Marriage brownies

This week I started the 'challenge phase' of my low-FODMAP diet. Taking high-FODMAP foods out of my diet has improved my symptoms considerably. My stomach pains have subsided, my bowels are less irritable, and my tiredness has gone. 

So now it's time to figure out which of the sugars I am sensitive to and how sensitive I am. 

First up, was lactose. 

I started this week absolutely convinced that the lactose challenge would be easy. I thought that I would be able to eat milk, yoghurt - a tub of ice cream if I was allowed - with absolutely no ill effects. Completely and utterly convinced. 

Unfortunately, not so. 

My lactose challenge. Not so challenging to eat, at least. 

After a rather unpleasant couple of days, it has become apparent that lactose might be an issue, after all. We'll see what my dietitian says - cutting back on dairy products is a big deal, nutritionally speaking, so shouldn't be contemplated without professional advice - but it is possible that I might have to keep my lactose intake fairly contained going forward. 

Thankfully, cheese and butter have very low levels of lactose, so I can still get my dairy fix. Plus, these lactose-free treats are pretty amazing. 

But, I'm fairly gutted about the implications for my dessert consumption. 

So, in light of that, I thought it was time to share the joy of marriage brownies - so named, because they are supposedly "marriage-proposal inducing" (someone else's words, not mine). 

These puppies are gluten free and can be made dairy free. They are also low-FODMAP, provided you keep the serving size contained. Large quantities of cocoa / chocolate are high in FODMAPs. And while butter and white sugar aren't high in FODMAPs, large servings of these aren't recommended, either. 

Marriage Brownies

Ingredients

200g butter (or dairy-free spread) 

1½ cups of sugar

1 cup of cocoa

3 eggs 

¾ cup of gluten-free flour blend (we like Healtheries and Edmonds)

150g dark chocolate chips 

Method

Preheat oven to 150'c. Grease and line a 20x20cm cake tin. Cream butter and sugar. Add cocoa and beat well. Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add flour. Then stir in chocolate. Bake for an hour.

If the brownie looks a bit undercooked when it first comes out of the oven, don't worry - it isn't.

You can used a different shaped cake tin, but try not to use one that's too big. The brownie needs to be sufficiently thick to have the optimal level of squishyness. 

If you want to cut the brownie up into tidy pieces, leave it to cool overnight. This will allow the brownie to set. Alternatively, it is excellent warm and squidgy with vanilla ice cream (So Good soy ice cream is good). 

And, if you can tolerate it, a good dollop of cream on top is pretty scrummy too!

It will be a pretty thick mixture.

Don't worry about pressing it flat. It will melt into shape.

The optimal level of squishy.

My low-lactose treat with So Good soy ice cream.