I guess you could say I enjoy a good challenge, and after sampling some delicious sugar-free, vegan treats, I thought I'd try my hand at baking some of my own. Now, I'm no fan of sugar, but I do like my chocolate and cocoa, so what better place to start than a vegan brownie? Now, I admit, I was skeptical to the bone at first, but figured needs must, and who am I to back down in the face of a challenge and an adventure?
I dug out this recipe, which made it out like I'd be done before I started, even, and shouldn't fret too much over the obvious things. It sounded easy, and looked like what it was supposed to, so I figured, let's fly.
I did adjust the quantities (more or less doubled), as I was baking for some 8 people. I did have to prepare it in two batches since my blender is nowhere near appropriate for this kind of task, and frankly, the quantities given in the original recipe come up quite piddly. Won't feed many out of that. On the other hand, the result is extremely dense and dark, so goes well in small quantities. You figure it out by yourself. I mean, really, if you need me to clarify fairly simple things, where does that leave you? I don't mean to sound like your mother, no, but neither am I some overly-lenient distant aunt. I'm Baba Yaga hiding under your floorboards, ready to chew off your toes.
Anyway.
What will you need?
A big God. And a big blender, if you don't wanna go in batches, like I did.
- 2 ripe bananas (you need something to sweeten you up, don't you?);
- 130 g good peanut butter;
- About 12 tablespoons of cocoa powder (I changed this one a lot from the recipe, I know);
- 1/2 tablespoon baking powder;
- Pinch of cinnamon and pinch of salt;
- Almond milk (or some other preferred milk alternative) to eye - maybe 300 ml?;
- (Optional, but nice) walnuts, hazelnuts, chocolate chips.
Okay, writing it out, I realize I changed it quite a bit, but you can still refer to the original for guidance, if you like. The recipe itself is actually quick and easy, just assemble everything in a blender: banana in pieces, peanut butter, cocoa, baking powder, vanilla, salt, and chocolate chips, walnuts, whatever else you'd like inside.
Since I added a lot more cocoa than the original recipe called for, the blender was overpowered and couldn't really blend, so in went the milk. You basically want to get a thick, pudding-like consistency. You want it to slide of its own accord into the pan, but not be too runny, otherwise you won't eat.
I mean, you could. But it won't be a brownie.
Oh yeah, go back twenty minutes and preheat the oven at 175C. Forgot that bit. Since I was cooking something else before, it didn't really occur to me. But you totally should.
Pour it into your oven-friendly container of choice, lined perhaps with a baking sheet so that it doesn't stick, and decorate with more of the stuff you put inside. As you can see, I decorated it with bits of walnut. Chuck it into the oven and wait. I must've cooked it for about 45 minutes, but check frequently (every 10-15 minutes). It will brown a lot on top, but it's not burnt. Try with a toothpick from time to time. You want the end product to be a bit wobbly but firm. Keep in mind it will also cool and harden a bit the first 10 mins out of the oven, as well.
What came out?
Well, the end result was fantastically dense, as I said, and not sweet at all, almost, but then again, I'm not a fan of overly sugary goods anyhow and I love dark chocolate, so it suited me just fine. My guests, also, seemed to enjoy it, but perhaps they were simply being polite. Still, an interesting sugar-free vegan dessert that I was, in the end, quite proud of. So feel free to give it a try ;)
