Vegan Brookies Recipe (Gluten-free)
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Ok, let’s get on with this recipe!! I never grew up eating dessert after dinner, so I didn’t offer it to my kids as a ritual. A little sweet snack in the lunch box perhaps, but I just never got into a routine of providing sweets more than once a day and again, never after dinner on a weeknight. That said, I have always loved making a special dessert on Valentine’s Day, even if Valentine’s Day falls on a weeknight.Â
I try to keep it in my style which is not over the top, not a big deal, not overly sweet. I very often do something with chocolate, or festive with a red or pink color. Of course the red or pink color is naturally-derived! In the past, I’ve posted about my OG Chocolate Zucchini Cake, Sprinkles Bakery’s Vegan Red Velvet Cupcakes, Molten Lava Chocolate Cakes, and a Whole Grain Chocolate Chip Skillet Cookie. Lots more options on my site of course like Pitaya Pancakes and a fun Valentine’s Snack Board.
This recipe I am posting today is totally vegan and in my style – not overly sweet, higher quality ingredients, flexible, and delicious! Brookies are half chocolate chip cookie and half brownie. Why choose one when you can have both?? There are a gazillion brookie recipes out there, but this one I adapted from my friend Adeline at Vibrant and Pure.
Spoiler alert: the base is a black bean brownie! I have a black bean brownie recipe on my site as well. My recipe was from one of the first cooking classes I ever taught in 2009! The brownie is a bit fudgier than this one, so I prefer this recipe which is still moist but holds up the cookie layer better. PLUS, it’s all dairy-free, egg-free, and totally vegan. AND gluten-free if you choose gluten-free flours!
Since Valentine’s Day falls on a Monday, I would make this on Sunday. Allow it to cool completely and cover tightly. These also freeze well, if you want to get them done today!
Please notice there are options for the nut butters. Tahini (sesame seed paste) works great. Sunflower seed butter will tint the cookie layer green. It reacts with baking soda – not in a poisonous way of course – and it won’t looks appetizing. Try it for St. Patrick’s Day though!
Next week, I’ll share a new Super Bowl recipe in case you are hosting friends at home or you are bringing something to a party! As always, if you make any of my recipes, please tag me @pamelasalzman #pamelasalzman so I can see them. It makes my day to see your beautiful creations!
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- For the brownie layer:
- 1 15-ounce can of black beans, drained and rinsed, patted dry
- ¼ cup cacao powder or unsweetened cocoa powder
- ¼ cup flour (lots of options such as a nut flour or oat flour)
- â…“ cup creamy almond or cashew butter (tahini works, too)
- ½ cup coconut sugar, maple sugar or brown sugar
- ¼ cup pure maple syrup or date syrup
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- ¼ teaspoon aluminum-free baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon sea salt
- ½ cup chopped walnuts or pecans (optional)
- ____________________________________
- For the chocolate chip cookie layer:
- 1 ¼ cups oat flour (choose GF if needed)
- ½ teaspoon aluminum-free baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon sea salt
- ¼ cup creamy almond or cashew butter or tahini
- â…“ cup pure maple syrup
- 2 Tablespoons coconut sugar, maple sugar or brown sugar
- ¼ cup melted unrefined virgin coconut oil or olive oil
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- ½ cup or more semi-sweet chocolate chips
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly grease an 8 x 8 pan with coconut oil or olive oil and line with unbleached parchment paper, if desired. I like to do this so the brookies come out of the pan easily.
- Make the brownie layer: In the bowl of a food processor fitted with the metal blade, process all the brownie ingredients EXCEPT the chopped nuts, and process until smooth. Stir in chopped nuts. Spread batter on the bottom of the prepared pan.
- Make the cookie dough layer: In a medium bowl, stir together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. In a separate bowl, whisk together the nut butter, maple syrup, sugar, oil, and vanilla until emulsified. Stir the wet mixture into the flour mixture until well combined. Stir in chocolate chips.
- Take big dollops of cookie dough and scatter evenly over the brownie layer. Press into the brownie layer lightly. Bake for 30 minutes, until the edges are set and the cookie layer is golden brown. The center will seem underdone. Just allow to cool for at least one hour and they’ll have the perfect fudgy consistency. If you don't like fudgy brownies, you can cook another 5 minutes or add an extra tablespoon of flour to the brownie batter.
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15 Comments
If you don’t have black beans what else can be substituted?
I am assuming any soft bean can be subbed, like pinto or white beans, although I haven’t tried it. Color of the batter might not be as dark, but flavor will bge the same.
These are absolutely fantastic! I never keep oat flour on hand, so used 113g oats (the correct weight according The Baker’s Appendix) whizzed in the food processor before getting on with the rest of the recipe. Spelt flour worked well for me in the brownie layer. They were a beautiful texture too – slightly chewy at the edges, just the way I like brownies.
Wonderful! I’m delighted to hear they turned out great!
These brownies are just delicious!! I am thinking that a teaspoon of espresso powder would increase the chocolate taste on the bottom layer. I made my own oat flour for the top layer, and it was great. You are amazing Pamela!! Thanks!
I’m glad you enjoyed them! Espresso powder would be great here!
If you are allergic to oat flour is there another substitute that can be used?
Any grain or nut flour can be used in the brownie layer. I am pretty confident any GF flour blend or all-purpose flour or spelt flour would work in the cookie layer. Let me know how they turn out!
You’ve done it again. These are delicious. Your healthier desserts are my favorite.
Thank you, Jackie 🙂 My family is obsessed with these! They’re so good! Glad you loved it.
Do you think coconut flour would work as a substitute for the oat flour?
Also, do you have the nutritionals on this recipe? thank you
Probably not. Coconut flour tends to be very absorbent and requires a different flour to liquid ratio.
Sorry, I don’t have the nutritional info for this recipe, but there are many websites that provide nutritional calculators and you can plug in the ingredients pretty easily.
Well, you know these have my name written all over them and highly doubt I’ll be able to wait until the Super Bowl…! As if you’re site and books weren’t already my favorite – you now have brookies to add to the legendary Choc Zucchini cake, Tahini Blondies in KM, brownies, and chocolate pudding! Thank you as always for covering all my chocolate ‘needs’! : )
It is a fact that we like the same food, so I’m not surprised you are ready to pounce on this recipe! HA!
Basically like my birthday came early lol! And I meant to say just in case for anyone reading… Both of these bootcamps are INCREDIBLE and I couldn’t recommend them more! Plant-Based 1 and 2 have both been two of my favorite bootcamps (in addition to Meal Prep/Planning!) and Raising Healthy Eaters is so helpful and applicable for even just people dealing with picky eaters (ahem, spouses! ;)). All of these are so fun and totally worth the time!