Recipe: Nettle Brownies
Recipe: Nettle Brownies
Is this the tastiest brownie anyone's ever made? Yes, yes it is.
Hello foragers!
You’re in for a treat with this one. I baked these in my shared kitchen and my housemates were visibly shocked by how delicious they are. The brownies are fudgy, gooey and have a wonderful paper thin crispy top. The nettles add a deep earthy flavour that seems to elevate the chocolate to new levels. I promise I’ll do some non-nettle related recipes soon, but I’m inspired by this true wild superfood at the moment and have had some great suggestions for other recipes.
The nettles are still looking good out there, but be aware that they will soon start flowering (tiny green/purple flowers in clusters) and then not only are the leaves not as tasty, but they can also cause kidney problems. So go and get them while they’re good!
Let’s get straight into the recipe:
Ingredients:
50 Nettle Tops
180g Dark Chocolate
250g Butter
300g Caster Sugar
80g Self-Raising Flour
2 Big Pinches Salt
100g Milk Chocolate
3 Eggs
60g Cocoa Powder
Step 1: Forage 50 nettle tops (just the top 5-7 leaves) - best to bring some gloves!
Step 2: Preheat your oven to 170°C
Step 3: Wash then blitz about 40 of your nettle tops with a squeeze of lemon in a blender or food processor until it forms a rough paste.
Step 4: In a microwaveable bowl, combine the dark chocolate, butter, and a generous pinch of salt. Put it in the microwave in 30-second bursts, stirring in between, until melted. Set aside to cool slightly.
Step 5: Take the rest of your nettle tops and the milk chocolate and roughly chop.
Step 6: Add your sugar to a large bowl and crack in the eggs. Beat the eggs and sugar with a manual or electric whisk until light and fluffy.
Step 7: Pour in the melted chocolate mixture and add the flour and cocoa powder. Give it another whisk until everything is well combined.
Step 8: Layer half of the mixture into a baking dish lined with baking parchment, and add half the additional nettles and milk chocolate. Add another layer of mixture, followed by the rest of the fresh nettles and chocolate as well as another big pinch of salt. Bake for 30 minutes.
Step 9: Let it cool down, then slice up into squares, triangles or abstract shapes and enjoy!
Notes:
I couldn’t find many other examples of nettle brownies when researching this recipe, but there are quite a few out there for cakes. These recipes tend to recommend processing the nettles first by blanching in boiling water to remove the sting, and making more of a nettle puree rather than the paste. You could experiment with this too, but I really wanted the nettles to be as fresh as possible, and I didn’t get stung eating them, so the blender, and heat from the oven was enough to destroy the sting.
Let me know in the comments if you try it, or if you have any other nettle recipes or ideas to share! If you’re in or around London, check out the events we’re running for adults and children: Mind in Nature Website
Until next week!
Max