Vegan Brownies with Matcha Frosting

There is nothing quite like a dark, chewy, fudgy brownie- am I right?!  While I usually label myself a chocolate chip cookie girl, these healthier Vegan Brownies with coconut matcha frosting really hit the spot when I am craving something a bit more decadent and a whole lot more chocolatey. I am so excited for you all to make these decadent refined sugar-free matcha brownies!

How to make vegan matcha brownies

Sadly, my days of enjoying a brownie out are pretty limited with my intolerance to eggs. Thankfully, baking fudgy vegan brownies at home is pretty darn easy. This is all thanks to a few star ingredients- starting with flax eggs!

What are Flax Eggs?

Flax seeds in their whole form actually can't be digested and don't do much for baking. However, once you grind those flax seeds up and mix them with water they turn into a magical gelatinous flax egg that helps to hold baked goods together. Flax eggs do differ from real eggs in the sense that they don't build any structure (which is why you don't often see flax eggs in my cake recipes). However, they do provide binding powder for vegan baking. Luckily, when it comes to fudgy brownies, we don't want them to rise too much or they will be cakey vs. decadent fudgy brownies.

To make flax eggs at home the ratio I always stick to is 1 Tbsp of ground flaxseed and 3 Tbsp of water or nut milk.

Tips to make chewy & fudgy brownies

Who else is team fudgy brownie? I know I am! It took me a few tries to perfect my version of a perfect brownie- crackly on the outside, chewy and dense on the inside.

How does one make a fudgy vs. cakey brownie?

Fudgy brownies will have a higher ratio of fat to flour.

For this recipe, I used coconut oil AND almond butter (which is high in fat). This combination leads to the fat content you need for a fudgy brownie. I also only used ½ cup of spelt flour in addition to cocoa powder as the main dry ingredients. Cakey brownies can call for up to 3 times this amount of flour!

Chewier Brownies contain more moisture and (often) brown sugar.

Through my research, I learned that chewy brownie recipes usually require brown sugar vs. granulated sugar. This is because of the molasses in brown sugar that provides extra moisture.

For this recipe, I decided to use coconut sugar to make them refined-sugar free, however, coconut sugar is drier than brown sugar. With this healthier substitute, I had to replace some of that moisture needed in a chewy brownie with maple syrup! After testing, I don't recommend any substitutions when it comes to the coconut sugar and maple syrup in this recipe.

Sift matcha and cocoa powder

Sifting the matcha and cocoa powder before adding them to their respective mixes truly makes for a more even, smooth texture (no one likes a lump of cocoa powder in their brownie!)

Use coconut oil!

Definitely make sure to use coconut oil! I tried this recipe replacing the oil with vegan butter and the texture did not come out as good.

Overall, I'm still learning the science behind baking those perfect brownies, but all I know is this recipe is GOOD. It gets complicated when you start substituting healthier sugar, flour, oil, and additional vegan substitutions. All I know is, these Vegan Fudgy Brownies are so darn amazing that you won't even be able to tell they are healthier!

-TSG

Looking for more vegan recipes filled with chocolate? Check out these SGTO Favorites:

Pumpkin Pie Truffles

Double Chocolate Chip Muffins

Cranberry Orange Chocolate Chip Cookies

No-Bake Chocolate Tart

 Salted Espresso Brookies

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies

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Vegan Brownies with Coconut Matcha Frosting

Yield: 9 servings

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 28 minutes

Total Time: 43 minutes

There is nothing quite like a really good fugy and chewy brownie! These brownies are also vegan, refined sugar-free, and made with spelt flour.

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Ingredients

Brownies

• ¼ cup coconut oil (melted)
• ¼ cup almond butter (unsweetened, creamy)
• ¾ cup coconut sugar
• ¼ cup maple syrup
• 1 tsp vanilla bean paste/extract
• 1 flax egg (*to make mix 1 tbsp ground flax+ 3 tbsp water. Stir and let sit 5-10 minutes until thick.)
• 4 Tbsp non-dairy creamer (*soy preferred)
• ¾ cup cocoa powder (unsweetened)
• ½ cup spelt flour
• ½ tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp salt

Coconut Matcha Frosting

• 1 13 oz can full fat coconut milk
• 1.5 tsp matcha
• 1 tsp vanilla bean paste/extract
• 2-4 Tbsp maple syrup (optional, to sweeten)

Instructions

FVegan Brownies

1. Preheat the oven to 325 Fahrenheit. Prepare flax egg and set aside to thicken for 5-10 minutes.
2. Add the wet ingredients including melted coconut oil, almond butter, coconut sugar, maple syrup, vanilla extra, and flax egg to a large bowl. Mix to combine.
3. In a separate bowl, sift together the spelt flour, cocoa powder, salt, and baking powder. Add the dry ingredients to the mixing bowl of wet ingredients and whisk until a thick batter forms.
4. Grease an 8*8 baking dish. Once greased, pour the brownie batter into the pan and use a spatula to even it out.
5. Bake in the oven at for 23-28 minutes. These brownies will be very moist when they are done baking so let cool completely or place in the fridge to cool before cutting into slices. Enjoy the brownies as is or make coconut matcha frosting to spread on top!

Coconut Matcha Frosting

1. Place your can of coconut milk in the fridge, ideally for at least 2 hours to harden. Open up the refrigerated coconut milk and spoon out the coconut cream from the water. Add the coconut cream to the mixing bowl and set aside the liquid coconut milk (it will not be used in this recipe).
2. Begin by whipping the coconut cream until small peaks form when the whisk is lifted from bowl. Next, add in the matcha and vanilla extract and whip until combined.
3. If you want a sweetened frosting, add in 2-4 Tbsp to sweeten, though keep in mind it will make this frosting runnier. You can use powdered sugar to keep the frosting fluffy, but the brownies will no longer be refined sugar-free.
4. Once combined, put on a dessert of your choosing and enjoy immediately! Frosting should be okay refrigerated for 3-4 days.

Notes

- To make frosting sweeter, maple syrup can be subbed for ¼-1/2 cup confectionary sugar, though the frosting will no longer be refined sugar-free.

- For the plant-based creamer, I love using organic soy creamer. I have even tried the vanilla kind added in and that is my favorite! If you decide to go with plant-based milk over a creamer, I'd try a thicker one like oat or coconut vs. almond milk for the right brownie texture

- Brownies can be stored at room temperature (without frosting) for 3-4 days in a closed container or covered with plastic wrap. They can also be stored in the freezer (without frosting) up to 1 month. The frosting does not store well on the brownies and should only be added right before eating.

Nutrition Information:

Yield: 9 Serving Size: 1 brownie
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 390Total Fat: 21gSaturated Fat: 14gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 5gCholesterol: 21mgCarbohydrates: 48gFiber: 3gSugar: 33gProtein: 6g

ShortGirlTallOrder occasionally offers nutritional information for recipes contained on this site. This information is provided as a courtesy and is an estimate only. This information comes from online calculators. Although shortgirltallorder.com attempts to provide accurate nutritional information, these figures are only estimates.

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