Ingredients

Brownies

  1. 2 cups (220g) raw pecans*

  2. 2/3 cup (65g) Dutch pressed cocoa (or good quality cacao)

  3. ½ cup (50g) almond meal*

  4. ½ tsp salt

  5. ½ cup (240g/approx 12 large) Medjool dates, pitted

  6. ¼ cup (78g) Queen Pure Maple Syrup

  7. 1 tsp Queen Finest Vanilla Extract Madagascar

  8. 1 tsp Queen Natural Peppermint Extract

  9. 2 candy canes, finely crushed (optional)

Ganache Topping

  1. 150g good quality dark chocolate

  2. ½ cup + 1 tbsp (120g) full fat coconut cream

Method

  1. 1

    Line a small square or rectangle baking tray with baking paper, and set aside. I use a 15cm square tin, but larger (20cm) will work just fine.

  2. 2

    Add pecans, cacao, salt and almond meal to a high-speed food processor. Process until a course flour is formed (a few chunks are ok, but the finer the nuts are, the better).

  3. 3

    With the food processor running, add dates, then drizzle in Maple Syrup, Peppermint and Vanilla. At this point, you should have a large dough ball that holds together very well. If the mixture is too dry (because the dates were perhaps too dry) add a little more Maple Syrup.

  4. 4

    Add crushed candy canes, if using, and pulse through. Transfer the mix to the prepared tin, and press firmly to create an even base. Set aside.

  5. 5

    To make the ganache, chop the chocolate into very small pieces. This can be done with a knife, or I prefer to pulse it all in a clean food processor, so it’s very fine. Transfer to a large, clean glass or metal bowl.

  6. 6

    Add coconut cream to a saucepan, and heat until just before boiling point. Pour immediately over the chocolate, and allow to sit for 2 minutes before whisking together to form a silky ganache. Pour ganache onto of brownie base, then set in the fridge.

  7. 7

    To serve, slice into desired serving sizes, and add optional candy cane chunks. Store in an air-tight container in the fridge (up to 2 weeks) or freezer (for 2 months).

*Note from Jade: “For both the pecans and almond meal, I used activated varieties, and this is what I would recommend. However, raw pecans and any calomel meal (or flour) will work perfectly fine!”

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