Vegan Mexican Cacao Brownies

We have a joke that I can cook anything but brownies. I'm allergic to eggs and cow's milk protein and it turns out eggs are important in brownies. I'll make you beautiful cakes but brownies never work for me. Oily, gloppy or overly dry every time. However, these are simply fantastic. No chili for us as we have a nightshade intolerant in the house. Like other commenters, 50 minutes to bake. I did use goat milk and butter but I can tell would be just as good with vegan substitutes.

I started out to make a double batch of these, and then discovered that I couldn't get the chili-infused bar and had only one bag of chocolate chips. I added a little baking chocolate, sugar, olive oil, and chili powder to make up for the missing infused chocolate bar. They were the only vegan or grain-free brownie I've ever considered trying, and I thought they came out rich and delicious. I love chocolate and chili together, and the halved amount of chocolate chips seemed to be plenty.

I couldn't find a chile-infused vegan chocolate bar (checked Sprouts and Whole Foods!). What's a good amount of chile powder to add as a substitute?

I love this recipe. Follow it closely but replace sugar with allulose for my diabetic friend.

Definitely needed more time…. 50 minutes. Did not find a vegan chocolate chile bar so reduced vegan butter by 1 tablespoon and added 1tablespoon of cayenne olive oil. Covered all dietary options in the family and enjoyed by all…

Not the simplest recipe but worth it! I made a 1.5x batch and baked it in 9x13 pan for 45 minutes. They could've used another 5 minutes at least but they're gooey and delicious. Problem solved by eating with a fork. I only had regular dark chocolate. Next time I'll would up the cinnamon for a more Mexican chocolate vibe.

I'm pleasantly surprised by how good these are... I did use an additional 1/4 cup of garbanzo flour because I was short on almond flour. Very good

I have made these brownies three times so far, and they are excellent! I use 3 eggs instead of flax "eggs", sub potato start for tapioca flour (as I happen to have that on hand), and coconut sugar in place of white sugar. I honestly can't even tell these are gluten free. I eat plenty of gluten / wheat flour, and this is still the recipe I prefer. Highly recommend - especially for those who are gluten free / dairy free / vegan.

WOW! These are INCREDIBLE and you would never in a million years know that they were vegan (we did use "regular" chocolate chips though). It was annoying having to get the random ingredients (i.e. xanthan gum) but it was worth it. The brownies are rich, chewy, and decadent. We agree with the other reviewer that these needed 50 minutes. They weren't even close to done at the 30 minute mark. Highly recommend and would definitely make again.

We love the idea of adding beet root. Any suggestions of how to do this? Raw chopped? Cooked minced? Haven’t tried that sub before.

Can unsweetened cocoa powder be substituted for cacao?

Garbanzo Flour is a great choice, an earthy, robust texture and combines well. If you are diabetic / insulin resistent, omit all that sugar for 1 grated beetroot: instead of spiking your blood sugar levels with cane sugar, a single beet contains 6grams of fructose and will add a natural fudginess to your brownie. Cacao and beets are a delicious combination!

I've been a vegan for 14 years, and this is one of the few brownie recipes that I've been truly satisfied with. I followed the recipe exactly, but I did have to bake them much longer than the recipe says - it was 40 minutes before they weren't jiggly and I left them in for about 50 minutes total. I have an oven thermometer so I know the temperature was correct. Don't be deterred by the taste of the batter - the chickpea flour taste goes away after baking.

I truly appreciate the tip, though I can't imagine giving up the chile mix with chocolate. Thanks for the recipe!