Vegan Crackled Midnight Brownies
Named so because of all the nights I stayed up until midnight trying to perfect the recipe! These vegan brownies are the ultimate balance between fudgy and chewy, chocolatey and sweet.
Servings: 16
Equipment
- 20cm x 25cm x 10cm-deep (8" x 10" x 4"-deep) non-stick baking tin or 9" x 4"-deep square
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp ground flax seeds
- 120 ml aquafaba hot
- 100 g plain flour
- 50 g cocoa powder
- 1 tbsp cornflour
- 1/4 tsp baking powder
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 125 g dark chocolate chopped (I used a blend of two of my favourite brands)
- 60 g coconut oil
- 200 g icing sugar
- 50 g light brown sugar
- 60 ml hot water
- 1/4 tsp ground star anise
- Zest of 1 medium orange
Instructions
- Grease and line a 20cm x 25cm x 10cm-deep (8" x 10" x 4"-deep) traybake tin with coconut oil and baking parchment. Leave an overhang at either side to lift the brownie out easily later.
- Pre-heat the oven to 175°C/350°F.
- In a small bowl, mix together the ground flax seeds and hot aquafaba. Allow to stand for 5 minutes.
- Sift together the flour, cocoa powder, cornflour, baking powder and salt.
- Place the chocolate and coconut oil over a bain-marie and allow it to melt, stirring gently. Once melted, remove from the heat and set aside. You can also microwave them in a glass bowl on high power in 30 second intervals until melted. Stir gently between each blast. Allow to cool to room temperature.
- Add the icing sugar, brown sugar, flax-aquafaba mixture, hot water, orange zest and ground star anise. Whip for 2-3 minutes until the sugar has dissolved and the mixture is smooth and shiny.
- Add the sifted dry ingredients and whisk again until smooth and glossy, about 90 seconds.
- Pour into a lined pan and bake for 25 minutes. Allow to cool completely in the tin before slicing for perfect squares.