Dessert: Ultimate Vegan Brownies*

These are the Ultimate Vegan Brownies* because they were named by the website where I got the recipe. These are good, but everyone agreed my regular brownie recipe is better. This is the best vegan brownie recipe I have (they were good enough that people at the potluck and the kids & us parents all had seconds). But, we're hoping to find a better one. So this one goes in the Codex until such time I make a better vegan brownie recipe.

Ingredients:
3 Tablespoons water
2 Tablespoons golden flax meal

1 ¾ cups all-purpose flour
¼ teaspoon baking soda

7 Tablespoons cocoa powder
1 ounce semi-sweet chocolate, chopped into ½ inch pieces
1 teaspoon instant espresso powder
¾ teaspoon salt

¼ cup boiling water

1 ½ cups sugar
6 Tablespoons coconut oil**
1 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract

½ cup walnuts, chopped (optional)

Directions:

1. In a small mixing bowl whisk together the water and flax meal. Let it sit for about 10 minutes so the mixture gets goopy. Place your oven rack on it's lowest position and preheat your oven to 350F. Line an 8 x 8 inch baking dish with parchment paper allowing excess parchment paper on opposite sides so you can pull the brownies out of the baking dish later.
2. In a medium mixing bowl whisk together the all-purpose flour and baking soda. Set aside.
3. In another medium mixing bowl add the cocoa powder, semi-sweet chocolate, espresso powder and salt. Add the boiling water and using a spoon, mix in the ingredients into a paste, making sure that all of the chocolate pieces are melted. Add the sugar, Vegan Butter, vanilla extract, flax meal mixture from Step 1 into the chocolate mixture and mix with an electric mixer until smooth. Stir in the walnuts if you're using them. Using a spoon, mix in the flour until well combined. The mixture will become extremely thick and you may need to use your hands to mix. Refrain from mixing this dough with an electric mixer at this point; this will overwork the dough and activate too much gluten, negatively affecting the texture of the brownies.
4. Transfer the batter to the baking dish. You may need to use your fingers or a spatula to press the thick dough into place. Bake for 35 minutes on your oven's lowest rack. Transfer the baking dish to a wire cooling rack and allow it to cool for about an hour.
5. Transfer the brownies to the wire rack by lifting them out of the baking dish by taking hold of the exposed parchment paper on each side. Allow them to cool completely before slicing into squares.

Other details:

• Original Recipe
• **original recipe calls for 6 Tablespoons (80 grams) Regular Vegan Butter or non-hydrogenated stick margarine, melted (not tub margarine), but I used coconut oil because I had that and not enough vegan butter or dairy-free margarine

Dessert: Red Velvet Brownies with White Chocolate Buttercream Frosting

I made these for a friend who's favorite cake is a red velvet cake. I didn't have time to make the red velvet cake I've previously posted when she came to visit, so I tried these. They were a hit with her and every one else.

Ingredients:

1/2 cup (8 tbsp) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
2 large eggs, at room temperature
2 tsp pure vanilla extract
3 tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder
2 oz red food coloring or 2 teaspoons if you are using the gel kind
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 tsp salt

For the white chocolate buttercream frosting:
1/2 cup (8 tbsp) unsalted butter, at room temperature
2 1/2 cups powdered sugar
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
4 oz good-quality white chocolate (not chips), melted
1 – 2 tbsp heavy cream
1/2 cup cream cheese

Directions:
To make the brownies:

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Butter and flour an 8″x8″ baking pan.
2. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat together the butter and sugar on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes (mine looked like puffy snow). Add eggs one at a time, mixing well after each addition, then stir in 2 teaspoons of vanilla. With the mixer off, add in the sifted cocoa (to avoid any lumps that sometimes happens with cocoa) and food coloring, then turn the mixer to medium and beat the two mixtures together until they are one uniform color. Slowly add in the flour and salt and mix on medium-low speed, just until combined. Do not overmix.
3. Remove the bowl from the mixer and stir up the batter with a rubber spatula once or twice just to ensure all of the flour has incorporated from the sides of the bowl and there isn’t anything stuck on the bottom of the bowl.
4. You’ll want one uniformly colored (red) batter.
5. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake for 30-35 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean when inserted into the center of the brownies. Allow brownies to completely cool in the pan on a baking rack, about 45-60 minutes. For prettier brownies, remove the entire batch from the pan to a cutting board, cut into 12 bars, THEN frost, and serve.

To make the frosting:

1. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream butter until soft and fluffy then beat in the vanilla. With the mixer on low speed, slowly add in powdered sugar 1/2 cup at a time; allow the sugar to mix in before adding the next 1/2 cup. Once all of the sugar has been added, beat on medium speed for 30 seconds and scrape down the sides of the bowl. Add in the melted white chocolate and cream cheese and beat on medium speed until incorporated. (The original recipe did not include cream cheese, but it just wasn’t red velvet to me without the cream cheese frosting). With the mixer on low, add in heavy cream 1 tbsp at a time and beat at medium speed until the frosting has reached your desired consistency.

Other Details:

• Original Recipe from How Sweet Eats
• {Note: This makes a lot of frosting – I might try halving the frosting recipe next time} I actually did half it and it was good

Dessert: Ree's Knock Naked Brownies

We were watching The Pioneer Woman on Food Network and saw these brownies. They sounded fantastic. So I tried them.

Ingredients

• 1 stick butter, melted, plus more for greasing
• All-purpose flour, for dusting
• 1/3 plus 1/2 cup evaporated milk
• One 18.5-ounce box German chocolate cake mix (I use Duncan Hines)
• 1 cup finely chopped pecans
• 60 caramels, unwrapped
• 1/3 cup semisweet chocolate chips
• 1/4 cup powdered sugar, sifted

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease and flour a 9-by-9-inch baking pan.
2. Begin by pouring 1/3 cup evaporated milk into a bowl with the cake mix. Add the melted butter and the chopped pecans. Mix the ingredients together; it'll be pretty thick!
3. Divide the dough in half down the middle. Press half of it into the bottom of the prepared pan to make the first brownie layer. Bake until slightly set, 8 to 10 minutes. Then remove from the oven and set aside.
4. While the brownie layer is baking, in a double boiler (or glass bowl set over a bowl of simmering water) combine the caramels and the remaining 1/2 cup evaporated milk. Stir occasionally until the caramels are totally melted and the mixture is smooth. Pour the caramel mixture over the first baked layer, spreading so it's evenly distributed. Sprinkle the chocolate chips all over the top.
5. Next, on a clean surface or a sheet of waxed paper, press the remaining dough into a square shape slightly smaller than the baking pan. Carefully set it on top of the chocolate chips. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes. Remove the pan from the oven and let the brownies cool to room temperature. Cover the pan and refrigerate the brownies for several hours to allow them to set.
6. When you're ready to serve them sprinkle generously with the powdered sugar and cut them into large rectangles before removing from the pan.

Other Details

• Original Recipe

Dessert: Baker's One Bowl Brownies

I've been making these brownies for years. There are a few tips to making these brownies that make them be so good! These are always popular for sharing at kids schools (no nuts) or bringing to a potluck. I almost always double this recipe (from what is listed) and make it in a lined roasting pan usually used for turkeys.

Ingredients:

4 squares unsweetened baking chocolate
3/4 cup butter or margarine
2 cups sugar
3 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup flour
1 cup chopped pecans or walnuts (optional)
2 squares semi-sweet baking chocolate, melted or powdered sugar (optional)

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350º.
2. Microwave unsweetened chocolate and butter in large microwaveable bowl on high 2 min or until butter is melted.  Stir until chocolate is completely melted.  Stir in sugar.  Add eggs and vanilla; mix well.  Add flour and pecans; stir until well blended.  
3. Spread into greased foil-lined 13x9” baking dish.  Bake at 350^o for 30 to 35 min or until toothpick inserted in center comes out with fudgy crumbs.  Do not overbake.  Cool in pan.  
4. Lift out of pan onto cutting board.
5. Melt the semi-sweet chocolate in the microwave and drizzle over the brownies or sift powdered sugar over the brownies.
6. Cut into desired squares.

Other Details:

• Prep: 15 min  
• Bake: 35 min
• Serves 24.  
• 165 Cal/ brownie (no nuts/no melted chocolate)
• Tip: Line any dish you use with foil and use no stick spray to grease the foil. 

Dessert: Oreo Brownies

I have a good brownie recipe, but a friend brought The Barefoot Contessa's Oreo Brownies to a potluck, so I gave them a try. These are slightly pricey, very high calorie, super tasty brownies. 

Ingredients:

2 cups butter
1 lb semi-sweet chocolate chips + additional 12 oz pkg semi-sweet chocolate chips
6 ounces unsweetened chocolate, chopped (is easier but not necessary to chop)
6 large eggs
3 tablespoons instant coffee granules 
2 tablespoons vanilla
2 1/4 cups sugar
1 cup flour
1/4 cup flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
4 cups chopped Oreo cookies (50 cookies/one package) 

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350°.
2. Line an 11" X 17" pan with aluminum foil and spray with no-stick cooking spray.
3. Microwave butter, 1 pound chocolate chips, and 6 ounces unsweetened baking chocolate until melted and smooth.
4. In a large bowl, whisk eggs, coffee, vanilla and sugar.
5. Blend chocolate mixture into egg mixture; cool to room temperature.
6. In a medium bowl, sift together one cup flour, baking powder and salt.
7. Add flour mixture to chocolate mixture.
8. In a small bowl, stir together Oreos, 12 ounce chocolate ships, and remaining 1/4 cup flour.
9. Add Oreo mixture to chocolate mixture.
10. Pour batter into baking pan and smooth top with a rubber spatula.
11. Bake 35 minutes or until a toothpick inserted 3-inches from center comes out clean; do not overbake.
12. Allow to cool. refrigerate, tightly wrapped, until cold; cut into squares.

Other Details:

• Original Recipe  
• Prep Time: 30 mins
• Total Time: 1 1/4 hr
• I found 4 cups hand chopped to be 2/3 of a package – about 30 cookies
• According to the recipe, this makes 20 large brownies at 670 Calories each. I prefer to have around 30 brownies at about 250 calories each (2 ounce brownies).