This post contains affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy here.
These Vegan Fudgy Chocolate Brownies are super chocolatey, nutty, and downright delicious. They are seriously easy to make and require wholesome ingredients, too.
You guys...I seriously have the best recipe for Chocolate Brownies EVER! It's straight out of Laura Wright's new cookbook, The First Mess, and I have permission to share it with you today.
I've been following Laura's blog (The First Mess) for many years now, and I was SO excited to hear her recipes would be making it to print. I'm a HUGE cookbook collector, and I couldn't wait to have her delicious creations in my kitchen collection.
There were so many recipes to choose from, but I just had to share this fabulous chocolatey dessert. I just can't say no to chocolate...can you? My Snickers Cream Pie and these Peanut Butter Cups get me every time.
What's inside?
There are 125 delicious recipes that are broken down into 7 categories:
- Mornings and Breakfasts
- Soups and Stews
- Salads and Dressings
- Hearty Mains and Big Plates
- Vegetables and a Couple of Grains
- Energizing Drinks and Small Bites
- Desserts and Small Treats
The book begins with Laura's Introduction. You'll learn why she has a deep love and respect for local food, family, hard work, and small business communities. It really shines a light on her work today.
The book continues with How to Stock Your Pantry for Success. Laura lists simple ingredients to keep on hand for making her recipes successfully.
What do these Fudgy Chocolate Brownies Taste Like?
Like I was saying earlier, these are the best damn brownies EVER! I knew whatever recipe I made would be a winner, but holy cow, these Fudgy Chocolate Brownies, really live up to their title!
They have a rich, dark-chocolatey flavor, with a moist & fudgy center, and a crispy outer crust. They aren't overly sweet, and I love the addition of chopped nuts.
Gluten-free and Oil-free
The recipe calls for applesauce instead of oil, which makes them super moist and velvety. There's just a tiny bit of coconut flour used to keep them gluten-free, too.
Coconut flour can be really tricky in baking, but it worked wonderfully in these brownies. To make them rich and fudgy, Laura adds melted chocolate and nut/seed butter to the mix.
More chocolatey recipes to enjoy:
- Vegan Chocolate Cake
- Vegan Chocolate Peppermint Cupcakes
- Oatmeal Raisin Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Vegan Chocolate Ice Cream
I’d love to hear from you
If you make this recipe, let me know what you think by ★ star rating it and leaving a comment below. It would really make my day. You can also follow me on Instagram and share your creation with me. Just tag me @veganhuggs and hashtag #veganhuggs so I don’t miss it.
Fudgy Nut and Seed Butter Brownies
Ingredients
- ¾ cup smooth nut or seed butter (I like roasted almond, hazelnut, or sunflower butter)
- ¼ cup + 2 tablespoons pure maple syrup
- ¾ cup unsweetened applesauce
- 1½ teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- ½ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- 3 tablespoons coconut flour
- ¾ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon fine sea salt
- ½ cup vegan chocolate chunks OR chopped chocolate from a 70% dark dairy-free chocolate bar, divided
- 3 tablespoons whole nuts or seeds, rough-chopped (I like almonds, hazelnuts, or sunflower seeds)
Recommended Equipment
- 8-Inch Square Pan
Instructions
- 1. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line an 8-inch square pan with a piece of parchment paper, leaving an overhang on two opposite sides. Set aside.
- 2. In a medium bowl, whisk together the nut or seed butter, maple syrup, applesauce, and vanilla.
- 3. To the nut butter mixture, add the cocoa powder, coconut flour, baking soda, and sea salt. Whisk to combine, ensuring that there are no dry lumps of cocoa in the batter.
- 4. In a double boiler, melt half of the chocolate chunks. Vigorously stir the melted chocolate into the brownie batter until fully incorporated.
- 5. Scrape the brownie batter into the prepared baking pan. Smooth the batter out evenly with a spatula, pushing it into the edges and corners of the pan.
- 6. Scatter the reserved chocolate chunks and rough-chopped nuts over the top. Slide the pan into the oven, and bake the brownies until the top is slightly firm and appears dry and lightly cracked, about 27 to 30 minutes.
- 7. Cool the brownies completely in the pan set on a wire rack. Then, cover the brownies and place them in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour. This step is crucial. The brownies will not cut neatly unless they get adequate cooling time.
- 8. I recommend running a chef’s knife under hot water and drying it off right before slicing the brownies.
yen
hi. can i skip the applesauce? or what can be a good sub to it? thanks
Melissa Huggins
I haven't tried it with anything else so I can't be sure of the outcome. I will have to experiment soon. Thanks for stopping by 🙂
Jakalyn
Hello Melissa,
These are wonderful! Followed your direction exactly and they turned out great! I've been trying out Vegan recipes for my nephew who just moved close to us. He went crazy for these! Thanks for sharing the recipe.
Best, Jakalyn
Support @ Vegan Huggs
Hi Jakalyn, thank you so much for giving them a try! We are so happy to hear that you and your nephew both loved the brownies 🙂
Lia
Hi, your recipe states to melt half of the vegan chocolate chunks. By this do you mean the full 1/2 cup in the ingredients list of half of that = only 1/4 cup melted chocolate chunks?
Kay
I want to try this, but is there anything I can replace the maple syrup with? If its only for the sweetening factor, could I do coconut sugar? Thanks!
Melissa Huggins
Hi Kay, I haven’t tried them with a dry sweetener, so I’m not sure of the outcome. Do you have any liquid sweetener? I wish I could be more help. Thank you for stopping by. 😀
Maegan W
I use an equal amount of agave in mine and they're just as delicious and there's no change in texture.
V.Brown
I made a first attempt yesterday. Though, delicious they crumbled a bit. They did not keep form. Any suggestions?
Melissa Huggins
Hmmm, I'm not sure why that happened. Did you chill them long enough?
V.Brown
I chilled them overnight. I think I put too much applesauce. Nevertheless, my coaches loved them especially the crumbles. It's just a personal preference. Thanks for the feedback.
Rachel
If I leave the melted chocolate out will the texture still be good?
Melissa Huggins
Hi Rachel, I haven't tried it without the melted chocolate. I think it would still be good, but maybe not as rich. Sorry I couldn't be more help. I'd love to hear how they turn out for you. Thanks for stopping by 🙂
Rhonda
What can I use in place of coconut flour? I don’t have that...
Melissa Huggins
Hi Rhonda, you can use all-purpose or GF flour. Thanks for stopping by 🙂
Brittany
Could I use peanut butter?
Melissa Huggins
Hi Britany, Yes, you can use any nut butter you'd like. I've actually tried them with the peanut butter and they were delicious! Thank you for stopping by 🙂
Nick
Wow, this recipe looks amazing! I love how "messy" the tops of the brownies look, I'm sure it gives them a gorgeous texture ????
Melissa Huggins
Hi Nick, Thank you for stopping by! The topping is my favorite part. 🙂
kimmythevegan
Wow! What a stellar sounding cookbook. I don't know that I actually need any more cookbooks... but I'm also not sure I can resist this one. I'm so happy you were able to share the brownie recipe with us! I'm a sucker for a good brownie. And they are gluten free. Yay! And don't have any weird ingredients I don't have on hand. Yum.
Sarah | Well and Full
I have Laura's cookbook and I've made these brownies twice already!! They're so good!! 😀
Melissa Huggins
Hi Sarah, thank you for stopping by. I'm loving her book so much. So many great recipes that are easy to follow 🙂
Marissa
These were great! I didn't have applesauce so I substituted one mashed banana instead and they turned out very fluffy inside. It was the perfect texture. We actually cut them as soon as they came out of the oven because we can't resist warm brownies and they held up great! They didn't crumble or fall apart. The only thing I would change next time is to maybe add more maple syrup or possibly less cocoa powder. I recommend eating them with some fresh raspberries on the side - it was delicious!
Melissa Huggins
Hi Marissa, I am glad you were able to try the recipe and made the necessary substitutions to make it work. 🙂 You are right, freshly baked brownies are just so irresistible! Hehe.