Makes 10–12
If you´ve never used the highly nutritious Andean seed known as amaranth (we call it kiwicha), this is your chance to experiment with it. The texture is a cross between quinoa and cooked oatmeal. Try it in these perfectly gooey brownies, and see how you feel about it. I´m sure it will be love at first bite.
½ cup butter (melted)
1 cup Turbinado raw sugar
2 eggs
¼ cup whole wheat flour
¼ cup almond flour
¼ cup cooked amaranth
¼ teaspoon Peruvian pink salt (or any other salt)
⅓ cup cacao powder
¾ cup fresh cherries (pitted and coarsely chopped)
1. Preheat the oven to 350ºF.
2. Grease and flour a 8 x 8–inch baking pan.
3. Mix the butter and sugar in a bowl.
4. Add the eggs and beat with a fork or a hand whisk.
5. Add the dry ingredients (whole wheat flour, almond flour, salt, and cacao powder), and the cooked amaranth, and whisk until you have a smooth batter. Stir in the cherries.
6. Pour the batter into the baking pan, and bake for 30 minutes.
7. Let it cool on a rack for half an hour or longer.
8. To unmold, pass a knife through the inner edges of the pan, put a large dish or baking tray on top, and turn over. Tap the pan strongly on all sides to loosen it.
9. Cut in equal portions and serve immediately or store for up to 2 days in an airtight container, separated with parchment paper.
Turn these brownies gluten-free by substituting the whole wheat flour with half almond flour and half cooked amaranth.