Vegan Candy Cane Brownies

Everyone loves brownies – what’s not to love? These vegan, gluten-free and nut free Candy Cane Brownies are the perfect balance between fudgy and fluffy, and a crunchy peppermint topping pairs perfectly with their rich chocolate flavor!

With only 10 ingredients and a simple recipe, these brownies are definitely part of our (and now, hopefully yours too) holiday favorites!

Ingredients


3/4 cup (107 g) One Degree Organics Sprouted Brown Rice Flour
2 flax “eggs” (2 tablespoons ground flax + 5 tablespoons water)
1/4 cup + 2 tablespoons (35 g) cacao or cocoa powder
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
3/4 cup (100 g) coconut sugar
1 13.5 ounce (400 ml) can full-fat coconut milk
1 teaspoon peppermint extract
2/3 cup (125 g) dairy-free chocolate chips
2-3 candy canes, crushed and divided

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350F and line an 8×8″ baking pan with parchment paper; set aside. Prepare the flax eggs and let sit for at least 5 minutes, to thicken.

Dry Ingredients: Sift the One Degree Organics Sprouted Brown Rice Flour, cacao powder, and baking powder together into a large bowl. Add the salt, then mix until well combined.

Wet Ingredients: Create a well in the center of the mixing bowl, then add in the thickened flax, coconut sugar, coconut milk, and vanilla extract. Mix the ingredients together well, making sure all of the dry ingredients dissolve into the wet; The batter may look a little lumpy, but this is ok. Finally, fold in the chocolate chips.

Bake: Transfer the batter into the baking dish, then top with 1/3-1/2 of the crushed candy canes. Bake in the middle rack of the oven for 25 minutes for fudgy brownies, or up to 30 minutes for brownies with a more cake-like texture. Note that the brownie batter may not look completely cooked after 25 minutes, but it will set once removed from the oven (this is the key to fudgy brownies!).

Sprinkle the brownies with the remaining crushed candy canes, then place the baking dish on a cooling rack.

Serve & Store: let the brownies cool completely before slicing and serving. Serve as desired; leftovers will keep at room temperature, in a container with a loose fitting lid, for up to 5 days, or can be frozen for up to two months.

Notes:

Substitutions:  Coconut sugar can be swapped for brown sugar or white sugar. Ground flax can be replaced with ground chia seed. You can use chopped chocolate in place of chocolate chips, if desired. There is no substitution for the coconut milk, and the recipe will not work well unless it is full-fat (ie, no “lite” or carton varieties).