Flourless Chocolate Brownie With Edible Flowers

This recipe is an update from a favourite. The fudgy-ist and the most satisfying chocolate recipe I have ever had. I have taken these brownies to many a social gathering, now passing them off in packets while social distancing. They never fail to please. I keep a stack handy in the freezer when I have a chocolate craving.

Cherry blossoms are beautiful. They are also edible. I am making Cherry Blossoms Preserves with their buds but making the most out of these fully blossomed buds. I love watching peoples eye’s light up before they take a bite. If you are curious about which flowers are edible, I have a list here. Just make sure they have not been sprayed with chemicals. I source most of mine from my parent’s yard.

Edible Flowers

Nasturcians
Rose
Forget-me-nots
Chive flowers (these smell like onions so use in savoury dishes)
Carnation petals
Pansies
Marigolds

I like my treats to be less sweet and have lowered the 150 grams of brown sugar to 120 grams and 100 grams. It seems to work without breaking the structure of the brownie.

These brownies taste rich, decadent but light without the flour. Please try it and let me know the results. Please also share them.

Flourless Chocolate Brownie With Cherry Blossoms

140g dark chocolate
155g (1/2 c) unsalted butter
120g brown sugar
3 large eggs, lightly beaten
50g (1/2 c) cocoa powder, sifted
1/4 tsp salt
11/2 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 c walnuts, chopped (substitute any kind of nuts)
Maldon sea salt for garnish (optional)

1. Preheat oven to 350 F. Line a baking pan or sheet with parchment paper.

2. In 15-30 second intervals, melt chocolate and butter in the microwave and stir until smooth. Set aside too cool. Add brown sugar, cocoa powder, salt, vanilla, and eggs. In that order. Mix but do not over-mix. Transfer batter to baking pan or sheet with a spatula. Top with walnuts.

3. Bake for 20-30 minutes or until brownie is set and firm in the center. Time will vary depending on container size. Let sit until cool before cutting into pieces. Top with cherry blossoms, buds, and a sprinkle of flaky sea salt.

These are very delicious eaten cool or slightly warmed. They also keep well in the fridge for up to a week. If they last that long.

Nori Peanut Rice Crisps

In Taiwan, “popcorn trucks” 爆米香 are a thing. You can find them driving through neighbourhoods, parking to sell rice puff squares while blaring “Bao Mi (Popcorn), Bao Mi.” If you stop long enough, you will hear a giant bang followed by a puff of smoke and the aroma of roasted peanuts, job tears and rice. It’s a memory everyone has growing up in Asia. Some versions include sesame seeds and it’s relatively similar to peanut candy, a popular snack among the old folks. I am known to devour these by the bag.

I was re-introduced to puffed rice making granola Glo bars from OhSheGlows before realizing, heck, I need to make my own version of these. I’ve replaced the maltose (麥芽糖) with brown rice syrup, which is terrifically sticky and holds around 2/3 of sweetness compared to honey. I also substituted butter with almond butter, though peanut butter will do just as well. A healthy-westernized version of Bao Mi that is marvelously crunchy. I have a square or two for breakfast and it keeps me surprisingly full. You can add your own flair to these with roasted nuts, chia seeds and completely veer off the path of tradition.

Nori Peanut Rice Crisps 海苔花生爆米香

Ingredients

1/2 cup brown rice syrup (sub honey but it will taste a lot sweeter)
1/2 cup creamy almond butter (sub peanut butter)
3 1/2 cups puffed rice crisps
1 pack toasted nori sheets (17 grams), torn and crumbled into pieces
1/2 cup roasted peanuts (sub any kind of roasted nuts)
I tbsp sesame seeds or chia seeds

Instructions

Line a 9x13 inch baking pan with parchment paper, and aim for one with depth as it yields thicker squares. In a large bowl, combine the dry ingredients — puffed rice, nori, peanuts, sea salt and sesame seeds. Set aside. In a large soup pot, add the brown rice syrup and almond butter and cook on medium-low heat until it bubbles. Keep an eye on it and don’t let it caramelize or harden. Remove pot from the heat source and add in the dry ingredients, stirring furiously to encourage even distribution. The mixture will be very sticky.

Transfer contents from the pot to the baking tray. Scrape the sides with a spatula. Spread it evenly and press down with a spatula or wooden spoon. Set aside until cool and slice into squares or bars with a bread knife. Store cooled in an airtight container. It keeps well at room temperature for a week.

Avocado Chocolate Cake

Growing up in Taiwan, my definition of avocados revolved around the football-sized Choquette avocado sold in fruit shops or juice stalls at the night market. Bred for their intimidating size and mild flavour — the Choquette avocado is used for smoothies with milk, sugar and pudding. Salad culture in Taiwan is slowly catching up to the west, but it was not after moving to Canada that I expanded my worldview on avocados and the many ways one can eat it in salads, guacamole, ice cream and so on.

I have gone through many flourless chocolate cake recipes but this is a new favourite yet. No blender or spiralizer is needed just two perfectly ripe avocados. The raw batter is heavenly and tastes like a thick chocolate pudding. I would make it just to eat the batter. A gluten-free treat you can make vegan by substituting the butter with cashew butter or olive oil. I made a less sweetened version for Mother’s Day and topped it with edible flowers, dried fruit and cashew cream.

Avocado Chocolate Cake

Serves 8/fills a 13-inch baking pan

Wet Ingredients
2 ripe medium-large avocados
4 eggs

Dry Ingredients
1 cup of cocoa powder
1 3/4 cup brown sugar (use 1 1/2 cup for a less sweet version)
4 tablespoons butter, softened at room temperature
2 teaspoons baking powder
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1/2 cup chopped dark chocolate (optional)

Preheat the oven to 325°F. Grease a 10 x 12-inch baking pan with butter or parchment paper. 

In a large mixing bowl, sift the cacao powder with a sieve into a fine powder. Add the brown sugar, baking powder and sea salt. Mix evenly and set aside.

In a medium mixing bowl, mash the avocados, breaking large pieces with a fork as you go. Crack eggs into bowl one by one, add the butter and stir to evenly distribute. Add the wet ingredients into the dry, stirring and scraping the bottom of the bowl from time to time. Pour the mixture into the baking pan and bake for 25-30 minutes. The middle of the cake should be firm while on the edge of gooey. Let the cake come to room temperature before cutting. Top with chopped dark chocolate, sea salt, edible flowers or cashew cream. 

mom, dad and avocado chocolate cake

Flourless Chocolate Brownies With Sea Salt

A few of my proudest accomplishments this year include: landed an in-house photography job, tried out and stayed on a sports team this spring (the last time I played in competitive sports was elementary school), signed a lease on an apartment (cannot wait to move in next month), committing to put down roots in this transitional city of Vancouver, and the creation of these fabulous flourless chocolate brownies. 

On days when I feel doubt about trading my freelance life for a nine to five — I make brownies and take them into the office. It is simply impossible to eat more than 3 pieces of these brownies and having coworkers to share them with is a very ideal situation. These will never fail to hit the spot when you need a decadent treat in hope that you can stop at three pieces. A timeless brownie recipe.

You know you have created an excellent brownie when both of the recipe developers at work ask you for the recipe. I first had these at a ladies night and immediately asked my friend for the recipe. I am pretty sure the original creator is Nicole Spiridakis. Here is my version with reduced sugar, roasted nuts and sprinkled with Maldon sea salt

Ps: I finally ordered a cooking scale off the internet. It really is worth it when you want to use up the many dark Trader Joe chocolate bars sitting in your cupboard and not worry about fitting them into measuring cups. 

Flourless Chocolate Brownies With Sea Salt and Nuts

140g dark chocolate
155g (1/2 cup) unsalted butter
120g brown sugar
3 large eggs, lightly beaten
50g (1/2 cup) cocoa powder, sifted
1/4 tsp salt
11/2 tsp vanilla extract
1/3 cup almond or walnuts, chopped
Maldon sea salt for garnish (optional)

1. Preheat oven to 350 F. Line a baking pan or sheet with parchment paper.

2. In 15-30 second intervals, melt chocolate and butter in the microwave and stir until smooth. Set aside too cool. Add brown sugar, cocoa powder, salt, vanilla, and eggs. In that order. Mix but do not over-mix. Transfer batter to baking pan or sheet with a spatula. Top with walnuts.

3. Bake for 20-30 minutes or until brownie is set and firm in the centre. Time will vary depending on container size. Let sit until cool before cutting into pieces. Top with a sprinkle of flaky sea salt.

These are very delicious eaten cool or slightly warmed. They also keep well in the fridge up to a week. If they last that long.