Exceptionally Fudgy Vegan Brownies

So I am back again, giving the blog and my photography skills the “ol’ college try” with a slightly adapted recipe from America’s Test Kitchen. And these exceptionally fudgy vegan brownies are definitely worth the wait.

When I first started trying to eat more of a vegan diet (vs. vegetarian) America’s Test Kitchen (ATK) came out with a cookbook called Vegan For Everybody, and of course, I bought it because ATK does great work and I knew it would be a solid cookbook for branching out into vegan cooking and baking. Let me tell you, it did not disappoint in any way. In fact, their chocolate chip cookie recipe is one of my favorite all-time chocolate chip cookie recipes. Oh and the drop biscuits as a base for biscuits and gravy (#drooling). Oh, and the Belgian waffles are to die for!

But back to brownies. A good, fudgy brownie just makes the day better, you know what I mean? I had found my perfect brownie after YEARS of searching –fudgy, chocolatey, and rich. I used the double chocolate Ghiradelli boxed mix and as far as I was concerned, all other homemade recipes that I had tried just did. not. cut. it. Did I long for a homemade version, to avoid a boxed mix? Yes, without a doubt (no judgment here if box mixes are your thing! I support you!), but as far as I was concerned, there was really no need to look elsewhere because Ghiradelli was my jam.

But then I wanted the same thing, only vegan, and this book came out. It was serendipity. Le sigh. The authors described these brownies as “chewy, fudgy, & ultrachocolaty“, which is like the three exact words one should use to describe brownies. And then they went on to say that the brownies “take very little work for an immensely satisfying reward”. People, let me repeat that they take Very. Little. Work. What more could a gal ask for?!?

So, I tried them, and all of my dreams came true.

Don’t they look amazing? I’ll be honest, I made these last week, so they’re all gone now, which is a MAJOR disappointment and it’s all can do to not go whip up another batch right this second.

And while that sounds like a great idea, I really want to publish this blog post for you so that you can make these brownies before I selfishly make myself yet another batch of these exceptionally fudgy vegan brownies.

Modifications And Recommendations

As usual (so far) I have made some modifications to the recipe and I have some observations

• I took out the instant espresso powder. Now everyone (like you know, people who know these things) says that coffee helps enhance the chocolate and that you cannot taste the coffee. While I agree that you cannot taste the coffee, I’ve made these brownies both ways and apparently my palate is not refined enough to appreciate the difference. As such, I think it’s silly to buy a somewhat specialty product unless it actually improves the end product. So I say skipping that ingredient is the way to go.
• This recipe calls for Dutch-processed cocoa powder, which I routinely have on hand because I’m that girl. You may be wondering what the difference is between regular cocoa powder and Dutch-processed cocoa powder. In simpler terms, regular cocoa powder is acidic and Dutch-processed has been washed so that it is not acidic, which makes it more mellow. You can read more about this here and here. Oh, and here too!
  • Because of this, Dutch-processed cocoa usually requires baking powder, which this recipe contains.
  • What if I don’t have Dutch-processed cocoa powder, can I substitute one for the other? According to King Arthur Flour, “you can obtain decent results simply by substituting one cocoa for another without making any adjustments. But for better results, you can also adjust the baking soda or baking powder in the recipe to better match the cocoa you’ve chosen.” So, if you need to make this adjustment, drop a note in the comments and I can help you figure out what to do.
• The recipe calls for a 13-inch by 9-inch (33 cm x 22 cm) pan that they suggest you line with foil to help get the brownies out of the pan easier. This hasn’t worked great for me as a general rule, because even though I spray the foil and the pan with oil spray, the foil still gets stuck in the bottom of the brownies. Instead, I recommend that you spray the pan with oil spray, then line it with parchment paper overhanging the edges from both directions, then spray the parchment paper again, to really prevent sticking or pieces of the paper from getting stuck in the brownies.
• Please note that for the sake of the photos, I split this batter between a 9-inch by 9-inch pan (23 cm x 23 cm) and a loaf pan, as this was the look I was going for–you can also do this if you prefer.

Makes: 24 exceptionally fudgy vegan brownies

Ingredients

• 2 cups (285 grams) of all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 3/4 teaspoon of table salt OR 1 teaspoon of kosher salt
• 1 cup of boiling water — it’s best to boil a bit more than 1 cup of water, then measure 1 cup from the boiling water.
• 3 ounces (85 grams) of unsweetened chocolate, chopped
• 3/4 cup (70 grams) Dutch-processed cocoa powder
• 2 1/2 cups (495 grams) of organic granulated sugar or other vegan granulated sugar
• 1/2 cup (117 grams) of avocado oil (or any other neutral-flavored oil)
• 1 tablespoon (15 grams) vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup (85 grams) of vegan chocolate chips. I use these chips and I love them because they are mini in size and free of 14 common allergens, so they are safe for a lot of people to eat.

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 350 F / 175 C and put the oven rack that you will bake on in the lower third position of your oven.
2. Lightly spray the pan with oil spray and then line the pan with parchment paper. Line the pan in both directions (the length and the width) of the pan and leave the extra paper over the edges to assist you when removing the brownies from the pan.
3. Lightly spray the parchment paper with spray oil.
4. In a medium-sized bowl, whisk the flour, baking powder, and salt together until well combined, approximately 30 seconds.
5. Add the chopped chocolate and cocoa powder to a large bowl, then pour the boiling water over the chocolate. Stir gently until the chocolate is melted and the mixture is combined. I like to use a spatula for this. Set the spatula to the side, as we’ll use it again.
6. To the large bowl add the sugar, oil, and vanilla. Whisk until well combined, about 1 to 2 minutes.
7. Using the spatula, gently stir the flour mixture into the wet ingredients. It’s okay if there is a bit of flour after this is done.
8. Pour in the chocolate chips and fold those into the mixture. This last fold will fold in the remaining flour bits that were left from the last step.
9. Pour the batter into the prepared pan making sure to get as much of the precious batter out of bowl and into the pan and smooth the top.
10. Bake until a toothpick comes out mostly clean, which is about 30-35 minutes in my oven. A few extra crumbs on the toothpick are okay — we don’t want the toothpick to be completely clean! If after 30 minutes the toothpick comes out with a lot of chocolate liquid on it, try a different spot, as you may have hit a melty chocolate chip!
11. If using a glass pan, remove the brownies from the pan after cooling for about 10 minutes, as the pan will continue to cook the brownie. Otherwise, let cool in the pan on a cooling rack for about 2 hours (#worththewait).
12. Remove the brownies from the pan using the parchment paper sling, and continue to cool until completely cool, about 1 additional hour (#againreallyworththewait).
13. The brownies will last for about four days at room temperature.

Final Thoughts

I realize that my last post seemed a bit involved, so if that’s not you’re style, why not try this recipe on for size? I think that you’ll find that these exceptionally fudgy vegan brownies will fit perfectly.

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