Vegan Fudge Brownies

October 26, 2006

Vegan Fudge Brownies

Okay, you all know that I strive never to be preachy or “in your face” about my veganism, but I just have to share this delicious recipe for vegan fudge brownies we just made.

The recipe is from the November/December edition of Vegetarian Times magazine.

Kevin and I whipped them up in no time at all and the result is pure brownie heaven. We thought they looked a bit small after we cut them to the size they said to, but trust me, any bigger and they’d be too much.

These little 1×1 inch nuggets are packed full of chocolatey goodness and are perfect size for dessert or a snack.

Fudge Brownies
Makes 24 vegan brownies

6 oz. unsweetened chocolate
1/2 cup vegan margarine (I use Earth Balance)
2 cups light brown sugar
2 5-oz. jars prune puree
1 1/2 cups flour
1 Tbs. baking powder
2 tsp. vanilla extract
unsweetened cocoa powder and confectioners’ sugar, for dusting

  1. Preheat oven to 350F. Line 9×9-inch baking pan with foil or parchment paper, and coat with cooking spray.
  2. Melt chocolate and margarine in microwave on medium power. Whisk in sugar and prune puree.
  3. Combine flour and baking powder in large bowl. Fold flour mixture into chocolate mixture. Add vanilla. Spread batter in prepared pan, and bake 20 to 25 minutes, or until top looks dry and brownie is just beginning to pull away from sides of pan.
  4. Cool in pan. Unmold, and cut into 1×1-inch squares. Sift cocoa powder over half of brownies. Sprinkle confectioners’ sugar over remaining brownies. Store in airtight container.

If you like your brownies soft and chewy; then you’ll love this recipe’s secret ingredient (sshhh … it’s prune baby food!) that keeps them moist and sweet. What’s more, the prune puree binds to the flour and sugar in the same way a fat would, meaning you only need half the margarine called for in traditional brownies recipes.

Per brownie: 170 calories; 2g protein; 5g total fat (2.5g saturated fat); 33g carbohydrates; 0mg cholesterol; 120mg sodium; 2g fiber; 22g sugar

EDIT: Thanks to the comments below, you can substitute rice flour and make it a yummy, gluten-free dessert! This is excellent news for me personally, as I have discovered that I am wheat sensitive, as is my toddler.

{ 10 comments… read them below or add one }

Jessica November 25, 2007 at 5:13 pm

These brownies are to die for. My very conservative family (who seldom venture out into anything remotely vegan) was astounded by the flavour and texture.

I also substitute the wheat flour with Rice flour, which, I find, actually make them a little more dense and “brownie-like”. And they’re gluten free for us intolerant wheat-brownie lovers!

Thanks for this recipe!!

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Sally February 4, 2008 at 8:49 am

The gluten free comment above pulled me in on a web surf and I tried your recipe two days ago. Yummy – I like the use of the prune puree, it makes the brownies moist which is often a failing of gluten free cooking.

Thanks, off to make another batch.

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Madhuram March 22, 2008 at 10:36 am

Thanks for the recipe and try this in a day or two and let you know. Looks very tasty! :mrgreen:

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Lane June 8, 2008 at 3:49 am

Yum! I love vegan brownies

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Lucia December 10, 2008 at 5:03 pm

I’ve been making these for years now so I’m finally going to comment.

They are my favorite brownies on the planet!

In fact, I have my whole community of friends, gluten-free, vegan, dairy-loving, even the skeptical-vegan-carnivores alike, demanding them at every gathering!

I use rice flour to make them gluten free and no matter what, everyone loves them to bits.

Thanks for this wonderful recipe!!!

Lucia

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Maija Haavisto February 28, 2010 at 12:46 pm

Prune puree works amazingly well in many chocolate treats. I’ve even made some completely fat-free chocolate cookies with them.

I’m firmly convinced that the sweet potato brownies from Vegan Cookies Take Over Your Cookie Jar are the best brownies in the world (even better than any chocolate brownies), but maybe I should give these ones a chance…

I’d also be tempted to add a little cinnamon to the recipe. It tends to work great with chocolate and prunes.

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Sfri March 5, 2010 at 9:29 pm

Would pureed prunes substitute for equal portions of the baby food? I’m wondering if it would make them a tad more dense… I guess I could try whipping it a little. I’ve been looking for a simple vegan prune brownie recipe without tofu, and this sounds like the one! As for Maija’s commment above, I would 2nd the notion to try it with cinnamon.. chocolate and cinnamon are magic. I finally realized it was the secret flavor I couldn’t identify in my favorite restaurant chocolate lava cakes. 🙂

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Sfri March 5, 2010 at 9:32 pm

Also has anyone tried cutting back the sugar with good results?

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Jaeny May 24, 2011 at 1:11 am

My goodness this is chocolate goodness, just when I am craving it. After this, I’m going to run to the kitchen, but I don’t think I have prune puree yet. Anyways, I’m not a vegan myself, but this is so tempting! I was out looking for wheat free recipes when I came upon this. Thanks!

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Amber March 16, 2012 at 12:00 pm

These sound really good, almost what I’m searching for. I’m a little bit concerned by how much sugar is in them. I’ll probably risk screwing them up a few times trying to lessen the sugar… but I want to eat a lot of them in a sitting;)

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