Perfect Vegan Brownies « Fried Dandelions — Plant Based Recipes (2024)

FAQs

Why is flour important in brownies? ›

Flour's primary role in brownies is to bind and set the matrix of ingredients. “Sugar sweetens; chocolate, vanilla and salt boost flavor; eggs contribute structure and mouthfeel; and flour provides the backbone,” Phillip says. “The beauty of this is that brownies can be made very well with gluten-free flours.”

Is brownie mix vegan? Despite most boxed brownie mixes calling for eggs, butter or milk, many boxed brownie mixes are accidentally vegan. That means, if you don't add any of the additional ingredients, the mixes themselves do not contain any animal byproducts.

Almond flour is an excellent alternative to have in your kitchen cupboard. It's easy to find in shops and commonly used in plenty of sweet and savoury dishes, including brownies, pancakes, puddings, cakes, falafel and more. Made from ground blanched almonds, it's high in protein, rich in fibre and gluten-free.

The self-rising flour will give your brownies a cake like quality; usually you want brownies to be dense, rich. The cake flour will be light, delicate; again, maybe not the quality you want for brownies.

Lindt Excellence 70% Dark Chocolate

Lindt Excellence is pretty excellent chocolate (I always used to steal squares of it from the fridge when my mum wasn't looking) and it's pretty naturally vegan, too. The ingredients of these bars include cocoa mass, sugar, cocoa butter, and vanilla.

For every egg called for on a boxed brownie mix, you can substitute 2 tablespoons of applesauce. In addition to totally nailing the desired texture, applesauce gives the brownies a really subtle fruity sweetness and a pleasant cinnamon kick.

1 egg = 1/4 cup (62 g) applesauce

Using unsweetened applesauce is my favorite vegan egg replacement for vegan pancakes, breads, and if I don't have yogurt, then cakes as well! I actually prefer applesauce to yogurt in brownie recipes as well. Applesauce is a wonderful way to lock in moisture in cakes and cookies.

Flour lends structure to baked goods, like cakes, biscuits, pastry and bread, with a range in protein content to suit the purpose and desired outcome. Higher-protein flours provide a greater proportion of gluten and a stronger dough for products like bread and the reverse is true for use in cakes and biscuits.

Flour provides the structure in baked goods. Wheat flour contains proteins that interact with each other when mixed with water, forming gluten. It is this elastic gluten framework which stretches to contain the expanding leavening gases during rising. The protein content of a flour affects the strength of a dough.

What does too much flour do to brownies? ›

Too much flour? Go back to your edges - if they're not burnt, look a good colour (similar to the centre) but the brownie is too cakey and dry throughout, the recipe probably included too much flour.