DOUBLE CHOCOLATE FRIANDS

I was so taken with the delicious little Raspberry and White Chocolate Friands that I made the other day, that I decided it was time to try friands another way. So I set my mind on chocolate.  Not just any chocolate....double chocolate!  These are really lovely.  They have the dense dampness that comes from the almond meal, with a lovely chocolatey flavour throughout and a nice little hits of chocolate from the chocolate pieces. Just divine.

DOUBLE CHOCOLATE FRIANDS

180g unsalted butter, diced

1/4 cup plain flour

3 tbsp cocoa powder

1 cup icing sugar mixture

1 cup almond meal/flour

5 egg whites

1/2 cup choc bits

1. Preheat oven to 170 degrees. Grease 8 holes of a friand pan.

2. Place diced butter into the jug with the kneading blade. Set Speed 3 Temp 85 Time 2 minutes. (You may need more or less time depending on the size of the dice of your butter and butter temperature.

3. When butter is melted, remove the lid and allow the butter to cool for five minutes.

4. Place all ingredients in the jug in the order specified.

5. Select Pastry P1 for 1 minute.  After 30 seconds, pause the machine, scrape down the sides of the jug and then resume program.

6. Once the program is complete, fill the friand tins with the batter to about 1/2 cm from the top.  When scooping out the batter ensure you scoop to the bottom of the jug in order to pick up the choc bits.  As this is a thin batter the choc bits will settle on the bottom of the jug.

7. Place the tin in the oven on the middle rack and bake for 20-25 minutes until the friands are firm to the touch.
8. Once cooked remove from the oven and allow the friands to cool in the tin for 5 minutes.  Carefully remove from the tin using a butter or palette knife and place on a wire rack to cool.
9. Friands can either be dusted with icing sugar or iced with chocolate glace icing or chocolate ganache if desired.