Meat Free Monday One day a week can make a world of difference

The Best Vegan Brownies

Naturally Sassy
  • Serves: 2-4
  • Preparation: 15
  • Cooking: 30
  • Ready: 45

Deeply delicious and decadent, these brownies are full of health-promoting ingredients, so you can have all the pleasure without any of the guilt!

Ingredients

  • 1 cup pecan butter (shop bought, or see below)
  • 1½ cup medjool dates
  • ¼ cup (4 tablespoons) chia seeds
  • ¾ cup water
  • ½ cup brown rice/oat/almond milk
  • 1/3 cup coconut oil
  • 1 cup brown rice flour
  • ½ – ¾ cup cacao powder
  • ½ cup maple syrup
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder

For the pecan butter

  • 2 cups of pecans (blended in a food processor)

Method

Pre-heat the oven to 175°C/340°F/gas mark 4.

In a bowl combine the chia seeds and the water and leave for 15 minutes.

In a blender put the melted coconut oil, medjool dates, pecan butter, almond/rice milk, maple syrup and blend until smooth, don’t worry if its not 100% smooth, a few little pieces of dates adds the texture!

In a bowl combine the baking powder, brown rice flour, salt and cacao powder.

Pour the mixture out of the blender and combine with the flour, salt, baking powder and cacao and add the soaked chia seeds.

Put into a lined tray about 2 inches thick is ideal, and put into the preheated oven for around 35 minutes or until you can insert a knife into it and it comes out clean.

Take out of the oven and leave to cool. Cut into squares and serve!

Additonal notes

Recipe reproduced with the kind permission of Naturally Sassy.

Facebook: Naturally Sassy
Twitter: @naturallysassy_

“Brownies are the ultimate chocolate treat and these ones, like any unhealthy sugar-loaded brownies, taste rich, indulgent and are incredibly gooey! The best thing about these bites of amazing chocolate goodness is they’re actually full of health-promoting ingredients, so you can have all the pleasure without any of the guilt!

Trying to make a delicious vegan brownie was a hard task, I tried making sweet potato brownies and black bean brownies – both delicious but not quite as yummy as the unhealthy kind, and I needed them as good if not even better! After a few experiments, I hit the jackpot, with the most delicious gooey vegan brownies ever! They’re made from pecan butter, brown rice flower, raw cacao powder, medjool dates, maple syrup and coconut oil.

Pecan butter is full of plant protein, skin loving omega 3 and vitamin E. Brown rice flour is my favourite gluten-free flour – it’s really low GI which balances blood sugar levels. Raw cacao powder is one of the richest source of antioxidants, even more than berries. Raw cacao is derived from the same plant as cocoa, but cacao is the raw form, taken before any additives and sugars have been added. This makes all the nutrients so much more potent and beneficial! Medjool dates are a wonderful natural sweetener that, along with 100% pure maple syrup, adds a wonderful caramel sweetness and thickens the mixture. Lastly we use coconut oil, which is bursting with healthy fats and is such a great source of omega 3. Even though coconut oil is a tad pricey, don’t despair as buying one pot will last forever! If you don’t have coconut oil at hand and you’re desperate for some healthy brownies, you can use olive oil instead.”

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