Sweet treat: Three chocolate desserts to indulge in this week 

Treat yourself with these mouthwatering cakes and brownies

These chocolate treats are the ultimate indulgence

Dark Chocolate and Orange Zest Brownies

recipe by:Derval O'Rourke

These healthy chocolate orange brownies have a surprise ingredient.

Preparation Time

 15 mins

Cooking Time

 30 mins

Total Time

 45 mins

Course

 Baking

Cuisine

 Irish

Ingredients

• 400g sweet potato, peeled and cubed

• 50g jumbo porridge oats

• 50g pecan nuts

• 1 tbsp cocoa powder

• 1 scoop of vanilla protein powder

• ½ tsp baking powder

• ½ tsp cinnamon

• ½ tsp salt

• zest of 1 orange

• 100g dark chocolate (70% cocoa solids), chopped

• ½ tsp coconut oil

• 3 egg whites

• 1 tsp agave syrup

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F/gas 4. Grease an 18cm (7 inch) square tin and line it with parchment paper.

2. Boil the sweet potato in salted water for 12 minutes or until tender. Drain, mash and set aside.

3. Meanwhile, melt the chocolate and coconut oil in a heatproof bowl over a pan of simmering water and set aside to cool slightly.

4. Mix the oats, pecans, cocoa powder, vanilla protein powder, baking powder, cinnamon, salt and orange zest in a bowl. Add the mashed sweet potatoes and stir well. Add the egg whites, agave and melted chocolate and stir until combined.

5. Pour the mixture into the prepared tin and bake for about 30 minutes, until firm in the centre and a skewer inserted comes out clean. Cut the slab into slices in the tin, then carefully remove the brownies to cool on a wire rack.

 

Chocolate tart served with blackberries

recipe by:Michelle Darmody

Delights of blackberry picking... enjoying the bounty

Servings

4

Preparation Time

 2 hours 0 mins

Cooking Time

 17 mins

Total Time

 2 hours 17 mins

Course

 Dessert

Ingredients

• For the pastry case:

• 140g cold butter, cubed

• a pinch of sea salt

• 225g plain flour, sieved

• 60g golden caster sugar

• 1 egg lightly beaten

• For the filling:

• 300mls cream

• 400g dark chocolate broken into small even size pieces

• 70g butter

• 30g blackberries, roughly chopped any extra juice set aside

Method

1. Add the salt to the flour to a large bowl and rub in the butter until it looks like rough breadcrumbs.

2. Stir the sugar into the egg to dissolve it slightly and add this to the flour mixture until it comes together as a dough.

3. Wrap it in baking parchment and place into the fridge to firm up for about two hours.

4. Preheat your oven to 180 degrees, grease and flour the sides of a 10–inch tart case and line the base with parchment.

5. Roll the pastry into a disc just larger than your tart case and gently nudge it in the tin. Bake blind for 12 minutes until the edges are just starting to colour.

6. Remove the beans, or whatever you use to blind bake, and brush the inside of the pastry case with the egg yolk. Place the case back into the oven for another five minutes or until it is golden. Allow to cool completely in the tin.

7. To make the filling heat the cream until it is shivering, just before it boils. Remove from the heat then add in the chocolate and butter and stir until glossy. Stir in the chopped blackberries. Allow to firm up for about five minutes then pour it into your cold tart case.

8. Allow the tart to cool in the fridge and serve with some extra blackberries.