Vegan Brownies
Fudgy, deeply chocolatey brownies made without eggs or dairy — with a thin, glossy, crackled top and a dense, squidgy center. The technique that makes the difference: dissolving the sugar in the warm chocolate mixture before combining with the dry ingredients. This is what creates the shiny surface. The flax egg binds without adding lift, keeping the texture dense rather than cakey. These are not a compromise version of brownies. They are just brownies.
Ingredients
- 170 gdark chocolate
- 115 gvegan butter or neutral oil
- 200 gcaster sugar
- 60 glight brown sugar
- 2 tbspground flaxseed mixed with 6 tbsp water
- 1 tspvanilla extract
- 40 gDutch-process cocoa powder
- 100 gplain flour
- ½ tspfine salt
- 100 gdark chocolate chips
Method
- Make the flax egg first. Mix 2 tablespoons of ground flaxseed with 6 tablespoons of water in a small bowl. Stir and set aside for at least 10 minutes. The mixture will thicken into a gel — this is what binds the brownies. While it sits, line a 20 × 20 cm (8 × 8 inch) metal baking tin with parchment paper, leaving overhang on two sides for easy removal. Preheat the oven to 175°C / 350°F.
- Melt chocolate and butter together. Place the chopped dark chocolate and vegan butter in a heatproof bowl over a saucepan of barely simmering water. Stir occasionally until completely smooth and glossy. Remove from heat. Add both sugars to the hot chocolate mixture and whisk vigorously for 60 to 90 seconds until the sugar begins to dissolve — the mixture will look thick and shiny. This step is what produces the crackled top. Don't skip it and don't rush it.
- Add wet ingredients. Let the chocolate mixture cool for 3 to 4 minutes so it's warm but not hot — you don't want to cook the flax egg when you add it. Stir in the vanilla extract and the thickened flax egg. Whisk until fully combined and the batter looks cohesive.
- Fold in dry ingredients. Sift the cocoa powder over the batter and fold in with a rubber spatula. Add the flour and salt, and fold again — gently, just until no dry streaks remain. Do not overmix. The less you stir at this stage the better. Fold in half of the chocolate chips. The batter will be thick.
- Bake and cool properly. Pour the batter into the prepared tin and smooth the top. Scatter the remaining chocolate chips over the surface. Bake for 22 to 26 minutes. The edges should be set and slightly pulling away from the tin; the center should still look slightly underdone and glossy when you gently shake the pan. A toothpick inserted in the center should come out with moist crumbs — not clean, not wet batter. Let the brownies cool completely in the tin, at least 45 minutes. Cutting into warm brownies produces ragged, fudgy edges rather than clean slices — patience here makes a real difference.
FAQ
Both flax egg and aquafaba work well but produce slightly different results. A flax egg (1 tablespoon ground flaxseed + 3 tablespoons water, rested 10 minutes until gelled) is the most reliable and straightforward — it binds the batter and adds a faint nutty note without affecting the chocolate flavor much. Aquafaba (liquid from a can of chickpeas), whisked vigorously with sugar, helps produce the shiny, crackled top that's otherwise difficult to achieve without eggs. Applesauce (about ¼ cup per egg) is the simplest substitute but produces a more cake-like texture. For dense, fudgy brownies, flax egg or aquafaba are the better choices; for a lighter, more tender crumb, applesauce works.
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Comments (5)
Очень оригинально, буду пробовать
Оригинальный рецепт!Возьму на заметку!Спасибо)
Честно, я подошла к рецепту со скепсисом: “веганские брауни” в моей голове всегда звучало как “сладкая картонка без яиц”. Но это просто бомба! Спасибо за лайфхак с растворением сахара в тёплой шоколадной массе — корочка получилась именно такая, хрустящая с красивыми трещинками. В общем, это не “веганская версия обычного рецепта”, а действительно полноценные, шоколадные брауни. Делайте, не пожалеете!
отличная штука! с женой делали сегодня. спасибо
I tested this recipe against my regular butter-and-egg brownie recipe in a blind tasting with twelve people. Nobody could tell which was vegan — and three people actually preferred this one. The secret is using both melted dark chocolate AND cocoa powder together, not just one. The melted chocolate gives you that fudgy density, while the cocoa adds depth of flavour. One tip: let the flax eggs sit a full 15 minutes, not just 5. They thicken substantially between minute 5 and minute 15, and that extra body is what holds everything together without eggs.