Dr Claire Bailey Mosley, wife to the late Michael Mosley, shared her recipe – and it looks yummy
A BBC Morning Live doctor says one easy-to-make brownie recipe is “packed with nutrients” and tastes good – meaning you can eat without worrying about how unhealthy it is. Talking about the delicious brownies from Dr Claire Bailey Mosley, the wife of the late Michael Mosley, host Gethin Jones said that there’s a “secret ingredient” in them.
Speaking about the secret, Dr Bailey revealed it’s aubergine, and said “it’s a super easy way of cooking with the aubergine because you just would know it was there. I promise you, you will love it.”
The doctor added that it’s low in sugar, high in protein and makes up “one of your five a day” and “tastes fantastic.” She explains: “The sweetness comes from mainly the dates and the great thing is yes, its sugar, but it’s bound in fibre.
“So it means it releases the sugar slowly so you don’t get a sugar hit. There’s lots of lovely nutrients that go with it and fibre.”
Gethin and Helen Skelton, who were keen to try the sweet treat, said that “snacking smartly is just one thing you can do today” with the ‘just one thing’ phrase loved by Dr Michael Mosley, who died last year. So to keep his passions alive, Doctor Claire Bailey shared yet more “guilt free treats.”
Saying “I will convert you, I am absolutely sure”, Dr Bailey was glad to hear Dr Ranj Singh praise them for their health benefits. Dr Ranj explained: “The evidence around snacking is mixed. It depends on what you’re eating and when you’re eating. So go for healthy and earlier, generally speaking.
“Go for options that tend to keep your fuller so high protein, high fibre, complex carbohydrates. Things that are packed with nutrients. Things like the snack you’re actually going to make today, aubergine brownies”. And because it will keep you fuller for longer, you will snack less and if your goal is to lose weight, this will help that.
Speaking about another ingredient, Claire added that whilst the dates have sugar, it’s “not the same as normal sugar because there’s no nutrients. But there’s lots of lovely nutrients in the dates.”
Dr Clare Bailey Mosley’s Aubergine Chocolate Brownies – full recipe
Due to a nut allergy in the studio, Dr Claire used spelt flour which now means that the recipe is gluten free and nut free, as she would have otherwise used ground almonds. The recipe, which is on the BBC website, mentions this, so you can adjust it to your diet and allergy needs.
She also adds another tip, saying that she blitzed the aubergine but if you like a brownie with texture, you do not need to do this. But if you want a smooth brownie with no bits, blitz it.
Ingredients
- 200g aubergine, diced about 1-2 cm cubes, not peeled
- 1 tsp water
- 150g plain dark chocolate, broken into pieces
- 60g coconut oil
- 80g soft pitted dates, diced
- A pinch of salt
- 3 eggs, beaten
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 100g spelt flour (You could also use 100g of ground almonds if preferred)
Method
- Preheat the oven to fan 170°C or 190°C/375°F/Gas mark 5. Line a medium-sized baking tray (around 20cm x 20cm) with high sides.
- Put the diced aubergine into a medium-sized microwaveable bowl with a teaspoon of water and heat in the microwave for 3-4 minutes until soft (or steam it over a double boiler for about 15 minutes).
- Once soft and while the aubergine is piping hot, stir in the chocolate, coconut oil, dates and salt. The hot aubergine will melt the chocolate and oil.
- Using a hand blender or a food processor, blitz the mixture until it’s smooth.
- Allow it to cool enough to add the eggs and baking powder, then blitz again until combined.
- Mix in the wholemeal flour or ground almonds.
- Spread the mixture onto a lined baking tray and bake for 15-20 minutes – until firm to the touch and an inserted skewer comes out clean.
- Cut the aubergine brownies into 12 and enjoy.
