Chewy Vegan Brownies

Ingredients

• 150 g (1 1/4 cups) plain (all-purpose) flour
• 70 g (3/4cup + 1 Tbsp) cocoa powder
• 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp instant espresso powder
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 120 ml (1/2 cup) unsweetened non-dairy milk (soy is best)
• 80 g (1/3 cup) unsweetened non-dairy yogurt (coconut or soy)
• 300 g (1 1/2 cups) caster (superfine) sugar
• 100 g (3 1/2 oz) dark chocolate (I used 70%) (chopped)
• 60 g (2 oz) cocoa/cacao butter (or coconut oil or vegan block butter) (chopped)
• 2 tsp vanilla extract

Instructions

1. 1

   Preheat the oven to 180°C/160°C fan/350°F/gas mark 4. Grease a 20cm/8inch square metal cake tin and line with baking parchment.

2. 2

   Sift together the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, espresso powder and salt and set aside.

3. 3

   Place the milk, yogurt and sugar in a medium sized pan over a low heat. Stir often until the sugar has dissolved and the mixture is hot and glossy looking but not yet simmering.

4. 4

   Remove from the heat and add the chopped chocolate and cocoa butter and the vanilla extract. Stir until melted and smooth.

5. 5

   Tip in the dry ingredients and stir until no dry lumps remain. The batter will be quite thick. If you wish to add any mix-ins such as chocolate chips or chopped nuts then mix them in now.

6. 6

   Transfer the batter to the prepared tin and spread it level. Smooth the top with a spatula or the back of a spoon.

7. 7

   Bake for 20-30 minutes, until a skewer inserted into the centre comes out gunky with moist crumbs but no wet batter. If it comes out clean that means they are over-baked so keep an eye on them.

8. 8

   Leave the brownies to cool completely in the tin before slicing into squares. Store in an airtight container for up to a week.