These took a fair few attempts to finally reach a result that I was really happy with and I now couldn’t be happier to bring you what might possibly be, one of my favourite brownie recipes yet! These are super soft and gooey in the centre with a slightly crisp, crinkled topping. I also wanted to give them a little sparkle of festive flavour with a hint of spices running through the rich chocolate. Baking during the festive period is possibly one of my favourite activities to get me feeling all warm and Christmassy! The scent of gingerbread spiced baked goods, running throughout your home is simply one of the best scents I can think of!
After testing this recipe, there’s a few key things that I found made a huge difference in the texture of a brownie and were key to achieving the ultimate gooey middle! First of all, having the balance of a liquid sweetener (like agave) and coconut sugar is the ideal combination.
The liquid sweetener helps to add extra moisture, whilst coconut sugar provides amnestying incredibly rich, caramel sweetness.
I also personally found that vegan protein powder baked far better than a whey blend here and stopped the brownies from becoming too dense. This might vary depending on the brands that you’re using however. Finally, baking time and insuring that you don’t over-bake the brownies is essential here. I like to take them out when they might still appear a little soft, as these will firm up as they cool down and you don’t want to end up with a really dry, crumbly brownie.
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup coconut sugar
- 2 whole eggs
- 1/4 cup agave syrup (could also sub for maple or date syrup)
- 6 tbsp raw cacao powder
- 1/3 heaped cup vegan butter
- 1/2 cup GF flour (I use buckwheat or oat flour)
- 30g vegan vanilla protein powder (I used Vega)
- 1/2 tsp baking powder
- Handful dark chocolate chips
- Handful dried cranberries
- Pinch sea salt
- Tsp mixed spice
Method
Preheat your oven to 180c and line a brownie tin (or baking dish) with grease proof paper.
Mix together the vegan butter, sweetener of choice and coconut sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in the eggs one at a time.
Fold through all of the dry ingredients and mix well so that you’re left with a smooth brownie batter. Then, carefully stir through the chocolate chips and cranberries.
Pour the mixture into your baking dish and scatter a few extra chocolate chips over the top. Pop these into the oven for around 15 minutes (you can leave them a little longer if you prefer a cake consistency) to bake, then allow to cook completely before slicing into squares.
