From scratch chocolate vegan brownies made without butter, milk or eggs, instead featuring silky smooth olive oil for the ultimate texture and flavor but without being oily. One bowl, easy quick recipe you can throw together last minute and look like the brownie boss.
In a small bowl whisk together the flax and water. Set aside until thickened while you prep the brownie batter.
4 Tbsp ground flax, 1/2 cup water
In a large mixing bowl whisk together the sugars, flour, cocoa, coffee, baking powder and salt. Fold in the chopped chocolate pieces.
1 cup granulated sugar, 1 cup brown sugar, 1 cup all purpose flour, 1 cup cocoa powder, 2 tsp instant coffee, 1 tsp baking powder, 1/2 tsp fine sea salt, 3.5 oz dark chocolate bar
Make a well in the center and pour in the oil, milk, flax egg and vanilla. Using a spatula combine the dry and wet ingredients until a thick batter is formed. (It will be thick but do not worry).
Line a 9 x 9 inch cake pan with parchment paper leaving a couple of inches of overhang for easy transfer later. Pour the brownie batter inside the pan and spread it nicely with a spatula. (It will be a thick batter, proceed with confidence).
Bake in the preheated oven for 35 to 40 minutes until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out almost clean. (Remember these are chewy gooey brownies not cakes ,so a little crumb on the toothpick is prefect).
Transfer the pan to a cooling rack and allow to cool off completely before removing the brownies. Once fully cooled use the parchment paper overhang to easily remove the brownies from the pan and transfer to a cutting board. If they still seem warm then allow to cool further. Using a sharp knife slice the brownies into 2 x 2 inch squares or smaller bite size pieces.
Drizzle with the salted caramel and enjoy.
Vegan salted caramel for garnish
STORAGE - Store in a parchment lined lidded container at room temperature or the fridge. For longer term storage freeze in containers or freezer bags up to 6 months or so. Thaw out in the fridge or at room temperature for an hour or so before serving.
Video
Notes
Slicing + Storage - Wait for the brownies to fully cool, then and only then proceed slicing them into small squares. You might want to rinse and dry your knife in between for a cleaner cut. At this point you can pop them in some lidded containers lined with parchment paper (or freezer bags) and refrigerate. For longer term storage I just freeze them and thaw out in the fridge or at room temperature when ready to eat. Their texture is dreamy even after freezing, I feel they get even better.
FAQ: Why are my brownies oily? - These brownies should not turn out oily, however it is important not to judge them until they have completely cooled and chilled so the center is fully set and the consistency as it should be: chewy and fudgy not cakey!