I was trying to create a recipe for the ultimate vegan brownies but, try as I might, I could never make any that were as good as Deliciously Ella’s in her Plant Based Cookbook. Why reinvent an already delicious wheel? So, I opted for this slightly healthier version. These brownies may contain some weird techniques but I promise the graft is worth it.
Serves: makes 12 brownies
Time: 15 minutes preparation and 25 mins cooking, plus cooling
Ingredients
4 large eggs
350g coconut sugar
125g dark chocolate (I used 70% coco)
175g coconut oil
2 tablespoons instant coffee powder (you can use decaffeinated; the coffee just deepens the chocolate flavour)
1 tablespoon blackstrap molasses (you can leave this out but it does improve the flavour and texture a little. It can be found in health stores and online)
70g cacao powder
100g plain flour (you can use gluten free)
1 teaspoon sea salt
Method
1. Line a baking tin roughly 24x20x4 with greaseproof paper and pre-heat the oven to 180°c.
2. Combine the dark chocolate, coconut oil, coffee powder and blackstrap molasses in a heatproof jug or pan and set aside, ready for melting. Then sieve the flour and cacao powder in a separate bowl and stir to combine so there are no pockets of flour. Add the sea salt and stir again.
3. Combine the eggs and coconut sugar in a large bowl and whisk for 5-8 minutes until the mixture becomes really thick. The mixture should have tripled in thickness which is why you need to use a fairly large bowl.
4. Melt the dark chocolate, coconut oil, coffee powder and blackstrap molasses until the mixture is completely liquid. If using a microwave, melt in 30 second intervals stirring in between to ensure you don’t overcook the mixture and don’t burn the molasses. If doing it in a pan, put the heat on low and stir frequently.
5. Once the egg and sugar mixture has become lovely and batter-like, continue whisking while slowly pouring in this chocolate mixture. Continue to whisk until the batter looks deliciously thick and chocolaty.
6. Fold in the sieved flour and cacao powder really slowly so as not the remove any of the air we worked so hard to put into the egg and sugar mix.
7. Once well combined, pour into the baking tin and smooth over the top. Place in the oven for 15 minutes. After the 15 minutes, take the brownies out and drop the baking tin on the worktop once. This seems very weird but it’s a trick I learnt a long time ago. It serves to create the really fudgy texture axiomatic to the perfect brownie.
8. Put back in the oven and cook for a further 10 minutes. This should be plenty of time for the brownies to cook but they will still be fudgy in the middle. So long as they are lovely and crispy on top, they are cooked; while they cool, they will continue to cook a little so you’re better off taking them out too early than too late.
9. Allow to cool almost completely in the tin. Once cool, cut into squares with a sharp knife.
10. These brownies actually improve with time, so store in an air-tight container for up to a week.