Vegan + GF Fudgy Brownies

I was tasked with creating a delicious dessert for a social gathering, but whatever I made had to be both vegan and gluten free. As you know by now, I was up for the challenge. I started to search around to see what I could find. I noticed a lot of vegan and/or GF recipes require some intricate ingredients that aren't readily available at local grocery stores near me, or if they are, they're expensive and probably something I won't use again. I was starting to lose hope when I stumbled across these beauties!

Simple ingredients, one bowl, no dairy, no gluten, and they looked amazing (spoiler alert: they ARE!). I figured I'd give them a shot and I'm so glad I did because this recipe is officially my go-to whenever I have to bake something vegan + GF. The original recipe is from a website called The Big Man's World.

Not only were these brownies everything I'd been looking for, but they were so easy to whip up. You'd also NEVER know they were vegan + GF (no one at the social gathering did unless I told them!). They taste better than a regular brownie in my opinion because they are SO soft, fudgy, and luscious. I found all the ingredients I needed at Trader Joe's, aside from the 1:1 ratio Gluten Free All-Purpose Flour, which I got at Target.

Magickal Ingredients Featured:

Chocolate: Properties of dark chocolate (semi-sweet) include self-love, romance, prosperity, grounding, focus, positivity, creativity, and motivation.

Coffee: Known to promote good luck and abundance, and it is also said to have protective properties.

PREP: 10 minutes COOK: 30minutes mins

Here's What You Need:

• 2 tablespoon ground flaxseed

• 6 tablespoon brewed coffee (or you can use water)

• 2 cup vegan chocolate chips divided

• 1 cup granulated sugar or coconut sugar

• 6 tablespoon vegan butter

• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

• 3/4 cup + 2 tablespoons all-purpose gluten-free flour (you can use regular all -purpose flour if you'd like)

• 1 teaspoon salt

• 1 teaspoon baking powder

• 1/4 cup cocoa powder

Here's What To Do:

1. Preheat the oven to 350F. Line a square pan (I used 8x8) with parchment paper and set aside.

2. Prepare your "flax egg" by combining your ground flaxseed with your brewed (chilled) coffee. Let it sit for 10 minutes, to form a gel.

3. In a microwave-safe bowl or stovetop, melt one cup of chocolate chips of choice. Set aside.

4. In a large mixing bowl, add your vegan butter and sugar, and whisk well. Add in your prepared "flax egg" mixture, melted chocolate, vanilla extract, and mix well, until glossy.

5. Sift through your flour, baking powder, salt, and cocoa powder and mix until just combined. Do not over-mix. Fold through the remaining chocolate chips.

6. Transfer your brownie batter into the lined pan. Bake your brownies for 27-30 minutes or until an inserted toothpick comes out mostly clean.

7. Remove brownies from the oven and press in more chocolate chips if desired. Let cool completely before slicing into squares.

Notes TO STORE: Store leftovers in the refrigerator, to ensure they remain fresh. They are super gooey and fudgy, so the chilled temperature will ensure they don’t spoil. TO FREEZE: Wrap them in parchment paper individually, and place them in a ziplock bag and store them in the freezer. They will keep well frozen for up to 6 months.