Category Archives: Brownies
It’s a MoFo’in kinda Monday…
Happy Monday, Friends! Today is my very first day posting for veganMoFo 5!
This year is my third year in, and I’ll be posting each weekday in October… starting today! I don’t know about you all, but I am psyched! And since it’s MoFo time and I’ve noticed a nice influx of new readers (hi, new readers!) I went ahead and updated my “about page”. Have a looksy if you’re curious about why I write this blog. ♥
I’m really looking forward to this month, because a whole slew of amazingly dedicated bloggers will be posting their hearts out almost every single day. Talk about inspiration! It’s definitely one of my favorite times of the year. You guys, I hit up Wegman’s HARD this weekend in preparation for this big event. A grocery store so glamorous, it would make me seriously consider moving a wee bit outside of Philly. Okay maybe it’s not quite that glamorous (have I mentioned how much I adore living in Philly?! So many bicycles, so many shops, so many hellos, so much good FOOD!), but it is definitely worth the 20 mile drive to get there.
This MoFo I’m doing the same thing I do every year: posting lotsa recipes, and I’ll be highlighting a few of my favorite author’s cookbooks, and maybe some other random funstuff strewn about. And you can absolutely count on tons of pumpkin showing up around here. I love October MoFos!
Also, my macadamia coconut blondies were posted on One Green Planet today… worth a gander if you’ve got a bit of a sweet tooth.
See you all tomorrow!
Chocolate Chip Cherry Brownies
In an organized rush to get everything on our to-do list crossed off before we make the trek to Philly, I’ve packed most of my beloved dishes, small appliances, pots and pans, silverware and other kitchen necessities. Already I’ve filled up about 6 large boxes aaaannnd there are probably at least 3 more to go (yes, I may have a bit of an obsession). We’re also trying to quickly plow through our remaining produce and pantry staples leaving me with a fun challenge come dinnertime each night. I’m actually kinda diggin’ it.
I’ve yet to pack my favorite brownie baking pan (because lots of brownies are an absolute must for road-tripping), and we had an excess of fresh cherries just begging to be used. And for some reason I have a ridiculous amount of chocolate chips to try and use up in 10 days time… poor me, right? ;)
So, today I decided I should bake some chocolate chip cherry brownies. These guys are easy to make and pretty darned good for you — at least compared to most other things I bake! And they have chocolate! And cherries!
Yay for brownies!
Chocolate Chip Cherry Brownies
Ingredients:
- 12 medjool dates
- 1/2 cup almond milk
- 2 1/4 cup non-dairy chocolate chips, divided
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 cup superfine brown rice flour
- 1/3 cup potato starch
- 1 cup finely chopped cherries
Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 °F. Lightly grease a glass 8 x 8 inch baking pan.
Combine pitted dates and non-dairy milk into food processor and puree until very smooth.
Over double boiler, melt 1 1/2 cups chocolate chips. Pour the melted chocolate into the date mixture and blend again until super smooth. Transfer to large mixing bowl and stir in vanilla extract and salt.
Add in brown rice flour and potato starch and mix until well combined. The batter will be very very very thick. Fold in cherries and remaining chocolate chips. I used clean hands to more or less knead the mix-ins into the batter.
Press batter into pan and spread as best you can to make a uniform surface on top. Bake in preheated oven for 25 minutes. Cool completely and cut into small squares.
Eat!
White Chocolate Orange Blondies
So, if I’ve never told you all about my undying devotion for white chocolate, I figure this is a good place to begin. And if you are a newbie to white chocolate, this is a great recipe to get you turned on to it.
Ever since I can remember, I have been a white chocolate fanatic. Many people don’t particularly care for the stuff. But me? Oh, I’ll do just about anything for it; this includes spending $6 per slab on sub-par waxy white forgery. Recently though, I decided to put an end to this madness and just make my own damn white chocolate bars.
For starters, I ordered about 20 oz of 100% food grade cocoa butter. Not exactly cheap, but worth every penny. Once I received my order, I promptly whipped up a giant bar of white chocolate, using a recipe by the insanely talented Hannah Kaminsky. It was simple and blissful…
Even though dark chocolate- with its smooth ebony skin and robust coffee and red wine-like aromas- is very very enticing, there is just something so pure and honest about a delicate bar of white chocolate. It’s like a superb vanilla ice cream with nothing to hide. No cover ups, no mix ins- white chocolate delivers just pure sultry cocoa butter flavor.
I also happen to be quite a devoted blondie fan; like the candy bar mentioned above, I prefer my brownie sans chocolate. I know you all probably think I am crazy. But seriously, try this blondie and tell me if it is not the most glorious gluten-free & vegan blondie your tastebuds have ever encountered.
Well, that may be stretching it a tad, but I sure think these babies are worth their weight in cocoa butter.
They are perfectly chewy and blanketed with a paper thin layer of crunch that collapses delicately with each and every bite. A touch of orange rind adds a little zing. Continue reading
Blackberry Brownies
This is more or less a simple brownie recipe with some blackberries sprinkled on top- but what a humdinger of a simple recipe it is!
It’s somewhere in between a “cakey” brownie and a “chewy” brownie. And, while I admit that I generally prefer the chewy variety to the cakey variety… these are right up there with the best chewy brownies I have ever had. They’re soft and moist on the inside, while chewy and slightly crispy on the outside.
The blackberries are optional, but they add a really nice touch.
Chocolate Brownie Chunk Mousse
Today, in my part of the world, the weather is rainy. Which means:
A) a great photo opportunity (because the lighting is ridiculously perfect for shooting food)
&
B) a good reason to eat a lot of chocolate.
And so, I came up with this chocolate brownie mousse.
This dessert is not for someone looking for a light dessert to satisfy a chocolate craving. Noooo no no. This mousse is over-the-top loaded down with sweet chocolatey goodness.
It is best savored in small dishes that have been chilled along with the mousse.
Devour at your own risk.
Cinnamon Brownie Cookies ~ Gluten Free
These cookies are a fabulous way to enjoy the combination of cinnamon and chocolate. I called them “brownie” cookies because of their awesome texture: crispy on the outside and nice and chewy in the middle. To me, they taste just like little cinnamon brownie bites.
Yum.
They also make your kitchen smell heavenly while they are baking.
Shiraz Ganache Covered Brownies
I did something wonderful this weekend… I made brownies, and they tasted amazing. You see, this is a very rare occurrence in my house, so it was cause for a tiny celebration: hence the red wine ganache.
I have a great trusty ol’ brownie recipe… which I never use. I am always looking for something better, and wishing I had just left “well enough” alone. Usually when I attempt to make a new brownie recipe, I set off confident, armed with my flaxseed or my EnerG… ready to take on the brownie world. But, almost always, something starts to go wrong 2 minutes after I mix the batter… and then it tumbles quickly downhill from there.
Have you ever experienced the horror that is the bubbling brownie of death, just a mere 10 minutes into the baking time???? I have… and it really burns up my oven mitts.
So, yesterday, as I was savoring one of my favorite foods: the Medjool date… I thought to myself “Now, this is what brownie batter should be like: moist, chewy, sticky and sweet all at once.”
I began mentally combining ingredients, having the utmost confidence that those dates would act as a binder, a sweetener and a base all by their little selves. Out of sheer excitement for my upcoming brownie success, I opened bottle of Shiraz and went to town. A few chocolate chips later, a batch of decadent and rich brownies was born. I was quite pleased with the results… especially with the thick and awesome chocolatey topping. So super good.
Needless to say, this recipe’s a keeper. Full of dates, and free of gluten, oils, and added refined sugar (well, except in the chocolate chips)… this brownie will blow your mind.
Chocolate Chip Blondies with “Caramel” Sauce
This recipe for vegan blondies topped with caramel sauce is simple, gooey, and totally loaded with calories! Modify by adding nuts, dried berries, or omitting chocolate chips. Bring a fork and enjoy with a tall glass of soymilk…or two.
Blondies
- 1 cup all purpose flour
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/8 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/3 cup Earth Balance Margarine
- 1 cup packed brown sugar
- 1 ½ tsp EnerG egg replacer mixed with 2 tbsp warm water
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 1 tbsp water
- 2/3 cup semisweet chocolate chips
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Melt Earth Balance and stir in brown sugar. Mix in baking powder, baking soda, salt, egg replacer, and vanilla. Add flour and 1 tbsp water. Mix in chocolate chips. Spread into 9”x9” greased pan. (This part is a bit cumbersome, my technique is partial spreading and partial patting… do whatever works to get it to cover the bottom of the pan evenly).
Bake for 20-25 minutes, cool. Top with caramel sauce.
Caramel Sauce
- 1 1/2 cups sugar
- 3/4 cup soymilk
- 1/2 cup Earth Balance Margarine
- 2 tablespoons corn syrup
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Mix together all ingredients except for vanilla. Bring to boil over medium heat. Cook 7 minutes; stirring occasionally. Stir in vanilla. Store leftovers in fridge in airtight container.