Flourless almond brownie slice

This is from the recipe for Grain-Free Brownie Bites at http://detoxinista.com/2012/03/grain-free-brownie-bites. The only changes I have made are substituting the honey in the original recipe for rice malt syrup to make it low-fructose, and baking it in a rectangular pan instead of mini-muffin cups. Also, the original recipe suggests flax "eggs". I have made this several times using hens' eggs, but last time I used chia gel "eggs", and it tasted great. However, it went really soft and stuck to the serving platter after I had it out of the fridge for a while. I will have to test it again to see whether it is the chia gel that caused this. It is rather fantastic straight out of the freezer though, and holds its shape that way!

To make chia or flax "egg" as a substitute for one lightly beaten egg, soak 1 Tbs chia or freshly ground flax seeds in 1/4 cup (60ml, or 3 tablespoons) of water for 15 minutes. Store in the fridge for up to 2 weeks. You can ground the chia seeds first if you prefer, as they are (just) visible and do give a very slight crunch, but I quite like them (and couldn't be bothered to grind them!). They look much like fig seeds in this brownie. Chia seeds are quite the super-food (packed with protein, omega-3, fibre and antioxidants), and can be used in lots of different ways, if you want to google them!

Flourless almond brownie slice

• 1 cup blanched almond flour (almond meal)
• 1/2 cup cocoa powder (I used Van Houten brand)
• 1/2 cup rice malt syrup (original recipe used honey)
• 125g (1/2 cup) melted butter (or coconut oil, but so far I have only tried butter)
• 3 eggs, lightly beaten (or 3 flax eggs or 3 chia eggs)
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
• 1/2 teaspoon liquid stevia (optional)
• 1/2 teaspoon instant coffee dissolved in 2 teaspoons hot water (optional)
• 1/4 teaspoon bicarbonate baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup walnut pieces (optional)

1. Preheat oven to 180C (350F), and grease and line a 15 x 20cm lamington tin.
2. In a medium mixing bowl, combine all ingredients except walnuts and mix until a gooey, thick batter forms.
3. Spoon the batter into the pan and place walnuts on top, if using. (Note: Walnuts make this brownie difficult to cut through!)
4. Bake for 15-20 minutes. (I had to bake in my slow oven for 25min at 200C.)
5. Allow to cool in pan before slicing.

These brownies should last a few days stored at room temperature, or you can store them in the freezer for a longer shelf-life. (They're yummy when eaten straight from the freezer, too!)