Vegan & Gluten-free Brownies

Necessity (and curiosity) led to these brownies. I had leftover dates from my sticky toffee pudding experiments and wondered if they could create a fudgy base. I also wanted to make them gluten-free (using ground almonds and cornflour) and vegan (no dairy or eggs). Luckily, I had pecans on hand—my favourite nut—so I swapped them in for walnuts. Olive oil adds moisture and complements the chocolate, while a touch of coffee deepens the cocoa flavour. The result? Chewy edges, gloriously gooey centres, and a brownie that’s not too rich, nutty, or sweet—just extremely moorish.

Serves 18-24

Hands-on Time 15 minutes (plus steeping)

Baking Time 35 minutes

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Ingredients

2 teabags
250ml boiled water
200g pitted dates
200ml olive oil (plus extra for greasing)
200g light brown sugar
1 1/4 tsp vanilla extract
60g cocoa powder
90g ground almonds
10g cornflour
1 tsp instant coffee powder (fine)
1/2 tsp fine salt
200g pecans

Equipment

Bowl
Baking pan, deep-sided (25cm x 20cm)
Baking parchment
Food processor
Spatula
Wire rack

Method

1. Prepare the tea and dates

Steep the teabags in boiling water for 5 minutes. Remove the teabags and add the dates. Let them soak for at least 1 hour.

2. Preheat the oven

Preheat the oven to 170°C/150°C (fan)/325°F/Gas Mark 3.
Grease the baking pan with olive oil and line with parchment.

3. Make the brownie batter

Blend the soaked dates and 50ml of the tea in a food processor until smooth.
Add the light brown sugar, 200ml olive oil, and vanilla extract. Blend until combined.
Add the cocoa powder, ground almonds, cornflour, coffee powder, and salt. Blend again.
Pulse in 100g pecans until chunky pieces remain.

4. Assemble and bake

Transfer the batter to the lined pan and smooth the top.
Sprinkle the remaining pecans over the batter, pressing them down lightly.
Bake on the middle shelf for 35 minutes. If the pecans brown too quickly, cover with foil after 30 minutes.

5. Cool and serve

Let the brownies cool in the pan for 15 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
Slice and enjoy!

Enjoy!