Wheat free chocolate brownies

Prep time: 25 min
Cook time: 40 min
Serves: makes 12-16

These wheat free brownies are perfect if you are on a gluten free diet, the rich and gooey brownies are studded with pecans for extra crunch

Ingredients

    200 g dark chocolate, at least 70% cocoa solids, roughly chopped
    100 g unsalted butter, plus extra for greasing
    200 g caster sugar
    125 g ground almonds
    4 eggs, separated
    100 g pecans, roughly chopped



Method
1. Preheat the oven to 170C/150Cfan/gas 3 and grease and line a 20cm square brownie tin.

2. Place the chocolate and butter in a heatproof bowl over a small saucepan of simmering water. Stir it frequently until it is just melted, making sure the water does not touch the bottom of the bowl. Remove from the heat and allow to cool.

3. Once the chocolate and butter is cool enough, whisk in the caster sugar and ground almonds. Then add the egg yolks and beat until the mixture is smooth.

4. In a separate bowl, whisk the egg whites to form stiff peaks. Whisk one-third of the egg whites into the chocolate mixture to loosen it, Then gently fold in the remaining egg whites, taking care not to lose too much air.

5. Fold the pecans into the brownie batter, then pour it into the prepared tin. Bake the brownie in the centre of the oven for 30–35 minutes, until the edges are set, and a toothpick inserted into the centre comes out with a little batter attached.

6. Leave the brownie to cool completely in the tin. Now, turn it out and cut into 12–16 equal pieces. Dust with icing sugar or cocoa powder to serve.