This vegan brownie recipe is rich and incredibly gooey! A healthy treat with a decadent flavor that’s also gluten-free and mostly plant-based.
We made this vegan brownie recipe the day before our son was born. Little did we know that the next day our lives would change forever. All we knew was these brownies were incredibly gooey and chocolatey! And somehow they were 100% plant-based. They instantly jumped to the top of our chocolate dessert list. We kept pulling them out of the fridge to nibble on another small bite. Yes they are that good! And now they have a sentimental story too.
The BEST Vegan Brownies: From the First Mess Cookbook!
One day we interviewed our friend Laura Wright on our podcast. She mentioned these amazing vegan brownies from her new cookbook, The First Mess. Apparently they were seriously Fondant. Intrigued, I made them for a dinner party a few days later. We ate vegetarian gyros while our friends two year olds threw dinosaurs at each other. We laughed and drank caipirinhas and ate vegan brownies. They are very fudgy: dare I say the best vegan brownie recipe we’ve ever had (kids loved them).
The next morning, as I was drinking coffee, I checked my phone and saw a text message from our son’s birth mother. “Hey, I’m in the hospital. They think I’m in labour. Whhhhhhhhhh?! My heart went through the roof. Alex and I rushed to pack a bag for the hospital. Fast forward a few days and we were back home with the cutest little man alive. Lucky for us; That left some very gooey vegan brownies, perfect for very tired but very happy moms and dads. (Read the rest of Larson’s birth story here!)
All in all, what I love about cooking is that there aren’t just recipes. So life is. These are the moments in life that we share with people, when people make our recipes or they make ours. It’s so rich and so good. Thank you Laura for this sweet recipe for a sweet moment in our lives!
Check out Laura’s INCREDIBLE cookbook, filled with incredible plant-based recipes and vibrant photos. It’s one of our favorites this year. On Amazon: The First Mess by Laura Wright.
Tips for making this vegan brownie recipe
These moist vegan brownies are incredibly easy to make! They’re wonderfully fudgy with a great combination of almond butter, applesauce, and coconut flour. There are a few things you need to keep in mind to make your brownies the best they can be.
- If you’re 100% vegan, make sure the dark chocolate is dairy-free. Most dark chocolates are naturally vegan, but dairy easily slips into candy bars, so read the label to be safe!
- The batter is super thick! The vegan brownie batter turns out incredibly thick. That’s what you want! If you’re having trouble spreading the batter evenly, spritz a little cooking spray on the back of your spatula. This should help you compact the dough more easily.
- Chill 1 hour after cooking. Allow the brownies to cool completely in the pan after baking. Then cover the mold with aluminum foil and put it in the fridge for an hour. This step makes a gigantic difference in this vegan brownie recipe. Cooling them makes them easier to cut and prevents them from falling apart when you bite into them.
Hear
Hear Laura Wright on our A Couple Cooks podcast!
This vegan brownie recipe is…
Vegan, Vegetarian, Gluten Free, Naturally Sweetened, Egg Free, Plant Based, Dairy Free
The description
This vegan brownie recipe is rich and incredibly gooey! A healthy treat with a decadent flavor that’s also gluten-free and mostly plant-based.
- ¾ cup almond butter
- ¼ cup plus 2 tablespoons pure maple syrup
- ¾ cup unsweetened applesauce
- 1½ teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- ½ cup Cocoa powder without sugar
- 3 tablespoons coconut flour
- ¾ teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ cup chopped chocolate from 1 dairy-free 70% dark chocolate bar, divided
- 3 tablespoons whole almonds, roughly chopped
- Preheat oven to 350ºF. Line an 8-inch square pan with a piece of parchment paper, leaving an overhang on two opposite sides. Put aside.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together almond butter, maple syrup, applesauce, and vanilla.
- Add cocoa powder, coconut flour, baking soda and salt to the almond butter mixture. Whisk to combine, making sure there are no dry cocoa chunks in the batter.
- Melt half of the chocolate pieces in a water bath. Vigorously stir the melted chocolate into the brownie batter until fully incorporated.
- Scrape the brownie batter into the prepared pan. Using a spatula, smooth the batter and push into the edges and corners of the pan. (We used a 9″ pan, so we didn’t flatten one side completely to keep the brownies on the thicker side.)
- Scatter over the reserved chocolate chips and roughly chopped walnuts. Place pan in oven and bake brownies until top is slightly set and appears dry and slightly cracked, about 27 to 30 minutes.
- Cool the brownies completely in the pan on a wire rack. Then cover the brownies and place in the fridge for at least 1 hour. This step is crucial. Brownies will not cut cleanly if they have not cooled sufficiently. (We enjoyed the brownies even more a day later after refrigerating them overnight.)
- Just before slicing the brownies, run a chef’s knife under hot water and wipe clean, then cut into squares and serve.
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Cooked
- Kitchen: American
Keywords: vegan brownie recipe, moist vegan brownies
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Last update: January 2020
