Choco & Carrot Vegan Brownies

I was going to a cake-nic event organised by a social group a few weeks ago. It was a picnic at Cornwall Park and each of us had to bring a plate of sweets. I thought it was a fun idea!

There were some carrots sitting in the fridge so I thought I would make something interesting with them. I looked up recipes online to see if there is anything made with chocolate and carrots. Indeed, there is! I chose brownies because they’re easy to make.

This recipe was made healthier by reducing the amount of sugar by more than 1/4 C, adding in walnuts and LSA.  If you don’t have LSA, feel free to use all wholemeal flour, all purpose flour or half of each. LSA is a ground mixture of linseeds, sunflower seeds and almonds. It is a source of essential omega 3 fatty acids, B vitamins and fibre.

The brownies are very moist and fudgy because of the carrots. They keep well in an airtight container for 3-4 days in the fridge. The step where cocoa powder is mixed with boiling milk is important and it is called blooming. This brings out the full flavour of cocoa powder.

Choco & Carrot Vegan Brownies

Ingredients

• 75 g cocoa powder
• 1 cup soy, almond or coconut milk
• 125 g all-purpose flour
• 30 g ground LSA (can be substituted with wholemeal or all-purpose flour)
• 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 185 g coconut sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/2 C grated carrots
• 1/2 C walnut pieces

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 175°C.
2. Line an 8″ square pan with baking paper.
3. Cook the milk until simmering, then pour it over the cocoa powder. Set aside and cool it down in the fridge to speed up the process.
4. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, LSA, cocoa powder, baking soda and sugar.
5. In a smaller bowl, combine the cocoa- milk mixture, vanilla extract and carrots.
6. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and fold in the walnut pieces.
7. Spread evenly into the pan.
8. Bake for 20-25 minutes.
9. Allow the brownies to cool for at least 20 minutes before removing and cutting into squares.
10. Dust with cocoa powder on top.

Written by Lismi Wong