RECIPE: Triple Chocolate Peppermint Brownies

 

When my friend Angela, over at Canned Time, invited me to be a part of the Family Favorites Dessert series, I was over the moon and excited for my chance to try NuNaturals Stevia products. So, thank you, Angela, for the opportunity and challenge.

I knew that my dessert had to be something super chocolate-y because I swear chocolate runs in my family’s blood. My mom used to have to hide the bags of chocolate chips when I was growing up because my dad would eat them straight out of the bag…I’d be lying if I didn’t say I used to do the same. When I think back to my childhood, I’m reminded of my mom’s delicious chocolate chip cookies and brownies – we’d devour them right off the baking sheet, melted chocolate all over our fingers. Since I’m fairly comfortable with creating cookies, I wanted to move outside my comfort zone and attempt brownies…but not your ordinary brownies.

You know my love for tahini and when paired with chocolate, you’ve got a rich, magical combo. After several trials (only one of which went directly in the trash), I nailed the texture and flavor I was looking for. So, I present to you, my take on my mom’s brownies, but these are infused with peppermint for the holidays…

Rich – Fudgy – Sweet – Chocolate-y

So, how is it triple chocolate?! We’ve got cacao powder, melted chocolate chips (and un-melted) AND NuStevia Cocoa Mint Syrup. A chocolate lover’s dream!

TRIPLE CHOCOLATE PEPPERMINT BROWNIES

Gluten-free, soy-free, oil-free, nut-free, egg-free, vegan

Makes 8 large brownies or 16 smaller ones.

What you need:

• 2/3 cup gluten-free all purpose flour (preferably garbanzo bean free)
• 1/4 cup cacao powder
• 1/4 cup coconut sugar (or your choice of granulated sugar)
• 1/4 tsp Himalayan salt
• 1 cup chocolate chips (divided)
• 1/2 cup raw tahini
• 6 Tablespoons aquafaba (chickpea brine)*
• 4 Tablespoons unsweetened plant milk
• 2 Tablespoons NuStevia Cocoa Mint Syrup
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

*Aquafaba is the liquid from a can of chickpeas. If you’re not a fan or happen to be allergic, I have also made these with two flax eggs (2 Tablespoons of ground flax + 6 Tablespoons of water).

**If you’re not a into stevia, simply omit and add an additional 1/4 cup of coconut sugar. You can use mint flavor/extract instead, but I do not have exact measurements. If you don’t like mint flavored treats, these brownies are still delicious without it.

How to:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit and grease an 8×8 glass baking dish.
2. In a medium-large mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, cacao, coconut sugar and salt. Set aside.
3. Next, in a double boiler (over med-low heat), gently warm your tahini and 1/2 cup of chocolate chips – stir constantly. Once the chocolate has melted and is smoothly combined with the tahini, remove from heat.
4. Add the chocolate-tahini mixture to the dry mixing bowl, along with the other wet ingredients (aquafaba, milk, vanilla, cocoa mint syrup). Stir until well combined and then fold in the other 1/2 cup of chocolate chips. The batter will be thick and somewhat sticky.
5. Evenly spread the batter into your greased baking dish using the back of a spatula to smooth it out.
6. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until your tester comes out clean. Remove from the oven and allow to cool in the pan for at least 25 minutes before cutting. I was super impatient the first trial and not only made a crumbled mess, but I burned the roof of my mouth! Ha!
7. Top with homemade Coconut-Peppermint Whipped Cream (see below) or ENJOY them plain.

 

Coconut-Peppermint Whipped Cream:

1. Chill a can of full fat coconut milk in the fridge for at least 24 hours.
2. Once your coconut milk has chilled, place your mixing bowl in the freezer for 10-15 minutes.
3. Scoop the thick cream part out of the can of coconut milk and place it in your chilled mixing bowl. Using a hand mixer or stand up mixer, whip until fluffy and creamy!
4. Add 5-6 drops of Pure Liquid Peppermint NuStevia and whip again until combined.

*If you’re not a fan of stevia, simply omit and use 1/4 – 1/2 tsp of mint flavor/extract. Sweeten to taste.

For photo purposes, I crushed a TruJoy Sweets Organic Candy Cane.

 

Thanks for stopping by!

❤