Golden Vegan Brownies

No oil or butter needed for these chewy golden vegan brownies. Silken tofu is the secret to making moist and low fat brownies your kids won’t be able to stop eating! 

I think it’s safe to say we are in full swing with holiday cooking and shopping. Everywhere I go I am surrounded by glowing lights and glittery-shimmery decorations.

There’s nothing like taking a stroll down 5th avenue and cutting across Bryant park with its miniature shops and ice skating rink to put anybody in the mood for celebration. All of a sudden I have the urge to sip on hot apple cider and suck on a candy cane or other sweet treats.

My naughty side comes out and wants to dive into all that is covered in chocolate and sprinkles, but thankfully, my nice side is there to keep my eating habits in check.

I fully intend to enjoy myself this holiday season but as always, I will be making my decadent dishes on the healthier side. Dairy-free and free of butter and oil, these moist and chewy brownies are filled with walnuts and chocolate chips and taste just as decadent as the real thing.

Instead, I am using tofu to keep this brownies recipe light.

What makes these easy vegan brownies so unique is how effective the substitution of tofu for butter and oil is. Not much moisture is lost by using this technique and the brownies are just as addictive. You still get the melting chocolate chips when they have just come out of the oven and the walnuts adds a soft crunch and nuttiness to these bite size brownies.

I’m telling you, the more I cook with tofu and the more fun I’m having fun in the kitchen coming up with ways to incorporate it!

Ingredients for Vegan Brownies

• Tofu: Silken tofu is the preferred type of tofu for this vegan recipe because it contains the highest amount of water.
• Cornstarch: A little cornstarch is used to “soften” the texture of flour and help give the brownies their chewy texture.
• Baking powder: Baking powder acts as a leavening agent, to help the brownies rise.
• Sugar: I’m using granulated sugar but feel free to use light brown sugar, coconut sugar, or palm sugar.
• All-purpose flour: Regular all-purpose flour is used for these vegan brownies.
• Sea salt: A pinch of sea salt to balance the sweetness from the sugar and vanilla extract, and the bitterness of the cocoa powder.
• Vanilla extract: I recommend using pure vanilla extract to get a more intense vanilla taste.
• Unsweetened cocoa powder: My go-to brands are Hershey’s Cocoa and Ghirardelli. I also like Navitas Organic Cacao Powder. Use your favorite natural cocoa powder or raw cacao powder. 
• Chocolate chips: Look for vegan chocolate chips such as Lily’s or Enjoy Life.
• Walnuts: Chopped walnuts or you can use other types of nuts such as chopped almonds or chopped macadamia nuts.
• Cake glitters (optional): The cake glitter is only needed to decorate the brownies while adding extra sugary sweetness.
• Crushed candy canes(optional): Candy canes are also to top the brownies as a decoration and to add a hint of mint.
• Golden syrup: A mixture of golden cake glitter and water.

Ingredient Variations

I suggest trying this vegan chocolate brownies recipe as it’s intended first. However, next time, you can try the following ingredients if you want to shake things up!

• Oat flour: Oat flour is often used as a gluten-free substitute to regular all-purpose flour.
• Peanut butter: Adding a couple of spoonfuls of natural peanut butter is great if you want a thicker, fudgy texture for your brownies.
• Espresso powder: Espresso powder is a wonderful ingredient to include for coffee lovers. One teaspoon is all you need to infuse your brownies with some coffeeness and intensify the chocolate flavor.
• Maple syrup: Just like honey, pure maple syrup is often used as a natural sweetener for those looking to use less or no sugar at all.

How to Make Golden Vegan Brownies Recipe

1. Gather all of your ingredients and cooking tools.
2. Preheat oven to 350ºF or 177ºC.
3. Take the tofu out of its packaging and add it to a blender. Blend it for a few seconds until it’s smooth.
4. Pour tofu into a large bowl and whisk in the cornstarch and baking powder.
5. Add the sugar, flour, salt, cocoa powder, and stir. Add the water and the vanilla extract and mix well until the batter is smooth.
6. Fold in the chocolate chips and walnuts until combined.
7. Now that all of your dry ingredients and wet ingredients are mixed, spray your brownie pan with cooking spray or brush the bottom and sides with a little coconut oil. You can also cover the pan with parchment paper if you prefer.
8. Pour the batter into the brownie pan and tap the pan on the counter a couple of time to get rid of air bubbles. Use a rubber spatula to spread the batter evenly and bake in the oven for 30 to 35 minutes, or until the brownies are cooked through.
9. Take the brownies out of the oven and let them cool to room temperature.
10. Make the golden syrup by mixing the gold cake glitters and water in a pot. Turn the heat to low and stir until the sugar has melted and thickens into a syrup.
11. Use a basting brush to brush a layer of syrup onto each brownie. Top with glitter and crushed candy cane.
12. Let the sugar syrup set for a few minutes before eating. I recommend freezing the brownies for 5 minutes to speed up the process.

Using Tofu In Brownies

Tofu is a wonderful ingredient to use in all brownies recipe, vegan or not vegan.

That’s because tofu helps to keep the overall texture of brownies light and moist. It’s essentially used as an egg, butter, and oil replacement. It also offers the same source of protein that would otherwise be in a traditional brownie recipe.

The reason I call these brownies golden is because I’ve brushed a thin golden sugar glaze on top to add some holiday cheers.

This also makes the crushed candy canes and colored sprinkles stick more easily. 10 minutes prep time is all it takes to make these brownies and they can be kept in a sealed airtight container for up to a week. These chewy brownies are sweet, nutty, minty, moist, shiny, pretty—and overall super yummy!

Did you like this golden vegan brownies Are there changes you made that you would like to share? Share your tips and recommendations in the comments section below!

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