Is there anything better than finding yourself over Twixmas with a hoard of chocolate? There’s the chocolate box from your mum, a second Celebrations tin doing the rounds, the edible decorations on the tree and a stack of chocolate saved up ‘just in case’. And if any of that stash happens to be dark (at least 70% cocoa solids), you’re in for a gut treat. 

This brownie recipe was created by author and writer Dr Joan Ransley and is packed with polyphenols, fibre, protein, and healthy fats – not your usual chocolate bake fodder. The star of the show? Chocolate, of course. “Dark chocolate has been shown to have many health benefits, primarily due to its polyphenol content,” Dr Ransley explains. “A 100g bar of dark chocolate has around 11g of fibre which is like a super fuel for your gut microorganisms.”

Instead of sugar, these brownies use fibrous sticky dates and vitamin E-rich almonds instead of flour. There are also loads of nuts (full of healthy fats) and pears, which cook and squidge down to add to the gooey-ness. Again, pears are packed with fibre and inflammation-reducing antioxidants. 

• 80g soft pitted dates, roughly chopped
• 40g unsalted butter
• 3 medium eggs
• 150g ground almonds
• 2 medium-sized ripe pears, quartered and cored, skin on
• 150g dark cooking chocolate (70% cocoa solids)
• 30g macadamia nuts, roughly chopped (can be substituted for chopped walnuts, pecans or Brazil nuts)

1. Preheat the oven to 180°C /gas mark 4 and line a 20cm square cake tin with baking parchment. 

2. Put the roughly chopped dates, butter and eggs into the bowl of a food processor and process until smooth. Add the ground almonds and process briefly. Transfer the mixture to a large mixing bowl.

3. Next, dice the pears into 1cm cubes and stir them through the mixture together with the chopped nuts.

4. Break up the chocolate and place in a small heatproof bowl set over, but not touching, a pan of simmering water. Allow the chocolate to melt completely and fold into the brownie mixture.

5. Pour the mixture into the prepared tin and bake for 15-20 minutes. Use a skewer or knife to poke the middle of the brownies to see if it’s done; if the skewer comes out clean, it’s ready to come out of the oven. 

6. Allow to cool then tuck in!

Images and recipe: courtesy of Love Your Gut