Ghost Brownies
I’ll be honest, I’ve had way more brownie disasters than brownie successes. And what’s so deceiving about brownies is that they start out seeming perfect! The brownie batter tastes delicious, sugar isn’t too sweet, etc. Maybe they’ll be the perfect fudge brownie. I always think to myself as I put the brownies in the oven. And then two different scenarios happen: they start to bubble. Little pockets of oil rise to the surface making little pops, and instantly, I know I once again failed my dream brownie recipe. The other scenario is they look good, but when I slice into them, I see a cake crumble on the knife, and my brownie aspirations crumble on the spot.
Finally, finally, finally, I have perfected my fudge brownie recipe. I think there’s a couple components that make it perfect. First, I use a combination of flaxmeal + water, and applesauce to substitute the egg. I’ve noticed in the past when I’ve used just flaxmeal to substitute the egg, the brownies come out overly gluey and chewy. The half flax/ half applesauce perfectly binds the ingredients without a gluey effect.
Two words: brown sugar. I use all brown sugar in my brownies. Not a drop of white sugar. This creates a rich, fudgey brownie.
Another two words: Baking powder. I was so stuck on thinking baking soda was the right leavener for brownies, and I was so wrong. Baking soda made my brownies cakey, and baking powder has resulted in fudgey.
Don’t overcook! Follow your instincts, when the brownies smell done, take them out of the oven. It’s better to take them out when they’re slightly undercooked because they become for fudgey as they sit and cool. When you overcook them, you risk them becoming cakey.
This month, I’ve cast a spooky spell on these brownies. We make ghost versions of them thanks to Dandie’s Marshmallows and Enjoy Life’s Vegan White Chocolate Chips.
Ingredients:
Note: I double this recipe for extra thick brownies!
1 cup all purpose flour
1 cup cocoa powder
1 tsp baking powder
2 tbsp flaxseed meal + ¼ cup water
¼ cup unsweetened applesauce
1 ½ cups light brown sugar, or a combination of dark and light brown sugar
½ cup vegan butter, melted
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
1 tsp vanilla extract
Steps:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a 8x8 baking pan with parchment paper.
Mix together flaxseed meal and water in a small bowl and allow to sit while preparing next steps.
Sift flour, cocoa powder, and baking powder into a large bowl.
In a large bowl, whisk brown sugar and melted butter together. Add flaxseed meal, vanilla extract, and applesauce and whisk until smooth and homogenous.
Transfer dry ingredients to wet and mix until *just combined*. Fold in the semisweet chocolate chips.
Press batter gently into pan. Bake for 25-30 minutes. Remove from oven and allow to cool 30 minutes before slicing. If making ghost brownies, allow to cool overnight or for at least four hours.
Ghost Brownie Edition:
Decoration Ingredients:
1 bag vegan white chocolate chips
1 tbsp vegetable shortening
Black frosting
Steps:
Microwave white chocolate chips and shortening in 15 second intervals in the microwave, stirring each time, until mixture is smooth and creamy.
Remove brownies from pan and slice into 9 squares. Then, slice each square in half so you have 18 squares.
Place marshmallow on top of brownie square. Drizzle white chocolate on top. Repeat for all brownie squares.
With black frosting, dot the eyes and mouth of ghost on each white chocolate coated marshmallow.
As always, please let me know if you make these brownies, ghost or not, on Instagram! @claracakes
Xoxo,
Clara