The best brownie should be crisp outside and gooey in the center. The same rule applies to vegan brownies although some people find it hard due to the ingredients. In this recipe, I will show you how to achieve the same brownie quality using vegan ingredients.
The Ingredients
- 200g almond flour (or any gluten-free flour)
- 100g dark cocoa powder
- 200g coconut sugar
- 120ml canola oil (or any vegetable oil)
- ½ tsp. baking powder
- 1 tsp. vanilla extract
- A pinch of salt
- 200ml water
- 150g walnuts
- 250g vegan white chocolate chips
- 2 tablespoons ground chia seeds (optional)
To prepare almond flour at home, blend some almonds but be careful not to over process otherwise they become an oily paste (almond butter).
Procedure
Preheat your oven to 350°F (180°C).
In a large bowl, sift in all the dry ingredients and mix well. Add the oil and water, and mix until smooth. Now add the walnuts, chia seeds, and chocolate chips.
Line a 9-inch baking tin with parchment paper (to prevent the vegan brownies from sticking). Gently spread your mixture evenly and bake for 15 minutes.
Transfer to a cooling rack and once cooled, slice even squares. Garnish with fresh raspberries and mint leaves.
Possible Variations to These Vegan Brownies
There are many ways of altering this vegan brownies recipe to suit your taste. The easiest is to add more ingredients.
Raspberry jam and peanut butter go well with these vegan brownies. The jams are best spread on the brownies just before baking, but you can also add them in the brownie mixture.
Alternatively, prepare a thick sauce using Maple syrup, coconut oil, and cocoa powder. Once the brownies are cooled, spread the sauce evenly and garnish with coconut shavings.
Another twist is to add a layer of fudge and mint just before the brownies are fully baked. To make vegan fudge, blend 2 cups of desiccated coconut, 1/2 cup any nut butter (like almond butter, cashew nuts butter, or peanut butter as long as it’s rich and creamy), 1/4 cup cocoa butter, 1/4 cup maple syrup, 1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder, and 3 pitted fresh dates. Season with a little salt if you like and you can add any flavor like vanilla, although if you will be using the fudge in other recipes, I wouldn’t recommend flavoring. After using, you can always freeze whatever remains for future use.
Chia Seeds, on the other hand, have gained massive attention recently, with researching finding numerous benefits in them. Chia plant, Salvia hispanica, belongs to the mint family and the seeds are available both locally and online. These seeds are rich in fiber, Protein, omega-3s fats, vitamin B3, B2, and B1, and minerals such as Calcium, zinc, Magnesium, potassium, Manganese, and Phosphorus.
Coconut sugar has a similar texture and flavor to brown sugar or molasses. Its unrefined sugar from coconuts and therefore has a milky-coconut taste.
In Conclusion
If you have a sweet tooth, sometimes it gets harder to resist little temptations. In as much as you still stick to your vegan vows, not all vegan delicacies are healthy. It’s wise to make your desserts and snacks at home and freeze the extras to enjoy over the week/month. This way you have control over all the ingredients. Try these vegan brownies today!