Michelle Darmody: Delicious treats like these chewy cookies are perfect for the summer

And for a surprising twist, sweet potato will add a bit of texture to a chocolate favourite

These recipes are low in processed sugar, in fact two use natural sources of sweetness such as maple syrup, honey and dates.

The brownies do contain muscovado sugar but in comparison to other brownie recipes, which are generally very high in sugar, there is far less.

The sweet potato adds texture as well as a little sweetness.

Depending on the brand, some dark chocolate can have a little sugar added, if you want to cut back further you could use 100g of raw cacao nibs instead of the chocolate chips, which are added towards the end of the recipe.

While white flour is not exactly sugar it does breakdown in the body very quickly, so it can cause blood sugar spikes similar to sugar. Using wholemeal flour will slow the rate of absorption.

There are four layers to the Chocolate Peanut Slices which make them a little finicky to make.

The combination of ingredients and the sweet salty flavours do make them a real treat.

It is best to serve them straight from the fridge.

Dark Chocolate Sweet Potato Brownies

recipe by:Michelle Darmody

Sweet potato will a bit of texture to a chocolate favourite!

Servings

4

Preparation Time

 30 mins

Cooking Time

 20 mins

Total Time

 50 mins

Course

 Dessert

Cuisine

 American

Ingredients

• 100g soft butter

• 300g dark chocolate, broken into small even-sized pieces

• 100g light muscovado sugar

• 200g roasted sweet potato, skin removed

• 2 eggs, lightly beaten

• 1/2 tsp baking powder, sieved

• 100g wholemeal flour

Method

1. Preheat your oven to 170°C and line an 8-inch square tin with parchment.

2. Melt the butter over a low heat and stir in 200g of the chocolate until it is melted. Remove from the heat.

3. Place the sugar, sweet potato, eggs and butter mixture into a large bowl and beat with a wooden spoon until combined. Add in the flour, baking powder and the rest of the chocolate pieces and stir until combined.

4. Scoop into the prepared tin and flatten out. Bake for about 20 minutes, it should be a bit firm on top but still soft.

5. Allow to cool in the tin and slice into whatever size you wish.

Cranberry and Orange Cookies

recipe by:Michelle Darmody

A chewy, fruity favourite that's low in processed sugar.

Servings

12

Preparation Time

 40 mins

Cooking Time

 15 mins

Total Time

 55 mins

Course

 Dessert

Cuisine

 American

Ingredients

• 50g soft butter

• 2 tbsp maple syrup

• 80g roughly grated apple, juice squeezed out

• the zest of 2 oranges

• 50g porridge oats

• 50g wholemeal flour

• 1 egg, lightly beaten

• 30g slivered almonds, roughly chopped

• 50g dried cranberries

Method

1. Preheat your oven to 180°C and line a large flat baking tray with parchment.

2. Melt the butter and syrup together over a low heat and once the butter has melted stir in the apple and zest. Continue to gently heat for about five minutes.

3. Place the oats and flour into a bowl and making a well in the centre, add the butter mixture and the egg. Combine everything. Stir in the slivered almonds and the cranberries.

4. Spoon about twelve spoons of the mixture onto your prepared tray, leaving room for them to spread. Bake for approximately 15 minutes until golden. Once cool enough to handle place onto a wire rack to cool completely.

Four layer chocolate peanut slice

In summer, these are best served straight from the fridge.

Servings

4

Preparation Time

 1 mins

Cooking Time

 30 mins

Total Time

 31 mins

Course

 Dessert

Ingredients

• For the base:

• 1 tbsp of melted butter 

• 2 Medjool dates, de-stoned and chopped 

• 50g raw cacao powder 

• 90g desiccated coconut to make the peanut butter layer:

• 1 tin unsalted chickpeas, drained and rinsed 

• 95g peanut butter 

• 60ml honey 

• To make the sticky peanut layer:

• 225g salted peanuts, toasted and chopped 

• 40g butter 

• 150g honey 

• To top:

• 200g dark chocolate 

Method

1. Line a 20cm square tin with parchment.

2. Blitz all of the ingredients for the base until they form a rough paste. Press this down into your prepared tin and place into the fridge to cool for an hour.

3. To make the peanut butter layer blitz the three ingredients together and spread this over the first layer. Place it back into the fridge for another hour.

4. Place the chopped peanuts, butter and honey into a heavy based saucepan and gently heat until the butter has melted, and everything is combined. Allow this to cool for about ten minutes them gently spread it over the cooled peanut butter layer. Place back into the fridge.

5. Melt the chocolate over a low heat above a simmering pot of water, or in a microwave. Spread this over the whole sticky peanut layer. Place back into the fridge until the chocolate has firmed up and you are ready to serve them. Slice into whatever size you wish and serve cool.