Flourless Chocolate Brownies With Hot Chocolate Sauce
by Nigella. Featured in NIGELLA EXPRESSIntroduction
However much people have eaten, there is always, I've noticed, room for a brownie. This is a different kind of a brownie, most definitely for party-pudding, melting, fudgy and damply rich. I compound these qualities by serving it with ice cream and the hot chocolate sauce, but there is no need. Need is not really what we're talking about here, though, is it?
For US cup measures, use the toggle at the top of the ingredients list.
However much people have eaten, there is always, I've noticed, room for a brownie. This is a different kind of a brownie, most definitely for party-pudding, melting, fudgy and damply rich. I compound these qualities by serving it with ice cream and the hot chocolate sauce, but there is no need. Need is not really what we're talking about here, though, is it?
For US cup measures, use the toggle at the top of the ingredients list.
Ingredients
Makes: 16 squares and enough sauce
For the Brownies
- 225 grams dark chocolate (minimum 70% cocoa solids)
- 225 grams butter
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 200 grams caster sugar
- 3 large eggs (beaten)
- 150 grams ground almonds
- 100 grams chopped walnuts
For the Hot Chocolate Sauce
- 75 grams dark chocolate (minimum 70% cocoa solids)
- 125 millilitres double cream
- 2 teaspoons instant espresso powder
- 2 tablespoons water
- 1 tablespoon golden syrup
For the Brownies
- 8 ounces bittersweet chocolate (minimum 70% cocoa solids)
- 2 sticks butter
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 cup superfine sugar
- 3 large eggs (beaten)
- 1½ cups almond meal
- 1 cup chopped walnuts
For the Hot Chocolate Sauce
- 3 ounces bittersweet chocolate (minimum 70% cocoa solids)
- ½ cup heavy cream
- 2 teaspoons instant espresso powder
- 2 tablespoons water
- 1 tablespoon golden syrup or light corn syrup
Method
For the brownies
- Preheat the oven to 170°C/150°C Fan/gas mark 3/325ºF. Melt the chocolate and butter gently over a low heat in a heavy-based saucepan.
- Take the pan off the heat, mix in the vanilla and sugar, and let it cool a little.
- Beat the eggs into the pan along with the ground almonds and chopped walnuts. Turn into a 24cm / 9 inch square baking tin or, most sensibly, use a foil one.
- Bake in the oven for 25-30 minutes, by which time the top will have set but the mixture will still be gooey. Once cooler, cut carefully, four down, four across, into 16 squidgy-bellied squares.
For the sauce
- Break up the chocolate and put into a heavy-based saucepan.
- Dissolve the instant espresso powder in the water and add this, along with the remaining ingredients into the saucepan, then place the pan over a gentle heat and let everything melt together.
- Once everything has melted, stir well, take off the heat and pour into a jug to serve.
For the brownies
- Preheat the oven to 170°C/150°C Fan/gas mark 3/325ºF. Melt the chocolate and butter gently over a low heat in a heavy-based saucepan.
- Take the pan off the heat, mix in the vanilla and sugar, and let it cool a little.
- Beat the eggs into the pan along with the almond meal and chopped walnuts. Turn into a 24cm / 9 inch square baking tin or, most sensibly, use a foil one.
- Bake in the oven for 25-30 minutes, by which time the top will have set but the mixture will still be gooey. Once cooler, cut carefully, four down, four across, into 16 squidgy-bellied squares.
For the sauce
- Break up the chocolate and put into a heavy-based saucepan.
- Dissolve the instant espresso powder in the water and add this, along with the remaining ingredients into the saucepan, then place the pan over a gentle heat and let everything melt together.
- Once everything has melted, stir well, take off the heat and pour into a jug to serve.
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Show more commentsThe best brownies ever and so easy to make. Have to stop myself from making them every week.
A runaway hit! Needing a big chocolate fix, I made these for the first time day and wow! Texture was spot on with the almond flour, a good amount of goo and a nice amount of chew.... so good, I'm having to ration them.
In our house these are known as Covid squares as we started baking them back in March and have done several regularly ever since! Always hazelnuts or almonds in this house!
Absolutely fab! I wasn't sure how it would turn out as didn't have all the ingredients to hand and had to improvise a bit. Didn't have enough butter or caster sugar so added some coconut oil a mix of stevia and brown sugar and used hazelnuts. I'm very pleased with the outcome and so is my partner. Thanks Nigella!
As a Ceoliac it is not often I find something that is ver moorish, however I have just made these and they are fantastic, even my wife and 89 year old father-in-law loved them. So thank you Nigella you have brightened up my day.
These were a great success and I will be making for a dessert when a gluten-free friend comes for lunch. We didn’t have the sauce as we prefer less sweet desserts, if that makes sense! Also used pistachio nuts instead of walnuts - delish!
About a year ago we discovered that my husband is gluten-intolerant so when a friend shared this recipe on Facebook recently I decided to try it. I'm so glad I did as my husband now has a way to satisfy his chocolate cake craving. I'm not a great baker but these brownies are really easy and quick to make - and supremely delicious. Thank you Nigella!
I made these yesterday for a lunch party and they were absolutely fantastic. Thank you Nigella!! Everyone loved them .My niece is a coeliac so I decided to give them a try... Now I've been told that I have to make them again for everyone at Xmas! They were easy to make and even easier to demolish!!
Made these tonight and they were delicious. Instead of using a pot on the stove, I microwaved the chocolate and butter together in 30 sec. increments in a large glass mixing bowl, stirring in between. (It took about 2 mins total). They were still too wobbly after 35 mins cooking time so after two minute checks the total time ended up being 43 mins. They definitely need to cool completely before even attempting to cut them. I think even sitting overnight would be best. These are a fudgy brownie, very moist and sticky, not cakey.
As an amateur I was pretty skeptical about baking something that is actually edible and I have to say I'm pleasantly surprised. It gives you that yummy in my tummy feeling. Happy to have selected this recipe. I highly recommend this to all my lazy friends who are in the mood for something easy and delicious.
I substituted the walnuts for hazelnut meal and left it in the oven for a bit longer. I took them in to work and they went in no time! All reviews were good.
Hands down the best brownies ever!!! They were a little loose, we ate them with glee nonetheless. They were even better the next day after setting and packing tightly with plastic wrap. I made these with the chocolate sauce as well, substituting the corn syrup for raw wild flower honey and it was perfect. I will definitely make these again, and again.. the fact that there is no gluten, and not all that much sugar, makes these devilishly delicious brownies that much more amazing. Thanks Nigella!