Who doesn’t love a good brownie? I know I do. If you put a tray of brownies in front of me, I could quite comfortably eat those in under 30 minutes. (Faba Food does not condone this behavior).
This recipe is for a batch of deliciously plant based brownies that are fudgy, rich and chocolate-y. That means that are gooey and dense and not cake-y. Sorry to disappoint cake-y brownie lovers.
Now for those that are not used to Vegan baking there are some things that you need to know about making these brownies before we get into the recipe. If you are used to Vegan baking skip this and go straight to the recipe, but for the rest, pay attention!
So first a quick word on chocolate. This recipe utilizes dark chocolate, which, if you did not know, is vegan (mostly). High quality dark chocolate uses only cocoa and cocoa solids and no milk. Milk chocolate, white chocolate, and cheaper dark chocolate utilize milk or milk solids (and are therefore not vegan). We recommend going to a baking store to find some good quality cooking chocolate, if not buy some high percentage (around 70%) dark chocolate from your local grocery store and check the label!
Okay so the next thing that we need to talk about is eggs and replacing them. Eggs in a brownie mainly do two things: they act as an emulsifier to help the dry ingredients mix with the fat, and also leaven the brownie mixture by helping it rise. What we replace chicken eggs with is what is known as a flax egg. A flax egg is a mixture made from ground flax seeds and water that acts as a gel to bind mixtures together. This mixture is perfect for binding a brownie mixture together. You can buy ground flax meal but if you can, we recommend grinding it yourself. The best flax seed to use is golden flax seed as it has a more neutral taste.
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp ground flax seed (we recommend using golden flax seed)
- 35 ml Water (to be used with flax)
- 60g Water (to be used with Simple Syrup)
- 150g Caster Sugar
- 90g All-purpose Flour
- 30g Cocoa Powder
- 15g Powdered Sugar
- 0.25 tbsp Espresso Powder (optional)
- 0.35 tsp Salt
- 60g Vegetable Oil (a neutral oil like sunflower or rapeseed is best)
- 1 tsp Vanilla Extract
- 65g Dark Chocolate Chips
- 40g Chopped Walnuts (optional)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 180C. Line an 8x8” pan with greaseproof parchment paper with an overhang and grease the pan with non-stick cooking spray.
- Make the Flax Egg - (if not using pre-ground flax seed) grind 1 tbsp of flax seed and place into a small bowl. Add 35ml of warm water, mix and leave for 5-10 minutes.
- Make the Simple Syrup - In a small saucepan over a medium heat, mix 150g of Caster Sugar and 60g Water. Heat and stir to combine until all the sugar has dissolved completely, approx 6-8 minutes.
- Whilst waiting for the sugar to dissolve, in a large bowl sift together the dry ingredients. Add the flour, cocoa powder, powdered sugar, salt, and espresso powder (optional). Once sifted, whisk together.
- When the Simply Syrup is ready, whilst it is still hot, add to the dry ingredients along with the Vanilla Extract, Vegetable Oil, and Flax Egg. Fold the mixture together, being careful not to overmix. The batter should have a thick, fudgy consistency but should still be pourable.
- Add ½ of the Chocolate Chips to the mix, along with Chopped Walnuts if using. Fold to combine and again be careful not to overmix.
- Pour the batter into your greased pan. Top with the remaining Chocolate Chips. Place in the centre of the oven and bake for 35-40 minutes. If you like your brownies extra fudgy, your toothpick may not come out clean since they are fudgy.
- When the Brownies are done to your liking, remove from the oven and let them cool completely before slicing.
- Leftover Brownies should be stored in an airtight container.
