Bo's Kitchen raw hazelnut brownies with chocolate ganache recipe

Food blogger and stylist Harriet 'Bo' Porterfield of Bo's Kitchen loves to create beautiful food that's good for you, like these delicious raw hazelnut brownies.

Bo specialises in vegan recipes and definitely has a sweet tooth. Before she became vegan, she had a taste for Haribo sweets and her friends nicknamed her Haribo, which became shortened to Bo.

Look out for a selection of Bo's colourful recipes and photography in In The Moment issue one — or follow Bo on Instagram @bos.kitchen. (Be warned though — it will leave you feeling hungry!)

Ingredients

For the brownies:

• 1 cup hazelnuts plus 2tbsp extra for topping
• 1/4 cup walnuts
• 1/2 cup cacao powder
• pinch of salt
• 1 cup pitted dates
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 tbsp maca powder (optional)

For the ganache:

• 2 tbsp coconut milk
• 1/3 cup coconut oil
• 1/4 cup maple syrup
• 1/4 cup cacao powder

Method

1. Toast hazelnuts in the oven at 180°C/gas 4 for about 10 minutes, until golden. Allow to cool then rub off as much of the skin as you can with a clean tea towel. Place in a food processor and process until they are a fine, sandy texture. Now add in walnuts, cacao, salt and maca and pulse until the mixture starts to come together. Set aside mix in a mixing bowl.
2. Add dates and vanilla to the blender and pulse until it forms a paste/big date ball. Add back in the brownie nut mix and pulse again until it forms a dough.
3. Put mixture into a lined loaf pan, pressing down firmly to flatten out and pop in the fridge to set.
4. Make the ganache topping by mixing coconut milk, coconut oil, maple syrup and cacao powder in a small bowl over a pan of water. Simmer gently until melted and totally smooth. Allow to cool for about 15 minutes before pouring over chilled brownies. Sprinkle with sea salt and remaining hazelnuts. Chill until firm, cut into slices and enjoy! Keep well in the fridge for up to 5 days.