Double Chocolate Stout Brownies
I have not done a Friday night bites post in a while, and although it is already Saturday, I had a great baking win last night that I want to detail here. This is a veganization of a recipe my cousin Jill posted for double chocolate stout brownies. I often get questions from people about how I know which substitutions to use to get great results, so I am going to detail the process. If you are not interested in the process, the full recipe is at the bottom of the post. The original recipe is on Jill’s blog.
Here is the original ingredient list, with Jill’s notes.
- 12 ounces chocolate stout — (I used Young’s Double Chocolate, which was awesome. But any chocolate stout would work. The more chocolatey, the better!)
- 1 cup cocoa powder, unsweetened — I used Hershey’s Special Dark, but would love to try using something a bit deeper in chocolate flavor. But the dark chocolate part is key, so use whatever you have.
- 2 cups sugar — I used 1 cup granulated white and 1 cup organic raw sugar. I will use all raw sugar next time, or try to work out an agave component
- 1/2 cup butter, melted — just melt it in the microwave. 30 seconds at first, and then 15 second intervals.
- 2 TBSP vanilla extract
- 1 TBSP instant coffee/espresso powder
- 3 eggs — I used 4, and it needed 1 less
- 2 cups all-purpose flour , plus 1 tsp for dusting chocolate chips – I would like to try 1/2 whole wheat next time
- 3/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup white chocolate, chopped –Used a Ghirardelli white bar, chopped up
- 1/2 cup semisweet chocolate, chopped — I used a Ghiradelli 60% cocoa bar, chopped up
From that list, these are the ingredients that require a second look for veganizing.
- 12 ounces chocolate stout — (I used Young’s Double Chocolate, which was awesome. But any chocolate stout would work. The more chocolatey, the better!)
- 2 cups sugar — I used 1 cup granulated white and 1 cup organic raw sugar. I will use all raw sugar next time, or try to work out an agave component
- 1/2 cup butter, melted — just melt it in the microwave. 30 seconds at first, and then 15 second intervals.
- 3 eggs — I used 4, and it needed 1 less
- 2 cups all-purpose flour , plus 1 tsp for dusting chocolate chips – I would like to try 1/2 whole wheat next time
- 1 cup white chocolate, chopped –Used a Ghirardelli white bar, chopped up
- 1/2 cup semisweet chocolate, chopped — I used a Ghiradelli 60% cocoa bar, chopped up
This is what I modified (or chose not to modify), ingredient by ingredient.
Double chocolate stout - Since I so rarely drink, I am not fussy about whether my alcohol is vegan. (The issue is that isinglass, which is made from fish, is often used as a fining agent in beer and wine.) I used Brooklyn Brewery Double Chocolate Stout because that is what was available here, and happily, it is vegan. Win!
Sugar – For baking at home, I use non-bone char processed sugar, but this isn’t a big issue for me personally. Raw sugar would have worked just fine here, too, and if Jill comes up with a good agave equivalent, I’ll give it a try. These brownies are so indulgent, though, that I will go all out and use sugar here.
Butter – Earth Balance Buttery Sticks (or Buttery Spread) is the best for non-dairy baking. I do not use anything else. Regular vegetable margarine will do in a pinch, but it tends to get too oily.
Eggs – This is the big one. There are lots of ways to replace eggs in baking recipes, and some of them even work. The trick is to get the right egg replacer in the right recipe. In this recipe, eggs are adding moisture, binding and providing just some of the leavening. (The carbon dioxide in the beer is also helping with the leaving. This is like the old weight watchers trick of adding a can of diet coke to a box of cake mix instead of eggs, oil, and water. What you get is a slightly dry, but passable cake.) Eggless brownie recipes usually call for some or all of these options: powdered egg replacer (essentially a bunch of starches), fruit puree, and tofu. I went with two eggs’ worth of powdered egg replacer mixed with the recommended amount of water. This adds some moisture for mixing (the water bakes off) and a little bit of binding. I also added a quarter cup of unsweetened applesauce, which doesn’t do much to bind, but does add moisture. I threw in a slightly rounded tablespoon of baking powder for extra leavening. This is a lot more than one would use in a conventional recipe, but it is necessary to get everything to rise. In a future go at this, I might try sour soy milk (vinegar in soy milk) instead of the powdered egg replacer, as the vinegar has some leavening properties, and full fat soy milk will add moisture in baking.
Flour – There is no issue with flour, but in brownies I like to use half whole wheat flour because whole wheat flour is a little more dense, and stickier. Chocolate is strong enough that whole wheat does not effect the flavor.
White chocolate – I didn’t have any vegan white chocolate chips, so I went without for the batter; I will use them next time, though. For the topping I had to improvise. There are vegan white chips out there in specialty stores, (most kosher white chips are also vegan, and a little easier to find), but while non-dairy white chips bake just fine, they do not melt properly. This was an easy substitution, though. White chocolate is just cocoa butter, sugar, vanilla, and milk solids, so I figured it would be simple to duplicate. I looked up a recipe for vegan white chocolate for proportions, and used a combination of melted shortening (since I didn’t have cocoa butter), confectioner’s sugar, soy milk powder, and vanilla extract – all stuff I had in the house. It worked well, but next time I would do this over the stove instead of in the microwave, as shortening has a very high melting point, and over a stove this would emulsify a little better.
Chocolate – Easy. There are plenty of non-dairy chips out there. I use Whole Foods generic semi-sweet chips.
Overall, these came out great on the first try. Next time I will use white chips in the recipe, and I will probably cut the sugar a little bit – this is just a matter of personal preference. Here is the complete recipe, veganized:
Vegan Double Chocolate Stout Brownies
Ingredients
12 oz chocolate stout (I used Brooklyn Brewery Double Chocolate)
1 cup cocoa powder, unsweetened
2 cups sugar
1/2 cup earth balance buttery sticks, melted
2 tbsp vanilla extract
1 tbsp instant coffee
1/2 c. applesauce
2 egg’s worth powdered egg replacer, mixed
1 tbsp baking powder
1 c. all-purpose flour , plus 1 tsp for dusting chocolate chips
1 c. whole wheat flour
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 c. semisweet chocolate chips (or 1/2 c. semisweet and 1/2 c. vegan white chocolate chips)
White chocolate topping
Heat oven to 350°F Line a 13x9x2 baking pan with aluminum foil, and grease foil (not extended edges) with cooking spray or oil.
Sift together flour, baking powder, and salt in a bowl. Set aside.
Dust chocolate chips in remaining flour. Set aside.
In large bowl, whisk together stout and cocoa powder until blended and smooth, or blend on low in a stand mixer with whisk attachment. Blend in sugar, butter, vanilla extract, coffee, applesauce, and egg replacer, one at a time. Combine until just mixed. Add dry ingredients, and blend until just mixed, then fold in chocolate chips.
Spread mixture in the pan, leveling the surface with a spatula. Bake 42 to 45 minutes, until top is shiny and dry, and a wooden pick inserted in the center comes out with a few moist crumbs attached.
Remove from oven and let cool completely. When COMPLETELY COOL lift out from pan by foil ends and transfer to a cutting board.
Drizzle white chocolate topping over brownies with a spoon or fork.
White Chocolate Topping
Ingredients
1/4 cup vegetable shortening shortening (cocoa butter would be ideal)
1/3 cup powdered sugar (ideally, sifted)
1 tsp soy milk powder
1 tsp vanilla extract
Melt shortening over stove. Reduce to very low heat, and whisk in remaining ingredients, except for vanilla extract. When smooth, remove from heat, and whisk in vanilla extract.
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