I know I have multiple brownie recipes on this blog and so many recipes claim to be ‘the perfect brownie’ and if I am honest I truly believe that the perfect brownie is the Nigella one https://www.gelsominascucina.com/2010/06/chocolate-brownies-for-christine.html that is already on my blog, it is so indulgent, so rich, so gooey, but very very naughty with so many eggs, and a huge quantity of butter and chocolate in them it just can’t be anything other than naughty!!! So I have been on a search for ‘the perfect VEGAN brownie’, with so many of us trying to stick to a plant based diet or doing Veganuary it is really hard to find great alternatives to the things that we love and enjoy. I honestly do not think I am missing out, the only thing I think that they will never get right is cheese!!! Vegan cheese is still just pretty vile in my opinion! But if any of my readers know of any great cheese alternatives please let me know, I would be extremely grateful.

I am going away in July to a pretty little AirBnB with beach access on the Suffolk coast, it is in the middle of no where, which is just perfect, and I want to take lots of baked goodies with me to enjoy with my morning coffee on the beach, or to have with an afternoon tea and a glass of alcohol-free bubbly, so I am experimenting with lots of vegan recipes before I go and will post the good ones on here.

What I like about todays recipe is it uses very few ingredients, was so simple to make and baked so quickly, I had delicious brownies to enjoy with my FIKA moment this morning which always makes me very happy.

FIKA is my new favourite word, it means, ‘A moment to sit down and enjoy a cup of coffee and some cake or pastries with friends or family, or just by yourself’, as you all know from my post , https://www.gelsominascucina.com/2023/11/superhero-coffee.html , about my morning coffee ritual, these moments are very precious to me, we all rush around so much in our day to day lives, we all give so much to others, we burn ourselves out, taking time for ourselves, having these little important rituals to ground ourselves are just so important.

So I am now off to make a brew, Cape Rooibos & Honeybush tea with oat milk and honey, my new favourite tipple, I hope you are enjoying this chilly but sunny January Saturday and I hope you all enjoy a FIKA moment today.

Love Di 💋

150ml Aquafaba (you can buy this from most supermarkets, I use Oggs, however you can use the drained liquid from a can of chickpeas)

180g caster sugar – I always use golden caster sugar, especially for Brownies, I think it gives a more caramel richer flavour.

150g plain flour

40g cocoa powder – I used the rather lovely organic cacao from Sevenhills Wholefood, its high in fibre, a source of protein and other vitamins, but use what ever you have in your cupboard.

2 teaspoons of baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt – I use sea salt so only have put a pinch in.

100ml rapeseed oil (canola) – I used British Harvest Cold Pressed, its good for your cholesterol level, is high in Omega 3 and has half the saturated fat of Olive Oil.

Preheat your oven to 220 C, 400 F, Gas 6.

Line a 20cm x 20cm baking tin with parchment paper.

Put the Aquafaba and sugar in a large bowl and whisk on a high speed until white and fluffy, this may take a while as Aquafaba whisks up slower than egg white.

In a separate bowl, combine the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder and salt, then fold this gently into the Aquafaba and sugar mixture.

Add the oil and stir until combined and you have a nice smooth batter. Pour the batter into your baking tin and bake in the middle of the oven for 12 to 16 minutes depending on your oven temperature and your preference to how you like your brownies, if you like them gooey go for the shorter baking time, if you prefer a more cake like brownie cook them for a little longer.

Once cooked, remove from the oven and allow your brownies to cool in the tray for removing and slicing.