Nutty Beetroot Brownies

These deliciously fudgy brownies are packed full of earthy goodness from the beetroot – using the beets also means less sugar and butter. These brownies are a wonderful use for the humble beetroot and perfect alongside a cup of tea or coffee. They also keep wonderfully in a tupperware for a few days – if they last that long!

No beetroot? You can use butternut squash or sweet potato purée as a replacement. 

Guest chef Storm Ashdown @whatstormeats

Prep time: 20 minutes

Cook time: 45 minutes

Total time: 65 minutes

Servings: 4

Ingredients:

600 g Beetroots

50 g Walnuts (chopped)

100 g Unsalted butter

250 g Dark chocolate

250 g Golden caster sugar

1 tsp Vanilla extract

3 Eggs

50 g Cocoa powder

150 g Plain flour

25 g Icing sugar

Recipe:

  1. Wearing gloves, top and tail the beetroot and peel (save those peels for roasting in the oven!). Chop into pieces, put in a bowl with add a splash of water, cover, and pop in the microwave for about 15 mins until the beetroot is soft. Pour away any extra liquid into a little bowl for later and leave to cool for 10 mins.
  2. Preheat the oven to 180 degrees. Line a deep baking tray or cake tin and grease with a little oil.
  3. In a saucepan, melt the butter and 200g of chocolate on a low heat until smooth. Leave to cool.
  4. In a food processor, add the beetroot, chocolate/butter mix, and whizz to make a smooth batter-like consistency.
  5. In a separate bowl, add the sugar, 1 tsp vanilla and eggs and beat until creamy. Gently fold in the beetroot mixture little by little. Then add the flour and cocoa powder.
  6. Once the mixture has been combined, add the chopped walnuts and chunks of the remaining chocolate.
  7. Pour the brownie mix into a lined tin and even out the top with a spatula. Bake for 55 minutes to 1 hour until only a few crumbs remain when you poke with a skewer or cocktail stick.
  8. Take the brownies out of the oven and put on a wire rack. Leave until entirely cool, then lift out of the tin.
  9. Mix the icing sugar into the bowl with the leftover liquid from earlier to make icing (you can add extra icing sugar if you want to thicken it up). Drizzle it over the brownies, then leave to set.
  10. Dust with cocoa powder and cut into 20 squares. Enjoy!
3 pieces of beetroot brownie