I love chocolate, I love brownies and I LOVE Christmas, so it seemed only right to give a little festive makeover to my brownies and give them a delicious little twist. Brownies are the ultimate in comforting desserts and they’re my favourite thing to take round to friends for a few reasons;

– they’re more substantial than chocolates (plus mega brownie points for making something homemade) so if your hosts haven’t had a chance to sort out dessert you’ll be doing them a favour

– they’re easily transportable if you’re travelling a long way to get there

– they freeze really well in case you don’t get through them all in one sitting (as if)

– they taste like pure heaven!

So if you are going to see friends or family over the festive period (which most people I know seem to be) then I strongly suggest you give these bad boys a try!

Shall we just talk about how yummy they are for a second too? Yes? OK. So not only do they have all the yum factor of normal brownies, but they’re flavoured with orange, ginger and cranberries, aka the ultimate in gorgeous winter flavours.

I made these in my Panasonic Kitchen combi microwave oven, which I’m absolutely loving as not only is it like a normal microwave but you can also bake in it too! If you’re short of space in your kitchen and you want an appliance that does both I thoroughly recommend it!

Ingredients

• 1 cup medjool dates
• 1/2 cup almond butter
• 1/2 cup ground almonds
• Zest and juice of 1 orange
• 1 tsp ground ginger
• 1 flax egg (1 tbsp flaxseed mixed with 3 tbsp water and left to form a paste)
• 1/2 cup coconut oil
• 1 cup cacao powder
• 1/2 cup pure maple syrup
• 1/2 cup dried cranberries
• 1/3 cup chopped pecans (optional)

Melt the coconut oil by placing it in a microwaveable dish and microwaving on high for one minute, or until melted. Place this in your food processor with the other ingredients (except the cranberries) and whizz until smooth and sticky. This normally takes about a minute, and if it’s a little too sticky to blend just add some water one tablespoon at a time. Preheat your oven to 150C.

Spoon the batter into a baking tin (I use a square 8 inch one) and bake for 15 minutes. Leave to cool, cut into squares and enjoy!

Love, Mrs H xx