Fudgy Vegan Brownies

If you want to fool your non-vegans friends into eating vegan treats these brownies will work perfectly!

For me, the perfect brownie must be fudgy. An over-baked brownie is basically a dry cake, not ideal. In order to perfect the timing for this recipe it took several attempts. In light of this I offer you a warning: the 25 minute baking time I recommend for this recipe works for my oven, but every appliance is different. Therefore, especially on your first try of this recipe be cautious of the baking time to achieve the desired fudgy texture. When baked, the outside should be firm to the touch but the middle should still be slightly goey. I recommend baking for 20 minutes and then checking your bake cautiously after this time. Remember to always bake these on the middle shelf- I found this worked best as anywhere else in the oven results in a different texture.

One of the most important things to remember when baking brownies is the cooling period. You must leave your bake to cool completely before cutting. Slicing your bake before it has fully cooled will result in a liquid brownie. Once removed from the oven, the middle of the brownie will continue to bake therefore, cutting into the bake will effect the overall outcome. Only when your bake is completely cooled should you remove it from the baking parchment and slice into portions.

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Vegan Brownies Topped with Dark Chocolate, Peanut Butter and Chopped Almonds

Ingredients:

4 tbsp. Water

2 tbsp. Flax Seed Meal

250g Plain flour

1 tsp Baking Soda

5 tbsp. Raw Cacao Powder

120g Chocolate, chopped into small pieces

1 tsp Instant Coffee Powder (coffee brings out the flavour of chocolate)

1 tsp Salt

¼ cup Boiling Water

200g Brown Sugar (or coconut sugar)

6 tbsp. Coconut Oil

1 ½ tsp Vanilla Extract

50g cup Chopped Nuts (optional)

50g Dark Chocolate (optional)

1-2 tbsp. Peanut Butter (optional)

Method:

• Firstly, prepare the flax egg by mixing the flax meal and 4 tbsp water in a small bowl. Leave this aside for 5-10 minutes until it becomes gloopey, this is your flax “egg”.
• Next, preheat the oven to 170 and line an 8″ by 8″ baking tin with baking parchment making sure to hang the paper over the sides for easy removal of the brownies after baking.
• In a medium bowl, sift the flour and baking soda and mix.
• In a separate bowl, add the chocolate, coffee powder, cacao powder and salt. Pour the boiling water over the chocolate mixture and stir until the chocolate pieces have completely melted.
• Add the sugar, coconut oil, vanilla extract, flax “egg” and chopped nuts (if you are using them.) Stir the mixture until combined.
• Next, add the flour mix to the chocolate. Use a wooden spoon to fold the mixture until the flour is fully incorporated. Do not use an electric mixer as this will create a dense texture due to the increased gluten development from over-mixing. The batter will be thick, you may have to use your hands!
• Once mixed, transfer the brownie dough into the prepared brownie tin. Use your hands to push the dough evenly into the tin.
• Bake your brownies for approx. 25 minutes, on a middle shelf (see notes above for advice on baking brownies).
• Remove your brownies from the oven when the outside if firm to the touch but the centre is still slightly soft.
• Allow the brownies to completely cool before removing from the tin using the overhanging edges of parchment paper.
• For the topping: place the chocolate in a small bowl and microwave for 30 seconds. Repeat with the peanut butter in a separate small bowl. Using a spoon drizzle the chocolate over the top of the brownies. Repeat using a separate spoon for the peanut butter. Finally top with chopped almonds and slice the brownies into portions.