Brownie balls

Foodie excerpt - Chapter 4. There is no such thing as coincidence.

With no new customer in sight and no ongoing job, Kai had decided to spend the day at the ship docks instead of in the confined quarters of her shop. Hopping off a transport, she reached inside her duffle bag and grabbed one of the brownie balls she had bought on the way. Sweet, nutty and crunchy, just what she needed to start the day. Reaching dock number B5-7081 where she spent most of her spare time, she finished licking the few last crumbs off her fingers and got to work. Kai had started building her starship several years ago from old parts she’d picked out in the lower-level scrap yards and by energetically bargaining with peddlers for their best deals. The well-earned parts would usually go through a few upgrades before being fitted together. It was taking her longer then she would have liked but the ship was starting to be in pretty decent shape.

Modelled as a light freighter, it had enough room to accommodate extra power and fuel without being too bulky to hinder manoeuvrability. Although it may not have looked like much from the outside, Kai had made several unique enhancements that more then made up for its rugged appearance. She’d gone out into space for a few test runs but never very far. Just a few more adjustments and she would finally be leaving Coruscant to venture to other planets and systems, exploring the wonders of the galaxy and testing her skills as a mechanic in all kinds of different markets. Just a little longer.

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Brownie balls

Makes 14 balls

Preparation time: 20 minutes

Cooking time: 10 minutes

Total time: 30 minutes

Ingredients

• 150 g dates

• 50 g hazelnuts

• 50 g walnuts

• 50 g dark chocolate

• 65 g quick oats

Instructions

Pit the dates. Place the dates in warm water for 10 minutes to soften. Depending on the dates, you may want to remove the skin. Once done, drain and set aside.

Finely chop the hazelnuts and walnuts in a food processor. Pulse until you have small bits but not for too long to avoid getting a powder. If large chunks of nuts remain, chop them by hand. Place the nuts and oats in a large bowl and mix together. Melt the chocolate and stir it in with the nuts and oats. Set aside.

Place the dates in a blender until you get a paste. You may need to stop a few times to mix the paste and blend again so that there are no remaining large chunks.

Add the date paste to the bowl and mix well until everything is nicely combined, preferably with your hands. Cover with a kitchen towel and let sit for 2 hours at room temperature for the oats to soften.

Turn on the oven to 150°C. Roll the mixture into small balls. Lightly grease a rectangular oven dish and place the balls in the dish, making sure that they do not touch. Place in the oven for 10 minutes.