Dress your dessert in decadence with these vegan cacao brownies!
Who doesn’t love a delicious, decadent brownie that melts in your mouth? I fell in love with chocolate a bit later than most people, and now it is a craving that I just can’t ignore. But it turns out brownies don't have to be made with dairy, added sugar, and flour – all ingredients that are hard for the body to break down. Instead, I found a recipe that gives a healthy spin on your typical brownies by using chopped zucchini as a main ingredient in the batter. I know that this combination may not sound conventional, but the truth is that you can’t taste the zucchini, and it creates a moist, cake-like consistency very similar to that of your traditional brownie! While some people make vegan brownies with avocado or black beans, zucchini brownies won’t have the potent smell that some bean brownies have, and they won’t be too chunky like the avocado brownies. That makes these a great choice to satisfy a true chocolate craving and get some added nutrients!
Vegan Cacao Brownie
Ingredients:
- 1 ½ cups of zucchini (note - first grate the zucchini or purchase grated from your local health supermarket and then chop the shredded zucchini into tiny pieces)
- 1 cup of organic almond butter
- 1 tablespoon Sunwarrior Chia seeds
- 2 ½ tablespoons water
- 1/3 cup organic maple syrup
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon organic vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon nutmeg
- 1 cup of vegan dark chocolate chips (note – the Enjoy Life brand, 69% cacao is my go-to)
Directions:
- Combine chia seeds and water in a small bowl. Set aside
- Pre-heat the oven to 350 degrees
- Spray a 9 by 9 baking dish with coconut oil
- In a large bowl, combine all of the ingredients (both wet and dry) and mix until smooth
- Pour batter into baking dish and bake for 40-45 minutes
- Remove from oven and let cool for 20 minutes
- Place dish in refrigerator (on top of a trivet) and store, allowing brownies to cool for 45 minutes before eating so that they get that moist consistency
Enjoy!
