Flourless Vegan Chocolate Brownies....

Now this may surprise you but -

A)   The Women’s Institute still exists. As in, in real life, not just in sitcoms.

B)   I am a fully-fledged member of my local branch.

Thanks to the recent trend for crafts and baking, the organisation is enjoying a bit of a resurgence. Your local, draughty church hall is THE place to be. The Women’s Institute isn’t just still going, it’s going strong.

The WI was set up in 1915 to revitalise rural communities and to encourage women to become involved in producing food during the First World War. Nowadays the remit has broadened somewhat with the changing times – in the last few months my local WI have enjoyed a Swish (swapping old clothes), speed dating (for friendship rather than lesbianism) and a trip to a brewery. Future plans include a reiki class, a first-aid lesson and a bake-off, as well as wine tasting and a trip to the theatre to see, you’ve guessed it ‘Calendar Girls’. The modern-day Women's Institute is definitely more wine and laughter than jam and Jerusalem. But despite the average age of a member being nearer 30 than 80 nowadays, the one tradition that reigns strong is the cake baking / sharing rota. Each member takes it in turns each month to provide some delicious home baked offerings. So as my turn rolls round this month how will my branch take to a vegan/ gluten free offering? Well the answer is surprisingly well! I was initially scared that a bunch off very skilled cake baking women would look down there nose at such a suggestion – but I could not have been more wrong. Everyone was keen to try a piece and the empty tin was a good indicator it was a success. The highlight for me though was when I was asked to email the recipe round to other members as they had enjoyed it so much. If it is good enough for the lovely women of the WI it is good enough for my little blog. Let me introduce the super easy, very impressive, no faff, flourless vegan brownie!!

Flourless Vegan Brownies (makes approx. 12 squares)

·         3 ripe bananas

·         100g of any nut butter (I used cashew butter in this batch)

·         2 heaped tablespoons of cocoa powder (Lidls own is vegan and a bargain at £1.39)

How To –

·         Put all the ingredients in a large bowl and blender together.

·         In a square baking tray place a sheet of grease proof paper and pour the mixture in.

·         Bake at 200 degrees for approx. 20 mins.

·         Cut into squares when the brownie has totally cooled. Enjoy!