recipe: low-fat vegan brownies!

In the past few weeks, I've made these a few times for clients and events.

This recipe is inspired by one I found on VegWebI've found one of the most important ingredients is a high-quality cocoa powder. The ones that came out best used Ghirardelli Chocolate. Use what you like!

If you're not interested in making them low-fat, sub half of the applesauce for additional oil, this will help to make them a bit richer and gooier.



Recipe: Low-Fat Vegan Brownies
2 cups Unbleached All-Purpose Flour or Whole Wheat Pastry Flour, or a mix of the two
1 cup Water
1 cup organic brown sugar
1 cup organic cane sugar or turbinado
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1 1/2 cups high-quality cocoa powder
1/3 cup organic canola or melted coconut oil (you could also use melted vegan margarine)
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce
1/2 to 2/3 cup nuts or chocolate chips (optional)


1. Preheat the oven to 350ºF.

2. In a small pot, heat 1/2 cup of the flour and the water, stirring frequently with a whisk. You'll do this until it begins to become pasty. Remove from heat and allow to cool while you assemble the rest of the ingredients.

3. In a large bowl, combine the remaining dry ingredients. Mix in the wet ingredients and the flour-water mixture until thoroughly combined.

4. Fold in the nuts or chocolate chips if using.

5. Oil a square or rectangular baking dish (the smaller the dish the thicker the brownies. I wouldn't use anything larger than 9x13).

6. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

7. Allow to cool for 20-25 minutes, if you can stand to wait.

spicy chipotle vegan brownies

There's something about that combination of heat and sweet, and I love these brownies for that. They hit your tongue soft, sweet, and chocolately, but finish off with a kick. Sweetened with agave, these brownies aren't overly sweet, but you could add a bit more if you like. I made these for a family friend's birthday party and they were a hit! I imagine they would go very well crumbled into some vanilla ice cream.


Spicy Chipotle Vegan Brownies
5 tablespoons ground flaxseeds
1/3 cup + 1 tablespoon water
1 1/4 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
3/4 cup + 2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
2 teaspoons chipotle powder
1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
pinch ground allspice
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1 1/4 cup agave nectar
1 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
3/4 cup vegan margarine, melted (I use Earth Balance) or canola oil
4 oz. dark chocolate, melted and cooled (equals about 1/3 cup)
1/2 cup chopped pecans or walnuts (optional)

1. Preheat oven to 325ºF. Lightly grease a 9" square baking dish.

2.In a small bowl, combine the ground flaxseeds and water, and mix well. Allow to sit for 10 minutes.

3. In a large bowl, sift together the flour, cocoa powder, spices, baking soda, baking powder, salt. Then, add in all of the wet ingredients and the flaxseed mixture and fold well to combine. Fold in chopped nuts, if using.

4. Pour batter into prepared baking dish. Bake for about 20 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

5. Allow to cool for 30 minutes before serving.

Notes:This makes for a pretty spicy brownie, so decrease the amount of chipotle powder if you want it less hot. If you can't find the chipotle powder, you can substitute 1 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper. Alternatively, you could omit the chipotle, cinnamon, and allspice altogether for a more traditional brownie.