Chocolate Almond Brownie Batter

This was a very tasty mistake. I was trying to make a healthier kind of Nutella spread with almonds (not that hazelnuts are unhealthy) and dark chocolate and pretty much did, but then I threw some stuff in there that changed the texture completely. I ended up with this gritty, deep chocolate paste with hints of almond that completely brought me back to when I was a kid and would make Duncan Hines brownies and lick the bowl clean. Do you remember that stuff? Here's how to make your own grown-up version:

CHOCOLATE ALMOND BROWNIE BATTER makes approx 14 oz
2 cups raw almonds
6 squares of Lindt 85% Cocoa Extra Dark* chocolate bar or about 15 grams dark chocolate of your choice
1 T organic vanilla extract
1 TB cold, unsweetened vanilla rice milk

Preheat the over to WARM. Place almonds in a single layer on a baking sheet and warm in oven for 10 minutes. Throw them into the Vitamix and turn the machine on, up to 10 quickly, then to high and process for 2 minutes, using the tamper to push the almonds into the blade. The nuts will release steam and the container will get very warm. You will first get almond meal, then butter. Turn off the Vitamix, add the chocolate squares and turn the Vitamix back on, up to 10 quickly, then to high and process for another minute, using the tamper to push the chocolate into the blade. Turn off the machine and add vanilla extract and cold rice milk. Turn the machine on and up to 8 or 9 and blend for 30 seconds or so. The mixture will be very thick, gritty, intensely chocolate and HOT. Carefully use a silicone spatula to scape out the batter into a jar and let cool, if you can wait, then devour!





I am going to try again to make a Nutella spread, which should only take adding the vanilla and rice milk to the container while the almonds warm in the oven, so they become room temperature, and then proceeding as above. What I think happened was the cold rice milk made the chocolate, which was extremely hot, seize and turned it gritty. Pretty neat.

Mid-morning snack of slice organic fuji apple and 2 scoops of Chocolate Almond Brownie Batter:



* I would prefer an organic chocolate, but Lindt's 85% cocoa has only 5 grams of sugar per serving- giving this entire jar of Brownie Batter only a bit more than 20 grams of sugar- plus no soy lecithin, and I like to avoid soy products. It's much easier to find a 100% cocoa bar that is organic with no sugar at all and no soy, but I can't handle that much cocoa yet!