When I was thinking about what recipe I wanted to publish as my first on here, this instantly came to mind. These brownies were my go to for so many years when I was growing up. However, when I was diagnosed with IBS eating them was off the cards. Their normally full of dairy, gluten and sugar which makes them a huge trigger food for all us Low FODMAP lovers. I have managed (after two years) to perfect them and make them completely safe for all of us following the Low fodmap diet.
It’s actually quite a simple recipe, and it doesn’t use fancy foods that you’ve never heard of before. However there are a few ingredients that you need to watch out for. Firstly, we need cocoa powder (and a fair bit of it) so make sure you’re buying one that is gluten and dairy free. In my mind the more chocolate content the better. Surprisingly, I get my cocoa powder from Aldi. It’s probably one of the cheapest on the market but it does the job. The other bonus, is that it’s quite a large container in comparison to some brands, meaning there’s plenty of powder to make these brownies again and again
The other ingredient worthwhile noting is the orange chocolate. As you can see, I get mine from Morrisons. It’s free from gluten and milk, making it perfect for all of us on the Low Fodmap diet and it really does make all the difference. I haven’t seen any other orange flavoured free from chocolates on the market, but if you find any do let me know. The other option is using different flavours. I recently found a dark chocolate bar in Lidl with some Raspberry’s in and it was wonderful. Mint is another good combination, I’d just leave out the extra orange zest that this recipe calls for.
Now the ingredients are sorted, Lets move on to technique. You do not need to be a Michelin star chef or the winner of the Great British Bake Off to make these brownies. But you do need to know some of the lingo. In the recipe you need to whisk the eggs and the sugar so that they are; pale, fluffy and doubled in volume. For you advanced bakers, this might seem basic but get it wrong and your brownies will end up thin, doughy and damn right disgusting. The volume of the eggs is what keeps these lovely brownies so gooey and substantial. So for those of you that don’t know this is two photos of the egg mixture. The one on the left is the eggs and sugar right at the start of mixing. The photo on the right is the same eggs and sugar mix, after whisking for 5-6 minutes on high speed. As you can see, they’re much paler, lighter and have increased in terms of volume.
Before 
After
Other than getting the eggs right, this really is a fool proof dish. Just remember that when you get the brownies out of the oven, you let them cool before cutting. They should be gooey and so, if your knife is lightly coated in the mixture do not panic. They are cooked, they’re just perfectly baked and you’ve mastered the recipe. If the mixture seems a bit cakey and not gooey, it could mean they are slightly over baked. Just knock 5 minutes off the cooking time, next time you make them. Regardless of texture, I am 100% sure these will taste great.
My IBS and Me... 