Valentine's Day Vegan Brownies
These vegan brownies are so so good, I guarantee you won’t want to share them. I may or may not have intended to give these out but accidentally kept them to myself… but that happens sometimes when you bake the perfect vegan brownie. Pair this fudgy brownie with some ice cream or whipped cream for a bite that may make you smile and cry at the same time.
I love brownies a lot - like, a lot, a lot. Regular brownies are delicious on their own, but these vegan brownies are so ooey and gooey, they may be the best brownies I’ve ever made! This recipe adds chopped chocolate chips to the batter, so you get pockets of yummy semi-melted chocolate in every bite. I think every brownie recipe needs to have chocolate chips mixed in, to be honest. That double chocolate combination is second-to-none. Sprinkle some heart-shaped sprinkles on these brownies for a cute Valentine’s Day theme, which is what I did here! These are the sprinkles that I used, by the way. You don’t need sprinkles for these fudgy vegan brownies, but they do make the brownies look great.
This vegan brownie recipe uses flax seeds in place of eggs, and a whole cup of cocoa powder to get that rich, chocolate-y flavor that we all love in the perfect brownie. I recommend using a good quality cocoa powder - I’ve tried a ton of brands and unfortunately I feel that the generic, store-bought versions don’t hold up to the brand name ones. There are tons of instances when generic is just as good as brand-name, but you really don’t want to skimp on the good quality cocoa powder when it comes to these fudgy vegan brownies! Trust me on this - the Ghirardelli cocoa powder is goood stuff! Try it out, or let me know if you have a favorite cocoa powder brand that I should try.
Recipe
4 tbsp ground flax meal
1/2 c water
1/2 c vegan butter, melted
1 c white sugar
1 c brown sugar
1 tbsp vanilla extract
1 c flour
1 c cocoa powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 c non-dairy chocolate chips
Directions
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F and line an 8x8 pan with parchment paper.
Pour the ground flax and water into the bowl of a stand mixer.
Add the melted butter and sugars, and mix on medium-low until smooth and combined. Add in the vanilla and stir again.
Now, pour in the flour and cocoa powder. Add the salt and baking powder and mix on low until just combined - do not mix too much!
Fold in the chocolate chips.
Pour the batter into the prepared pan and smooth out the top with a spoon.
Bake for 35-40 minutes. The brownies may still look when in the middle and not look done, but they will firm up as they cool.
Remove from the oven, allow to cool for at least an hour before slicing and serving.
Adapted From: Nora Cooks