VEGAN CHOCOLATE BROWNIES (with Prunes…shhhhhhh)

March 03, 2014

VEGAN CHOCOLATE BROWNIES (with Prunes…shhhhhhh)

I am actually a little afraid of prunes. First, they’re not the prettiest things to look at, and second, being a little kid with digestive issues, prunes felt more like a punishment than anything delicious.

However, when I came across this vegan recipe and was asked by my friend Tracy to make it, I thought, “what the hell, maybe it’s time to give this wrinkly, old, thing a chance.” I’m glad I did, because it resulted in a very chocolatey, very rich, and very unprune-like batch of brownies.

Even if you’re more of an eggs and butter kind of a person, I would tell you to give this recipe a chance. It might surprise you.

Also, Tracy is pregnant, and my mother has some advice as to why these brownies are just perfect if you're preggers:

INGREDIENTS:

- ¾ cup vegan margarine (I used Earth Balance)

- ½ cup and 1 tbsp of self-rising flour

- 1 cup super fine sugar

- 3 Tbsp flaxseeds

- 9 Tbsp water

- 8oz dark chocolate (I used a bar of chocolate called Twilight Delight)

is it just me or is it getting a little sexy in here?

- 4 tbsp of unsweetened cocoa powder

- ½ cup dark chocolate chips

- 10 prunes chopped

from far away they don't look so bad...

- A pinch of salt

- Confectioners’ sugar (for dusting)

DIRECTIONS:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F
Line an 8x8 square brownie pan with parchment or wax paper
Place a heatproof bowl over a small pot with 2 inches of water boiling inside. Don’t let the bowl touch the water, just rest it above. Melt the chocolate and vegan margarine in the bowl.
Stir the chocolate and margarine until smooth. Remove from the heat.
Whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, and salt in a large bowl.
Mix together the flaxseeds and water in a small bowl, until they form a gooey, globby, messy-lookin’ thing.
Add the flaxseed/water mixture to the chocolate and gently stir to incorporate.
Add the chocolate to the flour bowl and gently stir to combine, until there is no more flour peeking out.
Use a rubber spatula to fold in the chopped prunes and chocolate chips.
Pour the batter into the brownie pan, smooth the surface, and bake for around 25 minutes.
Let the brownies cool in the pan for about 10 minutes, before inverting onto a cooling rack. Remember to remove the wax/parchment paper
Once the brownies have cooled completely, sprinkle them with confectioners’ sugar.
Cut into squares and eat them with your favorite dairy-free milk!