RECIPE: Triple Chocolate Peppermint Brownies

 

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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!

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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.

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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.

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Thanks for stopping by!

ā¤

Comments

10 responses to “RECIPE: Triple Chocolate Peppermint Brownies”

  1. tedanddiana Avatar

    Aaahhh! These look wonderful! I’m in awe of people who make up recipes, especially when tasked with incorporating a specific ingredient! I’ll put NuNaturals on my list but I’ll be making these right away without it hehe! Congratulations!

    Liked by 2 people

    1. Be Sol-Ful Living Avatar
      Be Sol-Ful Living

      Thank you, sweet friend!!! It was definitely a challenge for me as this was my first time baking with stevia…and creating a brownie recipe! Let me know if you give these a try – I made sure to make these brownies with all coconut sugar to make sure the texture was right and they’re just as delicious. Thank you, again! ā¤

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  2. Natalie Avatar

    This richness is unbelievable! They look like they would have a great dark chocolate flavor too, my favorite! And I’m glad that you left some of the chocolate chips whole, I LOVE biting into a brownie with a whole chip inside. It’s like ice cream with mix-ins–a mini treasure hunt while eating šŸ™‚ The whipped cream and candy canes look perfect! And no kidding, my mom used to hide bags of chocolate chips too, but that was because she wanted to eat them and didn’t want anyone else to know they existed haha! And yeah I would eat them as a snack too. The chocolate obsession is definitely a genetic thing šŸ˜€

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Be Sol-Ful Living Avatar
      Be Sol-Ful Living

      I always look forward to your comments because they make me smile! “A mini treasure hunt while eating” – love it! I have a real addiction to those Enjoy Life mini chips and I absolutely had to leave some of them whole. I’m laughing about your mom!!! This is going to sound bad, but I have my own chocolate stash hidden away from everyone else…in case of emergency, you know šŸ˜‰ Thank you, Natalie!! ā¤

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  3. Angela @ Canned Time Avatar

    Thanks so much Mandy for trying out the NuNaturals. And I can’t agree more about the tahini factor….so yum!! Hugs and thanks for participating in my event ā™„ā™„

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Be Sol-Ful Living Avatar
      Be Sol-Ful Living

      Thank YOU, Angela!!! I really am grateful for the invite! Hugs and love to you, my friend! ā¤

      Liked by 1 person

  4. The Vegan 8 Avatar

    These look simply AMAZING my friend!!! So chocolatey, so rich, and love the addition of the peppermint, I mean, hello, chocolate and peppermint are amazing together! These look so dense and fudgy, and you know that’s just how brownies should be, in my opinion. I love that you added tahini, that makes chocolate taste that much richer! Fantastic recipe my friend and love your beautiful closeup shots! xo

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Be Sol-Ful Living Avatar
      Be Sol-Ful Living

      Awwww! Thank you SO much!!! I agree with you on the fudgy and dense texture…my first trial of these came out cake-y and dry – gotta love the tahini! I appreciate the kind words, means a lot! Lots of love, my friend! ā¤ XO

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  5. veggiesdontbite Avatar

    Man oh man do I love a good brownie!! And chocolate mint is a huge fave of mine! These sound and look so good, especially with that whip on top. MMMMMMM (Full disclosure, I have a brownie with tahini all ready for the blog as well, but the added mint takes it up a notch!)

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Be Sol-Ful Living Avatar
      Be Sol-Ful Living

      No way!?!? Oh, I can’t wait to see your recipe! I know it will be fabulous!! That chocolate-tahini combo is the best. Thank you, friend!! ā¤

      Liked by 1 person

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