Ultimate Brownies
I’ve spent a long time trying and failing to make a good vegan brownie. All of my attempts basically turned out like brown oily goo (totally still ate them though). I’m not sure if my standards are high or if I’m just holding onto the memory of a brownie experience I had a long time ago, back in Manchester. When I was a student, I worked part time at a magical place called Nexus Art Cafe. It was such an important community place, where I met some of my best friends, learnt how to cook, and really sorted my life out. Nexus means so much to so many people in Manchester, so I was very sad to see that they have been unable to survive the pandemic and are closing. Their departing gift was Hannah & Davids Brownie recipe. I wondered if this was the base recipe I could veganise into the brownies I had been dreaming of, and you know what, it is! I’ll stop myself there, as I can see this has already tuned into a rambling food blogger overly earnest recipe introduction. Damn. Anyway, here is the recipe. Thank you Nexus.
Ultimate Brownies
15 minutes prep, 40 minutes baking, makes 16 brownies
350g silken tofu
550g sugar
2 tbsp apple cider vinegar
2 tbsp vanilla essence
3 tbsp ground flax seed
315g margarine
200g dark chocolate
100g cocoa powder
120g flour
First of all get the oven on to 180 and line a large cake tin. I use a 30cm rectangular one.
Tip your flax seed into a large bowl and mix with 1/3 of a cup of boiling water. Add the silken tofu, apple cider vinegar, vanilla essence and sugar and then blend everything together with a hand blender until it is lovely and smooth.
Next melt the chocolate and margarine together, and then mix this into the wet mixture too.
Fold in 100g cocoa powder and 120g of flour, and maybe a pinch of salt.
Bake for between 35-40 minutes. Leave to cool before shovelling into mouth.
