- 1/2 cup non-dairy butter ((such as Earth Balance // 1 stick = 1/2 cup) )
- 3/4 cup natural cane or granulated sugar
- 2 Tbsp flaxseed meal ((to make flax eggs))
- 5 Tbsp water ((to make flax eggs))
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 3/4 tsp baking powder
- 1/4 tsp sea salt
- 1/2 cup dutch-process cocoa powder
- 3/4 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
- 1/3 cup Optional Add-Ins: walnuts hazelnuts or chocolate chips
Standard muffin tin
large mixing bowl
Whisk and spatula
Prep the tin and make the flax eggYou preheat the oven to 350°F and spray seven to eight standard muffin tin cavities with cooking spray, or line them with paper liners, before doing anything else. You combine the two tablespoons of flaxseed meal with the five tablespoons of water in a small bowl, stir, and leave it to rest for five full minutes while you prepare the rest of the batter. Paper liners eliminate the need to scrub the tin and prevent any sticking issues entirely. Melt the butter and build the batterYou place the half cup of non-dairy butter in a large mixing bowl and melt it in the microwave in thirty-second bursts until fully liquid. You add the prepared flax egg, granulated sugar, vanilla extract, baking powder, sea salt, and Dutch-process cocoa powder to the same bowl and whisk until the batter looks uniform, glossy, and fully combined. The mixture looks slightly separated for the first thirty seconds of whisking, which is normal. You continue whisking until the cocoa, sugar, and butter form a smooth, dark, cohesive mass. Add the flour and fold-insYou add the all-purpose flour to the bowl and fold it in with a spatula using slow, deliberate strokes until no white flour streaks remain. You stop folding the moment the batter looks uniform. Overmixing after the flour goes in develops gluten and produces a tough, rubbery brownie rather than a tender, chewy one. You fold in the dairy-free chocolate chips or walnuts with two or three additional strokes. Fill the tin and bakeYou scoop the batter evenly into the prepared muffin cavities, filling each one to three-quarters full. You place the tin on the center rack and bake for twenty-two to twenty-six minutes. You check doneness at the twenty-two-minute mark by looking at the edges, which pull slightly away from the sides of the cavities when the brownies are done, and the center surface looks just barely set. You do not insert a toothpick and wait for it to come out clean. A clean toothpick in a brownie means you overbaked it. You pull the tin when the edges pull away and the center looks set but not dry. Rest and removeYou let the brownies rest in the tin for five minutes after removing from the oven before attempting to lift them out. The almond-flour-free, fat-heavy batter needs this brief resting period to firm up enough to hold its shape when lifted. Attempting to remove them immediately produces hot chocolate rubble in the palm of your hand, which tastes fine but does not photograph well or serve cleanly.
Recipe Notes
A note on the sweet potato brownie alternative
Some vegan brownie recipes use mashed roasted sweet potato as a fat and binding substitute to create a denser, more nutrient-dense square. The vegan sweet potato brownies version produces a fudgier, moister result with a mild earthy sweetness that some people enjoy.
I tried making vegan sweet potato brownies once when I wanted to feel like a responsible adult, and they tasted like a confused Thanksgiving side dish wearing a chocolate disguise. This pantry-staple recipe tastes like a brownie because it uses the same fat, sugar, cocoa, and flour ratio that a conventional brownie uses, minus the eggs and dairy.
