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by Pam Hadder
There are many great vegan brownie recipes out there, and I am always open to trying a new variation on a chocolaty theme! The following recipe is really unique because it is very low in fat, but is wonderfully moist due to the use of bananas, apple sauce and zucchini.
Un-iced, these yummy tidbits have only 2 g of fat per serving! Personally, if I want a brownie, no frosting equals "no fun" so I prefer to ice them - I also find the frosting holds in the moisture. To frost these brownies, I use my tried-and-true easy solution: 2 or 3 melted dairy-free Lindt chocolate bars. Just pop them on top as soon as you pull them out of the oven and spread the chocolate evenly over top as it melts.
Hope you will try and enjoy xox!
Chocolate Zucchini Brownies
Ingredients:
2 tsp. vegan margarine (I use Becel)
2 cups finely grated zucchini
1/2 cup apple sauce (unsweetened)
2 medium-sized bananas, mashed or puréed
1 - 1/2 cup sugar
2 tsp. vanilla extract
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp. salt
1 cup chopped walnuts or pecans, divided use
1-1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 cup baking cocoa
2-3 Lindt dairy-free chocolate bars (or other vegan chocolate), for frosting
Method:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit, and grease a 9" x 12" Pyrex cake pan with the vegan margarine. You could also use a vegetable spray, such as Pam to grease the pan. In a large bowl, combine the zucchini, bananas, apple sauce, vanilla and sugar. In a medium bowl, sift together the flour, salt, baking soda, and cocoa. Stir in 3/4 cups of the walnuts to the flour, reserving 1/4 cup to garnish the frosting, if you desire. Add the dry ingredients gradually to the wet ingredients, stirring gently to form a smooth batter - the batter will be rather thick, but not gummy. Use a firm spatula to fold all of the batter into the prepared baking dish. Bake for 40 minutes, until brownies spring back to a light touch, and a toothpick inserted in the centre comes out clean. Baking times will vary depending on your oven, the humidity and the amount of moisture in your fruit and zucchini - so begin monitoring the brownies at about 25 minutes, and every 5 minutes thereafter. Do not worry if it takes a bit more than, or a bit less than 40 minutes for them to bake - that is completely typical.
As soon as the brownies come out of the oven, place the chocolate bars on top, allow them to soften, and spread the chocolate evenly over all with a butter knife or icing spatula. Garnish with reserved walnuts.
Note: if you don't want to ice these, a nice alternate topping is fresh fruit and a light dusting of icing sugar, or light Cool Whip flavoured with a few teaspoons of your favourite liqueur or extract.
By Pam Hadder
For those of us that LOVE chocolate, there is nothing quite like the aroma of pure cocoa goodness wafting through the house, married with fresh coffee brewing.
Yes, every once in a while, this girl needs some chocolate-themed therapy! Of course, like all sensory moments, it's nicest when shared with a like-minded soul, but if you are flying solo, fear not - baking a decadent treat like this can blossom into a romantic, sensual moment without the commitment and emotional baggage - it's a sticky kiss that is guaranteed to make your heart sing, your lips smile and will leave your head reeling with dreamy thoughts ;)
Whenever you are craving some sweetness, this easy vegan brownie recipe fills the order and I appreciate that it does not call for any hard-to-find ingredients. I adapted this recipe from one found on the Vegan Recipes app for iPhone (yes, a fav resource!).
This brownie recipe was a big hit with visiting friends and family - which was a blessing because the recipe makes a large cake pan (9 x 13) of brownies! So the next time I make them, I will likely make half the recipe and will also cut back on the fat by replacing half the oil with some apple sauce or prune purée (too much of a great thing, perhaps?). Hope you will give this great recipe a whirl and let me know how it goes xox.
Pam's Easy Vegan Brownies
Ingredients:
2 cups all-purpose flour
1- 1/2 cups white sugar
3/4 cups cocoa powder
1 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. sea salt
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1 cup chopped walnuts (or pecans)
1 cup canola oil (use half and add 1/3 cup apple sauce or prune purée)
1 cup soy milk (plain, vanilla or chocolate)
1 Tbsp. vanilla extract
1 Tbsp. vegan margarine
2-3 bars Lindt chocolate (dairy free - silver wrapper)
Method:
Preheat oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit. Butter a 9 x 13 glass baking dish with 1 Tbsp. vegan margarine, and set aside. (NOTE: if you are using a metal pan, you can increase the oven temp to 350.)
Combine the flour, sugar, cocoa, salt, cinnamon, nuts and baking powder in a medium-size bowl and set aside. Mix the oil, soy milk and vanilla extract and stir into the dry ingredients to form a smooth batter. Bake for 35 - 45 minutes - brownies are done when an inserted toothpick comes out clean. Take care not to over-bake, as they should be moist inside - just not raw!
While the brownies are baking, unwrap the Lindt bars and break them into pieces. As soon as the hot pan comes out of the oven, distribute the chocolate bar pieces over the top. Once the chocolate pieces are softened (3-5 minutes), spread the chocolate with an icing or butter knife to form the frosting. To speed the setting of the icing, loosely cover the pan with foil and place in the fridge for 15 minutes.
By Pam Hadder
For those of us that LOVE chocolate, there is nothing quite like the aroma of pure cocoa goodness wafting through the house, married with fresh coffee brewing.
Yes, every once in a while, this girl needs some chocolate-themed therapy! Of course, like all sensory moments, it's nicest when shared with a like-minded soul, but if you are flying solo, fear not - baking a decadent treat like this can blossom into a romantic, sensual moment without the commitment and emotional baggage - it's a sticky kiss that is guaranteed to make your heart sing, your lips smile and will leave your head reeling with dreamy thoughts ;)
Whenever you are craving some sweetness, this easy vegan brownie recipe fills the order and I appreciate that it does not call for any hard-to-find ingredients. I adapted this recipe from one found on the Vegan Recipes app for iPhone (yes, a fav resource!).
This brownie recipe was a big hit with visiting friends and family - which was a blessing because the recipe makes a large cake pan (9 x 13) of brownies! So the next time I make them, I will likely make half the recipe and will also cut back on the fat by replacing half the oil with some apple sauce or prune purée (too much of a great thing, perhaps?). Hope you will give this great recipe a whirl and let me know how it goes xox.
Pam's Easy Vegan Brownies
Ingredients:
2 cups all-purpose flour
1- 1/2 cups white sugar
3/4 cups cocoa powder
1 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. sea salt
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1 cup chopped walnuts (or pecans)
1 cup canola oil (use half and add 1/3 cup apple sauce or prune purée)
1 cup soy milk (plain, vanilla or chocolate)
1 Tbsp. vanilla extract
1 Tbsp. vegan margarine
2-3 bars Lindt chocolate (dairy free - silver wrapper)
Method:
Preheat oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit. Butter a 9 x 13 glass baking dish with 1 Tbsp. vegan margarine, and set aside. (NOTE: if you are using a metal pan, you can increase the oven temp to 350.)
Combine the flour, sugar, cocoa, salt, cinnamon, nuts and baking powder in a medium-size bowl and set aside. Mix the oil, soy milk and vanilla extract and stir into the dry ingredients to form a smooth batter. Bake for 35 - 45 minutes - brownies are done when an inserted toothpick comes out clean. Take care not to over-bake, as they should be moist inside - just not raw!
While the brownies are baking, unwrap the Lindt bars and break them into pieces. As soon as the hot pan comes out of the oven, distribute the chocolate bar pieces over the top. Once the chocolate pieces are softened (3-5 minutes), spread the chocolate with an icing or butter knife to form the frosting. To speed the setting of the icing, loosely cover the pan with foil and place in the fridge for 15 minutes.
