Flourless Chestnut Brownies

nutty, sweet, rich

I’m amazed my family hasn’t staged a chestnut intervention by now.

I fully expect to come through the door one day and see them all sitting there.

“We’ve seen you in your room, eating chestnuts at midnight when you think no-one’s watching.”

“We know that’s where the money for the new car went.”

“Why in God’s name are you wrapping up chestnuts, labelling them: ‘to me, from me’ and putting them under the Christmas tree? Can’t you see you’re only hurting yourself?!”

I can quit them anytime I want….I CAN!

Perhaps these brownies might tip the balance, perhaps the crazy brilliance of putting chestnuts in brownies will alert them to the depth of my addiction.

tip: eat with ice cream

Or perhaps not – I’ve noticed that these brownies disappeared fast, and with no complaints.

They are rich, dense and fudgy (if you’ve ever tried black bean brownies, you’ll know the consistency I’m talking about) so don’t be afraid to cut them smaller than your average brownie.

according to Polish tradition, the Christmas feast begins the moment the first star appears in the sky on Christmas Eve. I can get behind that.

On a side note, IT’S CHRISTMAS EVE! Are you excited yet? I am. I’m as excited as a gal who has a whole bag of chestnuts coming from Santa.

Happy holidays y’all!

Flourless Chestnut Brownies (makes 25 small brownies)

• 14 large chestnuts, roasted and peeled
• 1/4 cup butter
• 1/2 cup cocoa powder
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 4 tbsps honey
• 3oz dark chocolate
• 3 large eggs, separated

1. Grind the chestnuts to a mealy paste. Transfer to a large mixing bowl and sieve in the cocoa powder. Stir.
2. Melt the butter, honey and chocolate together until smooth. Stir in the vanilla extract.
3. Add the egg yolks to the melted chocolate mixture, one at a time, beating them in to turn the mix glossy.
4. Pour the chocolate mix into the chestnut mix and stir until combined.
5. Beat the egg whites until they form stiff peaks. Fold into the chocolate batter and then spoon into a greased or lined 8in x 8in baking tray. Bake at 350 for 12-15 minutes until firm then let cool before cutting and serving.

Like this? You might also like:

• Bacon Brownies
• Sauerkraut Brownies
• Flourless Chocolate Mocha Hearts

This post was shared at Monday Mania.