Boozy [Vegan] Brownies

Remember how much I raved about the vegan brownies I made with my friends in January? These are better.

Oh the magic of ALCOHOL...sorry, too soon? I certainly hope not! Its been 3 full days since St. Patrick's Day. And I, for one, was surprisingly successful in not overindulging. Although I did accidentally have meat...on nachos...but it was a necessity. (IF you didn't know, I gave up meat for lent.)

This vegan brownie is similar to the chewy vegan brownie in that it has ground flaxseed in place of eggs and melted chocolate to help make it chewy (and extra chocolaty!). These, HOWEVER, use a vegan butter instead of oil and a smidgen of alcohol...for fun. The first go around I used the amaretto, which is what the original recipe called for, then r-e-a-l-l-y under-baked them. In vegan-land, thats what I call a safe and delicious "oops". I basically couldn't keep my hands off them. I put them in the fridge, hoping to hide them from myself, but then I discovered how equally good they are cold!

I also went a little crazy and made an inside-out s'more sandwich with two brownies, graham cracker crumbs, and marshmallow fluff mixture. Oh yum.

The second time around I baked the brownies in mini muffin tins, used spiced rum instead of amaretto, and topped them with *NOT VEGAN* creme de menthe buttercream (because I still have a ton of creme de menthe left over from these). They were adorable, delicious, and a perfect St. Patrick's Day treat for my co-workers. Ever since I've discovered vegan isn't scary, I've been on a somewhat-uncover mission to prove this to others; so I noted on the container that the brownie was vegan. I didn't, however, disclose the vegan detail until AFTER Boyfriend tried them (hehe). Everyone at work loved them...and so did Boyfriend. Mission successful so far.



Can I also real quickly mention how convenient it is to have a vegan brownie recipe? So many other brownie recipes require 3-5 eggs. These? None. And you still get the same intensely fudgey texture and beautifully crackly top!

Vegan Brownies

Slightly Adapted from Love Them Apple

Servings: ~24 brownies 

 

12 oz semi-sweet chocolate chips (1 bag)

1/2 c unsweetened cocoa powder

3/4 c Earth Balance or Smart Balance

1/4 c ground flax seeds (flax meal)

3/4 c warm water

2 c sugar

3-4 tsp amaretto, rum, or alcohol of choice (could probably sub 1-2 tsp vanilla extract)

2 c all-purpose flour

2 tsp. baking powder

1/4 tsp salt

• Preheat oven to 350. Grease and flour the bottom and sides of a 9 x 13 baking dish. 

• In a small bowl, whisk flax meal and water together and let sit while you prepare the rest of the ingredients.

• In a double boiler, melt Earth Balance (butter), chocolate and cocoa powder together. Stir occasionally as it melts to smooth. Mix in the amaretto / rum.

• In a mixing bowl, combine flour, baking powder and salt. 

• Transfer flax mixture to a large mixing bowl and whisk a few times till it is thick and uniform. Add sugar and mix. Add melted chocolate and mix until thoroughly combined. Add flour mixture and stir until just combined (do not over mix).

• Pour batter in prepared pan and bake at 350 for 30-35 minutes (I baked them in mini muffin tins for about 10-12 minutes). Test for doneness with a toothpick near the center. Let cool completely before slicing.