Hazelnut Fudge Brownies
I debated about whether to call these triple chocolate brownies or chocolate fudge brownies or something else, finally settling on simply Hazelnut Fudge Brownies.
Made with sprouted spelt, raw cacao and pastured butter, these brownies are insanely delicious by any name..
Hazelnut Fudge Brownies
1 cup raw cacao beans
1/4 cup oz raw cacao powder
1/4 cup oz unsweetened chocolate chips
1/2 cup organic, raw hazelnuts
1/4 lb (1 stick) pastured butter, softened
1/2 cup rapadura or other non-refined sweetener
2 large pastured eggs
1 teaspoon real vanilla extract
4 oz sprouted spelt flour
1 teaspoon aluminum-free baking powder
1 3-fingered pinch sea salt
Place the raw cacao and hazelnuts on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and roast in a 350 degree oven for about 12 minutes. Do not allow to burn.
When cool enough to handle, place the cacao beans in a clean kitchen towel and bash with a small skillet or meat mallet. Take the towel outside and allow the wind to blow away the papery skins. You’ve just made your own cacao nibs.
Now do the same thing with the hazelnuts, but don’t worry too much about the skins.
Combine flour, cacao powder, salt and baking powder in a glass bowl.
Cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Stir in the vanilla, then add the eggs one at a time, stirring vigorously.
Pour the wet mixture into the flour mixture, add the cacao nibs and stir to combine.
Spread the batter (it will be thick and paste-like) into a buttered 9×9 baking dish and sprinkle hazelnuts and chocolate chips over the top.
Bake in a 350 degree oven until a knife blade inserted into the middle comes out almost, but not-quite clean, about 20-25 minutes. Do not over-bake, or the brownies will be dry.
Cover the pan with a clean towel and allow to cool on a rack for at least 20 minutes.
Serving with a glass of fresh milk if you like.
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- Hazelnut Fudge Brownies
Did you know that raw cacao has 30 times the anti-oxidant power of green tea?
emily said,
August 14, 2009 at 11:01 pm
omigosh, my mouth is watering, so delicious looking. where do you findraw cacoa beans?
Ren said,
August 14, 2009 at 11:19 pm
Thanks, Emily!
They’re available at stores here in town or by mail order. Its a little bit of a pain to remove the skins, but awfully expensive to buy them with the skins already removed.
sustainableeats said,
August 15, 2009 at 12:09 pm
Ren, I have a bunch of cocoa nibs in my cupboards and for some reason have never thought to add them to anything chocolate except ice cream. Brilliant!
I’ve been obsessed this year with making all things from raw – I have bought raw cocoa butter, nibs and cocoa powder and have been wondering how to make my own chocolate bars. I also want to research more on how to use the whole beans like you have. It would be great to get to a point where I could just purchase the beans and not the other parts!
Ren said,
August 15, 2009 at 1:33 pm
Thanks! ‘m with you on the whole raw thing, although I haven’t done a lot with raw cacao because frankly, its pretty expensive.
pamelaknits said,
August 15, 2009 at 12:35 pm
Curious……are the chocolate chips you use free of hydrogenated oils? If so, what is the brand and where do you buy them?
I have found it hard to find them minus it even in health food stores.
Ren said,
August 15, 2009 at 1:22 pm
Sunspire brand. I don’t buy anything that has hydrogenated oils :-)
What To Do With Leftover Brownies « Edible Aria said,
August 17, 2009 at 8:02 am
[...] and milk products) (blueberries, brownies, mint, raspberries, yoghurt) I made a small batch of hazelnut fudge brownies the other day, but they got stale before I could eat them all. No problem, just chop them up and [...]