So let’s talk about chocolate.
Specifically, brownies, because these babies are my favorite. For the entirety of my living-at-home life (you know, the one before I went off to college), brownies came out of a box, were made by Girradhelli, and were the dessert of choice in our house, if dessert were to be had. I didn’t care if they came out of the box; my mom made THE BEST brownies ever, and that was that. The best part was that, after the mix was mixed and the batter was poured into their pink silicone baking pan (weird, I know), there was most definitely a bowl with some excess brownie batter that needed to be removed. My sister & I did a real good job of that, let me tell you.
Anyhow, fast forward to when I was a sophomore in college, eating a vegan diet, and desperately wanting a brownie. I had been cooking and baking for about a year by then, and hey, brownies can’t really be that hard to make, can they? Uh, wrong. Brownies minus the butter, eggs, and gobs of oil actually turn out to be rather difficult to make. Go figure.
It took me a few tries and a lot of research, but I finally came up with the recipe I’ve given to you today. It’s a gift!
These brownies pack a triple dose of chocolate:
- Melted chocolate chips in the batter.
- Cocoa powder in the batter.
- Whole chocolate chips stirred in last.
More chocolate = more better. Holla.
There are a few things I love about these brownies, aside from the fact that they’re super amazing brownies that just so happen to be vegan (brownie points?).
>> The top is the ever-sought-after crispy crackly crust that all brownies in their right mind would have. The soft cake-like tops? Nuh-uh.
>> Then there are the edges. I’m an edge person, I won’t judge if you’re not. But EDGES. They bake up a little more in the oven so they are more chewy and so tasty.
>> And then the center. The ever fudgy and tasty center. I am also a center-piece person, so I could really eat the whole pan. I want them all! But fudgy.chocolatey.melty.chewy.center.
All together? Best (vegan) brownies ever. I’ve made them countless times, so I promise this is true.
THE ULTIMATE VEGAN BROWNIES
INGREDIENTS
- ¾ cup all-purpose flour
- 1 cup whole wheat pastry flour
- ¼ tsp baking soda
- ¾ tsp salt
- 2 Tbsp ground flax seed + 3 Tbsp water
- 4 oz (3/4 cup) chocolate chips
- 7 Tbsp cocoa powder (not dutch processed)
- 3 Tbsp applesauce
- 3 Tbsp (1½ oz) butter (I used Earth Balance)
- ¼ cup water
- 1½ cups sugar
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- ½ cup chocolate chips (optional)
- ½ cup chopped walnuts (optional)
INSTRUCTIONS
- Preheat the oven to 350F. Line an 8×8″ baking pan with parchment (or grease very well) and set aside.
- Combine the flours, baking soda, and salt in a medium bowl.
- Combine the flax and water in a small bowl and set aside.
- In a large bowl, combine the 4 oz chocolate chips, cocoa powder, applesauce, butter, and water. Toss together but don’t worry about getting it too homogenous. Melt in the microwave in 30-second intervals until mostly melted, stirring well between each interval. This should take no more than 2 minutes total. When it’s melted you might see some small non-melted looking bits all over – this is okay.
- Add the sugar to the chocolate mixture and mix well. Add the flax mixture and the vanilla and stir until smooth.
- Dump the flour mix into the chocolate mixture and stir with a large spoon until just combined. The batter may be very thick – it’s okay. When the batter is just about together, fold in the chocolate chips and nuts, if using.
- Pour the batter into your prepared pan. Smooth it out with the back of a large spoon, making sure to press it into all the corners.
- Bake for 27-30 minutes, until a pick inserted into the middle comes out clean. Let cool for 15 minutes before serving. Try not to eat them all in one sitting!