Panforte Brownies

The Christmas season has begun and that means so has my Christmas baking. Because when else can you justify a whole month (or more) of over-indulging!? In fact as I’m writing this there may or may not be a half-eaten chocolate Santa by my side. Not my first choice of treat but hey someone’s got to eat them ;)So here it is, the first festive recipe of the season for you. A decadent panforte style chocolate brownie. Panforte is traditionally a dense fruity and nutty slice, but check out how I’ve made it low-fodmap and low sugar but retained all the deliciousness you could ever need. We could almost call it a healthy treat, right!?

Ps. Let me just mention how amazing the floral vintage plate is, compliments of Robbie.

Panforte Brownies
Makes 12 squares

1 1/2 mixed nuts (almonds, walnuts and peeled hazelnuts)
1/3 cup sorghum flour
1/4 cup almond meal
1 tbsp corn flour (or tapioca flour)
2 tbsp raw cacao powder
1 tsp cinnamon
Sea salt
1/4 cup orange peel, diced
1 cup dried fruit (use a mixture of dried low FODMAP fruit eg. sultanas, raisins, blueberries, cranberries. If you can tolerate dates, apricots or figs, these are also great additions)
70g 70% dark chocolate
¼ cup rice malt syrup

Preheat oven to 170°C and place nuts on a tray in the oven to roast for approximately 10 minutes until roasted. Combine dry ingredients in a bowl, along with chopped dried fruit, orange peel and roasted nuts. Melt chocolate in a metal bowl over a small saucepan of simmering water. Add the rice malt syrup, continually stirring until smooth. Add a drizzle of hot water if the chocolate begins to harden. Pour the chocolate mixture into the dry ingredients and stir until it all comes together. I like to use my hands. Press the mixture into a lined cake tin, making sure it’s even and firm. Press baking paper over the top and bake for approximately 12 minutes. Once cooled, slice into squares and sprinkle with raw cacao (or some sneaky icing sugar).

Enjoy.