Gluten-free chestnut brownies

This delicious brownie can be served warm or cold. It keeps well stored in an airtight container for five days and freezes well, too.

Credit: Chestnuts Australia

• makes

  16

• prep

  20 minutes

• cook

  30 minutes

• difficulty

  Easy

Ingredients

• 350 g cooked and peeled chestnuts (see Note)
• 200 g good quality dark chocolate, broken into squares
• 200 g unsalted butter, chopped
• 1¼ cups brown sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 4 eggs, lightly beaten
• ½ cup gluten-free self-raising flour (see Note)
• 2 tbsp cocoa
• Pinch salt

Allow an extra 30-40 minutes if roasting chestnuts

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 180°C or 160°C fan-forced. Grease and line a 16 cm x 26 cm x 2-3 cm deep slab pan with baking paper, leaving a 2 cm overhang on the sides of the pan.

2. Set aside 50 g cooked and peeled chestnuts. Place remaining chestnuts into a food processor. Process until fine crumbs form (to make 2 cups ground chestnuts). Set aside.

3. Place chocolate and butter in a large microwave safe bowl and microwave on high for 2 minutes, stirring with a metal spoon every minute until melted. Set aside to cool.

4. Using a metal spoon, stir sugar, vanilla and egg into chocolate mixture until well combined. Sift over flour, cocoa and salt. Stir to combine. Gently fold through processed chestnuts.

5. Pour into prepared pan. Chop reserved chestnuts and sprinkle over mixture. Bake for 25-30 minutes until a skewer inserted comes out with moist crumbs sticking. Cool completely in the pan. Cut into squares. Serve with whipped cream and a dusting of cocoa if desired.

Notes

•You will need to roast 500 g of fresh chestnuts to yield 350 g of cooked and peeled chestnuts – see below. Fresh chestnuts are usually available from March to July. You can also use peeled and frozen chestnuts or vacuum-packed cooked chestnuts. Find more information on preparing and cooking chestnuts here. 

• Standard self-raising flour can be used in place of gluten free flour, if preferred.

To roast chestnuts

Preheat oven to 200°C (180°C fan-forced). Cut a shallow cross into the flat side of each chestnut shell. Place chestnuts onto a baking tray and bake for 15-20 minutes or until the shells split open. Once cooked, remove chestnuts from the heat and wrap in a clean tea towel for 5 minutes. While chestnuts are still warm, quickly peel off the outer brown shell and papery thin skin underneath.

Cook's Notes

Oven temperatures are for conventional; if using fan-forced (convection), reduce the temperature by 20˚C. | We use Australian tablespoons and cups: 1 teaspoon equals 5 ml; 1 tablespoon equals 20 ml; 1 cup equals 250 ml. | All herbs are fresh (unless specified) and cups are lightly packed. | All vegetables are medium size and peeled, unless specified. | All eggs are 55-60 g, unless specified.