chunky monkey brownies

for some reason i have a really difficult time veganizing brownie recipes on my own. they just never come out quite right. sure they taste ok (i mean...they're chocolate) but the texture isn't there. anytime i make brownies from a vegan recipe that someone else has sorted out i'm all good (and so are the brownies). there must be some little trick that i'm just not catching on to. but that's fine. as long as there are others looking out i'm happy to use their recipes and devour the results.

every week (i think) i get a little treat in my inbox thanks to vegnews magazine's online recipe club newsletter and that's where these beauties came from.

so. delicious.

i was a little skeptical as they went into the oven..not of the taste nonono but the texture again...this batter was really thick and sort of difficult to spread in the pan (well, kris's mom did that part but hey, it looked like a difficult task!). don't worry. they puffed up in the oven but still came out a little chewy and fudgy and not overly cakey. and the crunchy nuts and banana chips on top were a real treat. and coconut. what more do you need? make these.

chunky monkey brownies

(from vegnews recipe club)

ingredients:

3/4 cup sugar

1/3 cup safflower oil

1/4 cup water

1 teaspoon vanilla

2/3 cup whole-wheat pastry flour

2/3 cup cocoa powder

1 tablespoon arrowroot

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/3 cup dried banana chips, coarsely chopped

1/3 cup chocolate chips, coarsely chopped

1/4 cup cashews, coarsely chopped

2 tablespoons dried coconut, shredded

preheat oven to 350 degrees. lightly oil a 9-inch square pan and set aside.

in a medium bowl, stir together sugar, oil, water, and vanilla. sift in flour, cocoa powder, arrowroot, baking powder, and salt. stir well to combine.

pour batter into prepared pan. evenly scatter banana chips, chocolate chips, cashews, and coconut over top and press gently with hands.

bake for 25 to 30 minutes or until set in the center. allow brownies to cool completely before cutting with a sharp knife.

-d