Vegan Brownies

I'm not one for an austere brownie. Remember these and these and these? I do tend to go a little over-the-top when it comes to brownies. I love my brownies to showcase butter, sugar, marshmallows, nuts, shattered cookies, choc chips, broken up candy bars, confectionery and anything else that's not nailed down. But when I saw these Vegan Brownies in my new cookbook, brownies that didn't include brownie ingredients (let's face it), I saw it as a challenge to my notion of brownie.  I was compelled to make them just to see if these rather odd ingredients could actually make a delectable brownie. I needn't have worried, because any doubts I might have had dissolved with my first mouthful of batter... Yes, that's right, batter. And the baked batter, that is the brownies, tastes even better.



Vegan Brownies
from Gwyneth Paltrow's It's All Good
Makes 16

2 cups white spelt flour
1 cup best quality cocoa
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
A pinch of fine sea salt
1/2 cup vegan mayonnaise (Vegenaise) or vegetable oil
1 cup best quality maple syrup
1/2 cup brown rice syrup (I used rice malt syrup)
1/2 cup strong brewed black coffee
1/2 cup almond milk (or soy milk, or rice milk)
1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract

Preheat the oven to 180 degrees C. Line a 23 x 28 cm baking pan with baking paper and then lightly spray the paper with cooking oil spray.

Sift the flour, cocoa, baking powder and salt together in a large mixing bowl. Whisk them together so that they are well combined.

In a separate b bowl, whisk the vegan mayonnaise/Vegenaise or vegetable oil, syrups, coffee, almond milk and vanilla.

Mix the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients. Do not over beat.

Pour the batter into the prepared baking pan.

Bake for 25-30 minutes (mine took 25 minutes) or until a toothpick inserted into the centre comes out with a few moist crumbs clinging to it.

Let the brownies cool before cutting into squares.