Downtown Brownie Brown - Dark Chocolate Spelt Brownies with Olive Oil & Walnuts (Vegan!)

by Lyndsay Sung of Coco Cake


Hello, Poppytalk baking enthusiasts!

So I've been trying to eat a bit healthier of late ... it could have to do with my turning 35 really soon (aiyahhhh!) and wanting to cleanse the body somewhat... My attempt at healthy eating also includes trying to develop some baked treats that raise the health bar a little higher than my usual decadent standbys of butter, eggs and cream!

I've been straddling a bit of a vegan vibe lately too, influenced by some recent readings and books. Thus, my attempt here at a dairy-free brownie-type specimen that would hopefully fill my cravings without relying on the usual suspects of white flour, white sugar and dairy!



It took every ounce of my being not to add pieces of lush Lindt dark chocolate to the mix, instead I added walnuts (high in Omega 3's!). For the sweetener, I used brown rice syrup, which is a thick, liquid sweetener that won't send you into a sugar high and low like regular white sugar can. If you can't find brown rice syrup, you can substitute 1 1/4 cups of granulated sugar, no problemo!

Coconut milk is a rich alternative to conventional dairy, and heck coconut oil and coconut milk have been getting some good press lately too! I liked how this brownie turned out... rich with cocoa, moist from olive oil and coconut milk and not too sweet. It takes a while to set so I would even recommend refrigerating it to harden it up before serving. I sprinkled a teensy bit of icing sugar (also known as confectioner's sugar) on top as well, and for contrast, decorated with fresh raspberries!


DARK CHOCOLATE SPELT BROWNIES WITH OLIVE OIL & WALNUTS


(yields 12 brownies, baked in a 9 inch square pan)

Ingredients:

1 cup of spelt flour
1 cup of Dutch process 22-24% cocoa powder
3/4 teaspoons baking powder
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
2 cups of brown rice syrup (or 1 1/4 cups granulated sugar)
1 can (400 ml) of coconut milk
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil

Optional: 1/2 cup of walnuts

Make them!

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly oil a 9 inch square baking pan.
2. In a large bowl, sift the dry ingredients until combined.
3. Add the wet ingredients, slowly mixing to gently combine.
4. Optional: fold in the walnuts!
5. Pour batter into baking pan.
6. Bake for 45-50 minutes in the middle rack of your oven, turning pan halfway through for even baking.
7. Let cool completely on wire rack, then chill to harden in refrigerator for 1 hour before slicing.

Dust with icing sugar if you so wish - this is done by holding a little wire sieve on top of the brownies, sprinkling icing sugar into the sieve and shaking it around, creating a light dust of powdery sugar. Fresh berries add a bright blast of colour too!

Enjoy... and please do let me know how it turns out for you!

Jan Halvarson

9 comments:

Anonymous said...

Mmmmm these sound so yummy! I'm totally filing this recipe for future use!

Shutterbug said...

I love desserts and I especially like that this one is vegan! I will have to try this recipe sometime!

confetti said...

I love these photos Lyndsay! Looks so delicious.

:)

ElisabethSpace said...

I somehow have all of these ingredients on hand. Score! Love eating indulgently in a healthful way. Thank you for sharing.

gyoza*girl said...

mmmm, looks so yumm!!

claudine said...

Brownies are pretty forgiving - so a great place to play with ingredients.

These could so easily be converted to gluten-free (spelt is low gluten, but not good for celiacs)... by simply converting the flour to rice, or mix like Bob's Red Mill GF mix. Thanks for sharing :)

Renée Anne Bouffard-McManus said...

As someone else mentioned, I think these could be gluten free too by changing the Spelt to rice flour! I like that this uses rice syrup too! Looks so yummy! Thanks for posting!

Danielle Hardy said...

mmmm yummy :)

Coco Cake Land said...

totally totally totally can be made gluten-free! i almost made it with brown rice flour myself.

yay!