Unrefined Cakery Beetroot Cacao Brownies product reviews

With kids, sometimes the easier option is just what is needed! In the middle of another lockdown, where people have all gone a little nutty again and are buying up ALL the baking supplies, having a packet mix in your cupboard - especially one that is pretty much guilt and naughty-ness free can be an absolute gift! This mixture from the Unrefined Cakery took my fancy as it is a beetroot cacao (mmmmmm chocolate) and something I had not seen before. I have previously made a chocolate zucchini cake and think I was secretly hoping it might be along the same lines and just as moreish.

First of all, almost everything you need is in the mix - and it is a good mixture - nut, refined sugar, gluten, and dairy free as well as vegan for those following plant based eating. That may be a worry to some - as in, will this actually taste any good - but (spoiler alert) I can assure you - it really does. It is really easy to make, and you only need coconut oil though potentially could substitute this (I didn't, so have no advice on that!). I opted for the somewhat safe and maybe boring option of making brownies, but - if you go to the website there are lots of other things you can do with it. I opted to add berries and nuts to mine, I think it was in a wasted effort to try and dissuade my children from eating the brownies, but alas, that back fired.

Asking the kids for their review, and before telling them it was a "healthy" option, they were really enthusiastic supporters, which is a huge thumbs up from me, as anything with less sugar, preservative and the like in it is a good thing. We did opt to have it warmed up slightly and served with ice cream, as the healthier side probably was all but cancelled out!

It is on the pricey side, but with saying that - when you check out gluten free, dairy free etc packet mixes even at the supermarket, they are not cheap. I feel this is a better version also, using nicer ingredients, so although it wouldn't be something I would buy all the time, if I needed to cater for dietary requirements and needed something like this I would definitely consider buying it again. I am now , however wanting to try WAY too many of the recipes on the website.... darn it!

I am surprised at how my sweet tooth has come out with a vengeance during this lockdown - especially in the last couple of days. I pulled this packet out of the pantry, all excited, until I saw you needed coconut oil - to which we had run out so back in the pantry it went. Reading further along I saw that it had a website with recipes so I jumped on eager to find something without coconut oil. I was blown away at the selection and when I spotted the cheesecake my heart skipped a beat - my daughter has been making this yummy lemon cheesecake during lockdown so I thought a chocolate berry one sounded fantastic. Alas when I looked at the ingredients I was taken a back as contained items such as Tofu and more Coconut Oil. Although, I did see I could easily make the Unrefined Chocolate Sauce..... another time soon.

After getting the coconut oil, I considered making the Chocolate Self-Saucing Pudding but in the end decided to try it for what it is advertised for 'Brownies'. After learning the hard way that you can not melt Coconut Oil in the microwave I put it on top of a bowl with boiling water. In less time than the oven had pre-heated to the 180 degrees the oil was melted and I had mixed the packet along with boiling water. I also added chocolate chippies but instead of putting it in the mixture I placed on top, after I had put into the baking tray.

It recommended between 20 - 25 mins for cooking so went in the middle and done 23 minutes and it was perfect. Nice and soft and looked fantastic. I could not help myself and cut a small piece off and quickly put in my mouth - I enjoyed the initial bite and then the after taste came and I am honestly not sure what to think of it. I put to the side to cool down and continued to make dinner. As it sat there taunting me I cut another small piece and did not like so gave the rest to my husband who said it was alright but agreed that there was a distinctive aftertaste to it.

For dessert I served it with cream and maybe because of the cream adding to the taste I enjoyed it more. My husband said he preferred it hotter and the girls said it tasted a bit weird but they did like it. I did tell them about the chocolate sauce and they all agreed it would of been better with that covered in it with cream.

In all honesty, even though I am keen to experiment with the recipes on the website - I can't see us buying again mainly due to the price. I do love the ease of using it and the quantity was great its just very expensive for what it is and also the taste behind it.

Happy to say these actually tasted very nice! My husband is a big sceptic whenever I am let loose in the kitchen trying to make a classic baking creation into a refined sugar free, gluten free, dairy free, nut free, or vegan version. I have PCOS so I am always try to cut down on processed and high GI ingredients so this brownie mix seems to tick all of the boxes of things I shouldn't be eating (as a treat of course).

It was very easy to make with just adding coconut oil and hot water together with the brownie mix. It suggests you can add some dairy free chocolate or berries to make a bit more gourmet. I opted for some left over white chocolate I had lying around in the cupboard which worked a treat.

I managed to not burn it and take out of the oven just at the right time that it was firm but still slightly sticky. The perfect brownie consistency. The taste was a rich chocolatey taste and was very yummy for something that was on the healthier side. The husband was none the wiser than if I had made from a "traditional' sugary recipe. Thumbs up and would definitely recommend on the taste front. Not sure on the price tag but when you consider a store bought alternative for the same ingredients it would most likely be worth it.