I don’t usually indulge in Valentine’s Day, but I couldn’t resist these fudgey gluten free beetroot brownies when I spotted my heart-shaped cookie cutter in the cupboard. I had some beetroot that needed using too, so these were the perfect weekend bake for me. I’ve used buckwheat flour as it’s my personal favourite, but if you’re not gluten free then plain flour would work just as well here!

Makes 6 heart shaped or 8 rectangular brownies

Ingredients:

250g good quality dark chocolate

200g unsalted butter or coconut oil

1 tbspn liqueur (optional)

250g of peeled and cooked beetroot

3 medium eggs

2 tspns vanilla extract

150g golden caster sugar

50g cocoa powder

50g buckwheat or rice flour

1 tspn baking powder (gluten free if needed)

100g ground almonds

50ml nut milk (or cows milk)

Method:

1. Preheat the oven to 175 degrees.

2. Combine all the dry ingredients together by sifting them into a bowl.

3. Mix all the wet ingredients and fold them into the dry mixture.

4. Pour into a pre-lined or greased brownie tin and put in the oven.

5. Cook for 30 minutes, depending on your oven, check at 25 minutes just in case. They should come out soft(ish) and finish cooking in the tin while they cool.

6. Decorate as you wish, I used melted white chocolate mixed with a little icing sugar, and topped with frozen raspberry crumbs!