+SF
Once again, I go forth and put the bean in the brownie. Except the bean isn’t quite there. Confused yet? Well, unless you live under a rock like I do 99 percent of the time, you must have heard about aquafaba, the liquid left over from cooking chickpeas, aka garbanzo beans. I use it here in blended, whipped form to add structure and binding to these beautifully chewy brownies. —CS
MAKES 16 (1-INCH [2.5-CM])
BROWNIES
¼ cup (60 g) coconut oil
7 oz (198 g) chopped vegan semisweet chocolate, divided (use soy-free)
1 cup (200 g) organic light brown sugar, not packed
2 tsp (10 ml) pure vanilla extract
2 tsp (4 g) instant coffee granules
½ tsp fine sea salt
½ cup (120 ml) aquafaba (liquid from a can of chickpeas)
1½ cups (180 g) light spelt flour
Preheat the oven to 350°F (177°C). Line an 8-inch (20-cm) square baking pan with parchment paper.
Place the oil and 4 ounces (113 g) of the chopped chocolate in a double boiler, and gently melt. (Alternatively, use a glass measuring cup in a microwave to melt the oil and chocolate, stopping to stir the chocolate after 1 minute to prevent burning and continuing in 30-second increments until melted.) Transfer to a medium bowl.
Stir the sugar, vanilla, coffee granules and salt into the chocolate mixture.
In a separate bowl, use an immersion blender to blend the aquafaba until it foams up to twice its size. It will be white after being blended. Pour it onto the chocolate mixture and stir it until thoroughly combined. Add the flour and remaining 3 ounces (85 g) chopped chocolate on top; stir until thoroughly combined. Scrape it into the prepared pan and make sure it’s evenly spread. Bake for 25 minutes, and then transfer to a cooling rack. Refrigerate the pan, once cooled, for at least 3 hours. Serve the brownies cold.