salt
Method
We peel the Beetroot, cut them into 1 inch cubes and boil gently until they’re tender (about 20 minutes). Drain and cool them.
While the Beetroot cools, grease a baking tin or tray and line the base with baking parchment. You want a shallow dish, if possible. These brownies work best if they’re made about 50mm (2 inches) high.
When the Beetroot is cool enough to handle, grate them.
Melt the butter and chocolate in a heatproof bowl. Hugh does this by putting the bowl in an oven at 180 degrees. We melt them in a ban-marie (large glass bowl over hot water).
Whisk the eggs and sugar until the mix forms strong peaks. Combine this with the Butter and Chocolate mixture and stir until combined.
Sift the salt and flour into the chocolate mixture and fold the mixture together gently.
Gently stir or fold in the grated beetroot.
Pour everything into the baking tin and bake for 20 minutes at 180C (test in the usual way – stick a knife into the centre of the brownie, if it comes out clean then they’re done).
Cool on a wire rack.