I have a pile of books in my garage that I had all good intentions of taking to Lifeline when we moved house three years ago, well that hasn’t happened and yesterday this book caught my eye when getting in the car.
I remember buying it in my early 20’s from the sale pile at a bookstore, I never baked anything from and don’t even recall reading any of the advice in it, it just sat in my bookshelf.
But today the recipes really spoke to me and I just had to make these Sticky Date & Chocolate Brownies that are perfect for people who are diary free but also for mums who want to reduce the amount of refined sugar in their kids diet. The sweetness comes from the dates and sultanas making them a treat you don’t mind letting the kids dig into. These passed the taste test with the boys so the come with the child approved tick of approval.
INGREDIENTS
1 1/2 Cups Dates, seeded
1 1/2 Cups Raisins (sultanas work too)
2 Cups Boiling Water
1 1/2 Cups Cocoa or carob powder
1/3 Cup Soy Milk (I used Almond Milk)
2 Tsp Vanilla essence
2 Tbs Olive Oil
2 Tbs Molasses or Date Syrup (I used Treacle)
1/2 Tsp Cider Vinegar (I omitted this)
2 1/2 Cups Whole Wheat Flour (I used Plain Flour)
2 Tsp Baking Powder
LET’S PUT IT ALTOGETHER
1. Place the Dates and Raisins (or sultanas) and boiling water into a saucepan and cook for 5 minutes.
(I blended this altogether in the food processor once cooked to make the mixture smooth)
2. Stir in the cocoa powder really well.
3. Add the soy milk, vanilla essence, olive oil, molasses and cider vinegar (if using) into the mixture and mix thoroughly.
4. Quickly mix through the flour and baking powder. Pour into a slice pan or square baking pan and bake at 200 degree Celcius for about 15 minutes. Cool in the pan and cut into squares to serve.
I have stored these in an airtight container in the fridge.
Source: The Dairy Free Detox Diet the 14 Day Plan. DAwn Hamilton, PH.D. Page 194.
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Looks great! I was just wondering how much cocoa powder goes into this recipe please? I think there may be a formatting issue {1 12 Cups Cocoa or carob powder}. Could you use the same amount of cacao powder as a substitute?
Can I use fresh milk instead of almond or soy milk?
Yes you can replace with normal milk, it would just mean it’s not dairy free anymore 🙂
I am unable to find molasses. Can I use honey instead?
Treacle or golden syrup would be a better alternative 🙂
Are they freezable?? I’m looking for lunchbox snacks.Thx in advance.