Beetroot and chocolate brownies
You can either grate or purée the cooked beetroot before adding
to the mix - the latter gives a slightly more velvety texture. They
work just as well with or without walnuts. Some people think that a
brownie isn't a brownie without walnuts, while others can't stand
them; it really depends on your personal preference. Makes 15
squares.
250g unsalted butter, cut into cubes, plus a little more
for greasing
250g plain chocolate (about 70% cocoa solids), broken into
squares
250g caster sugar
3 eggs
150g self-raising flour (we use wholemeal
self-raising)
100g broken walnuts (optional)
250g cooked and peeled beetroot, grated or
puréed
Preheat the oven to 170C/325F/ gas mark 3. Lightly grease a
baking tin that's roughly 20cm x 30cm in size and at least 2cm
deep. Line the bottom with greaseproof paper and butter the paper,
too.
Put the cubed butter and chocolate into a heatproof bowl. Place
this on an oven tray lined with a baking sheet, and put in oven to
warm up. After a few minutes, remove, stir, then return to the oven
to melt completely. (Alternatively, melt the chocolate and butter
in the conventional manner, in a bowl held over a pan of barely
simmering water.)
In another bowl, whisk the sugar with the eggs until smooth and
creamy. Stir in the chocolate mixture until well combined. Sift in
the flour, stir, fold in the walnuts (if using) and beetroot. Pour
into the prepared tin.
Bake for 20-25 minutes, until a knife or skewer comes out with a
few moist crumbs clinging to it - be careful not to overcook the
brownies. Remove from the oven, then stand the tray on a wire rack
until cool enough to cut into squares.