The Wholefoodie: Gooey, chewy, vegan Aqua faba brownies

Pitch-Dark Brownies

Susan Jane White

November 22 2020 02:30 AM

These dark chocolate brownies are The Snazzlejazzle. Each bite feels like pink sparkly maracas tumbling through my veins.

To make them vegan, we're using the liquid from a can of chickpeas in place of eggs. Sounds like a punishment, but it's closer to a wicked spell! The drained juice from a can of beans is called aquafaba, and contains enough protein to mimic eggs in baked goods.

So this week's recipe is handy for when you run out of eggs and still want to kick those chocolate cravings in the crotch.

You can order the block of creamed coconut and gram flour, as well any other arcane ingredients on your wish list, from a range of online sources. I like downtoearth.ie and evergreen.ie. Lockdown 101. Order from your armchair, straight to your doorstep. Neat, huh?

Pitch-Dark Brownies

Makes 20

You will need:

200g dark chocolate

200g creamed coconut block

1 x 400g tin of chickpeas, reserve the liquid (aquafaba)

200g golden caster sugar or coconut sugar

50g gram (chickpea) flour

Flaky sea salt

1 teaspoon baking powder

Handful of walnuts

1 Fire up your oven to 180C, 350F, Gas 4. Line a 20cm x 20cm brownie tin with parchment paper.

2 Let your dark chocolate melt with the coconut block. I do this in a shallow bowl placed like a lid on top of a saucepan. Inside the saucepan is about 4cm of barely simmering water. The heat generated by the hot water will gently warm the shallow bowl, and melt the chocolate and the creamed coconut.

3 While they are melting, get your mitts on a good podcast,s as you'll be whisking for 10 minutes. Then strain 125ml of the reserved aquafaba into a large bowl. Refrigerate the chickpeas or use them for a curry, as they aren't needed for this recipe. Using an electric whisk set on its highest speed, beat the aquafaba for 5 minutes until it is shiny, leaving tracks in its trail. Reduce the speed and add the golden caster sugar or the coconut sugar, whichever you're using. Whisk for a further 4 to 5 minutes until it looks glossy, like shaving foam.

4 Fold in the chickpea flour, the flaky salt and the baking powder. Add the melted chocolate and creamed coconut mixture.

5 Scrape the brownie mix into your lined tin, smooth the surface if you have to, and parachute the walnuts on top. Bake in the preheated oven for 30 minutes, then remove and allow to cool overnight. Like humans, these brownies benefit hugely from resting, or they crumble. The next day, they'll be fudgy with a signature crinkly top. Delish-delosh.I feel a poem coming on. l