Almond flour brownies (gluten free!)

This is angel food. Soul healing. with the added benefit of being gluten free, so in my mind healthier than white flour. As we all know my experiments with whole wheat, less sugar and butter, brownie attempts have been fruitless in achieving that scrumptious, finger licking, sticky, fudgey, chocolaty goodess that white flour, massive butter and sugar result in.

I have tried this almond flour brownie a few times and now I am finally content with the end result. The health benefit of chocolate/cacao not to be confused with cocoa can be read here. The higher cacao percentage in your chocolate the better for you.

200 grams dark chocolate
4 dl of almond flour (ground almonds)* or 3 dl almond flour & 1 dl hazelnut flour
optional - 1 dl roughly chopped walnuts
pinch of salt
4 eggs
2 dl sugar (I used palm sugar which gives it a slight toffee aroma, read more on health benefits here)
100 grams butter
2 teaspoons baking powder
optional - a pinch or two of dried chili flakes

* If you can't find almond flour or its price is exuberant then you simply make it yourself. Place whole almonds in a blender and blitz till its turned into a powder.

1. Set your oven to 175 degrees Celsius
2. Melt the butter and chocolate in a 'au bain marie' (place 2 dl water in a sauce pan and place a bowl over the top so that it covers like a lid. Place the butter & chocolate in the bowl and heat pan so that the steam warms the plate and melts the ingredients). 
3. Add the chili flakes to the chocolate & butter, mix take off heat once the melting has begun. The heat from the steam will continue to melt the mix. 
4. Beat the eggs & sugar till a fluffy consistency. 
5. Mix the dry ingredients. 
6. Allow the chocolate & butter mix to cool by taking the bowl off the pan and letting it stand for 5min. 
7. Slowly add the dry ingredients to the beaten eggs, keep mixing gently. 
8. Add the chopped walnuts, mix. 
9. Add the chocolate & butter, mix. 
10. Grease a caking pan with butter making sure to cover all area inside and then drizzle almond flour ontop so that the cake does not stick to the pan. 
11. Pour the brownie mix into the pan and place in the middle of the oven for approximately 15-20min**. 

Enjoy with some fresh blue berries and or a sprinkle of cinnamon or greek yoghurt or whipped cream sweetened with vanilla sugar or a raspberry compote (take frozen raspberries melt in a pan on low heat and add a drizzle or two of honey).

If you have the will power, and don't eat all in 1 sitting/day then place the cooled brownie left over in the fridge and try the day after. Even better I promise. 

Some people (such as myself) like your brownie under baked (gewy & raw-ish) then pull it out of the oven at 10-12min.

Hope you enjoy!