Vegan Brownies

I love nothing more than a caramel ice cream sundae on top of a hot brownie. The ice cream starts to melt into the brownie and everything kind of gets mixed together in delicious mess. I got this recipe off the internet and veganized it. I hope you like it as much as I do.

If you want to make an ice cream with the brownies, I suggest cooling the brownies and cutting them into small chunks, then mixing them into the Cookies and Cream recipe instead of the cookies. Maybe add some chopped walnuts or pecans, and you’ll have Nutty Brownie Ice Cream!

Finally, this recipe also doubles very well. Just bake in a 9 x 13-inch pan for a few more minutes--I find that 37 minutes for a double batch is just perfect. And, really, don't you want more brownies?

½ c. Earth Balance or other vegan margarine, melted
½ c. unsweetened cocoa
1 c. sugar
2 T. flax eggs (see note below)
3 T. soy milk
2 t. vanilla extract
½ c. flour
¼ t. salt
¼ t. baking powder

Add-ins (optional)
½ - ¾ c. chocolate chips, raisins, chopped nuts, whatever

Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees. Grease an 8-inch square pan, or line the baking pan with parchment paper. (I prefer the parchment paper because the bottoms of the brownies are less oily that way.)

In a medium-sized bowl combine melted Earth Balance or margarine and cocoa powder and beat until cocoa is dissolved. Beat in sugar. Beat in flax eggs until the flax is evenly distributed throughout the mix. While beating, add soy milk and vanilla extract a little at a time until it’s all evenly mixed. (I find it’s easiest to use a hand mixer for all of this.)

Sift together flour, salt, and baking powder in a small bowl. Stir dry ingredients into the chocolate mixture just until no more flour is visible. Do not overmix! (I do this part by hand. It’s too easy to overmix with the hand mixer.)

If using an add-in, fold it in.

Spread in the pan and bake for 27 - 30 minutes. Cool completely before cutting—if you have the willpower to resist them while they’re warm and gooey.

Note: While there are many ways to replace eggs in baking, my favorite method is to make “flax eggs.” I recommend making these in bulk; it’s easier that way. Combine 1/3 cup flax seeds with 2/3 cup hot water in a blender. Let sit for 15 minutes, then blend until the mixture is gelatinous in texture and whole flax seeds are no longer visible. One tablespoon of flax eggs equals one egg. However, if you use this egg replacer and you notice that your batter isn’t quite as liquid-y as it seems it should be, add 2 to 3 tablespoons water, soy milk, or other liquid. (This is why I have soy milk in this recipe.) Whatever flax eggs you don’t use will keep for 2 weeks in the fridge, so you’ll have some on hand for the future. (One tip for using flax eggs is to beat the flax eggs into the oil/liquid before adding dry ingredients, as I have done in this recipe. It helps distribute the magic flax all throughout your batter.)