Very Fudgy Chocolate Chip Brownies

Ladies and gents, I bring you today the most delicious brownies you will ever stuff your face with! Yes, they are THAT good. So rich, so fudgy, so soft...and filled with chunks of mixed nuts and dark chocolate.

No one (and I mean NO ONE) will ever guess these are vegan. In fact, wether you follow a vegan/vegetarian diet or not once you try this recipe there's no turning back, this has become my absolute favorite brownie recipe and as I'm typing these words I've just remembered there are still a few squares left in the fridge...so you can guess what I'm gonna do at the end of this post, right?! ;-)

It's almost Friday, the weekend's right around the corner and we suddenly feel happier (and relieved, as if the weekend would last forever) so why don't you indulge yourself with some real chocolatey goodness. Bake these brownies and melt of pleasure, trust me...you won't regret it, plus you won't need any super fancy or where-the-heck-do-I-find-this ingredients. 

I've said that before but I'll never get tired of saying it over and over again, 'Vegan Chocolate' by the super nice and mega-talented vegan chef Fran Costigan is the best cookbook gracing my bookshelf. Like I told to one of my Instagram followers when she asked me where I got the recipe for my vegan Sachertorte: "this book it's full of drool-worthy recipes", all the recipes are amazing and I can assure you that you'll always get picture-perfect desserts*.

Receta en español aquí!

Very Fudgy Chocolate Chip Brownies
(Recipe from the book 'Vegan Chocolate' by Fran Costigan)

Ingredients
(makes one 8x8-inch (20x20-cm) square pan)
1/2 cup plus 1 tbsp all-purpose flour.
1/2 cup whole wheat pastry flour.
1/2 cup unsweetened pure cocoa powder.
1/2 cup minus 1 tbsp granulated sugar.
1/4 cup whole cane sugar, ground in a blender until powdered.
2 tbsp cornstarch.
1 tsp baking powder.
1/2 tsp fine sea salt.
1/4 cup plus 2 tbsp mild tasting extra-virgin olive oil.
1/2 cup maple syrup.
1/4 cup soy milk (or any nondairy milk).
2 tsp pure vanilla extract.
Heaping 1/2 cup dark chocolate mini chunks.
1/3 cup mix of walnuts, pecan and macadamia nuts, lightly toasted.

Directions

Preheat oven to 350ºF (180ºC). Grease an 8x8-inch/20x20-cm square pan and line the bottom with parchment paper.

In a large mixing bowl sift together the all-purpose flour, pastry flour, cocoa powder, granulated sugar, whole cane sugar, cornstarch, baking powder, and salt and stir with a whisk to aerate the mixture. If any small bits remain in the sifter, add them to the mixture.

Whisk the oil, maple syrup, soy milk, and vanilla in a separate mixing bowl until completely combined and lightly foamy. Pour into the dry ingredients and mix with a rubber spatula until the batter (which should be thick) is smooth. Let the batter rest for 10 minutes.

Stir in the chocolate chunks, macadamia and pecan nuts. Spoon the batter into the prepared pan, and spread into an even layer with an angled metal spatula.

Bake for 23 minutes approximately until the top is set but not too dry (although it has to look dry) and the sides have started to pull away from the pan. If you're not really sure if the brownie is already cooked I highly recommend you to insert a wooden tester diagonally into the brownies. If the tester comes out coated with butter but not wet that means the brownie is perfectly baked! 

Remove from the oven and set on a cooling rack. 

Let it cool completely at room temperature. Don't panic if the middle of the cake sinks a bit as it cools, that usually happens with very fudgy brownies but once it's cold you can push the sides down to level the cake if you like. Mine just sinked a tiny bit in the middle but naturally leveled by itself as it was cooling.

Keep the brownies in the refrigerator (inside a covered container), these brownies will stay fudgy even if you freeze them (they make the perfect cake for ice cream sandwiches and awesome chunks too!). 

It's very important that you wait until they are very cold to cut them into squares.

*Check out the following recipes I've already published from Fran's cookbook:

- Vegan Sachertorte.

- Chocolate Dulce de Leche.

- Millionaire's Banoffee Tarts.