Fudgy Vegan Brownies

Yes, I have been tardy in keeping up with baking and posting.  My day job has been hectic and will continue to be so for the next few weeks.  I will do my best to bake and post whenever possible!

Recently I've made a few cake products using a combination of wheat and all-purpose flour.  While I generally like whole wheat breads, muffins, etc., I find the wheat gives a very pronounced taste to the end result of a cake or cupcake (or maybe I'm just overly sensitive to the smell and taste of it).  Lately I've been using spelt flour.  Spelt is more nutritionally sound than white/all-purpose flour, but can be substituted in to most make products with no difference in taste or texture.  I'm using it whenever possible.  I like Bob's Red Mill Spelt Flour which you can find in most grocery stores and health food stores.  You can also order it online direct from Bob's at a discounted price.

I tried another brownie recipe; this is the third one and while good, I'm still searching for the perfect ingredients to make cakey/chewy vegan brownies.  I find using melted chocolate makes a fudgier brownie while cocoa seems to make a cakier version.  Here we go...

1 stick margarine
8 oz. bittersweet non-dairy chocolate, coarsely chopped (chips works well here, too)
1 1/2 cups sugar
2 tsp xanthan gum
1 tbs vanilla extract
2 tbs non-dairy milk (preferably unsweetened almond milk)
3/4 cup spelt (or all-purpose) flour
1/2 tsp salt

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Line an 8-inch square baking pan with aluminum foil leaving a one-inch overhang on two sides; spray foil with cooking spray.  Set aside.

Place margarine and chocolate in a large heat-proof bowl set over a pan of simmering water.   Let heat for about 5 minutes, then stir until fully melted, about 2-3 minutes more; set aside to cool a bit - about 10 minutes.

Stir sugar into cooled chocolate mixture until combined.  Stir in vanilla and non-dairy milk.  Gently fold in xanthan gum, flour and salt.

Scrape batter into prepared pan and smooth top with offset spatula.  Bake until cake tester inserted in center comes out with moist crumbs attached, 40-45 minutes.  Transfer pan to a wire rack to cool completely.

Once cool, lift aluminum with brownies from pan.  Peel off foil and cut brownies into 1-2 inch squares; makes 16-20 brownies, depending on size.

Variation: add 1 cup chopped walnuts or non-dairy chocolate or peanut butter chips with flour.