Bigbog Brownies

Recipe provided by Chelsea Winter

This is the ultimate fridge brownie — gooey, fudgy, rich and sweet, but not sickening, and definitely best served chilled.

We caught up with celebrity chef, entrepreneur, food writer and television personality Chelsea Winter to learn about her latest book, Tasty. The book was made with her small sons in mind. It features recipes free from refined sugar, eggs, dairy and meat... But carnivores are sure to enjoy them too.

Chelsea kindly shared this ultimate fudge brownie recipe with us:

I had my work cut out for me because what gives a traditional brownie that decadent fudge texture is a bucket of white sugar. And that’s all very well when you’re young and carefree, but not ideal when you have kids who rain terror upon the household as a result of ingesting said sugar. Turns out, I nailed it with a miraculous combination of wondrous ingredients (including chickpea flour, which I adore). It took me ages. But here it is, dedicated to my friends Andrea and Dave, who instructed me to create this one back when all I had was a mess of half-finished recipes and a dream. Don’t even ask what ‘bigbog’ means – it’s a long story involving autocorrect (a story that’s actually not that funny unless you’re kind of immature, like me).

Prep: 10 minutes

Cook: 20-25 minutes

Serves: 25 pieces

INGREDIENTS

2 tbsp ground flaxseed

5 tbsp cold water

¾ cup chickpea flour

½ cup flour or gluten-free flour blend (see page 222 of Tasty by Chelsea Winter)

1 cup coconut sugar

½ cup dark cocoa powder

½ tsp baking powder

½ tsp salt

¼ tsp baking soda

½ cup almond butter or hulled tahini

½ cup rice syrup

½ cup plant-based milk

1/3 cup coconut oil

1 tbsp pure vanilla extract

¼ cup sugar-free, plant-based dark chocolate chips or chopped chocolate (optional)

METHOD

Preheat the oven to 190°C (375°F) regular bake and line the base and sides of a 20cm (8in) square slice tin with baking paper.
Stir the flaxseed and water together in a mug or small bowl and set aside for 5-10 minutes to thicken. Stir again before use.
Sift the flours, sugar, cocoa, baking powder, salt and baking soda into a medium mixing bowl and stir to combine.
Place the almond butter or tahini, rice syrup, milk, coconut oil and vanilla in a small saucepan. Warm over a low heat, stirring constantly, until just melted (don’t let it simmer or boil).
Add the milk mixture and the flaxseed mixture to the dry ingredients and stir to combine. It will go quite thick – this is okay.
Transfer to the prepared tin and flatten it out with a damp spatula or clean, damp fingers. Sprinkle with the chocolate (if using).
Bake for 20-25 minutes. You want it just undercooked – if it’s overcooked, it will be dry. A toothpick or skewer poked in shouldn’t come out too clean. Every oven is different so it’s hard to say exactly how long it needs, but you’ll figure out the sweet spot after you’ve made it a few times.
Allow to cool completely in the tin, then refrigerate for an hour or two before slicing. Extra delicious with a dollop of whipped plant-based cream.
Store in an airtight container in the fridge so it stays chewy and gooey.

Read the full interview with Chelsea and discover more of her delicious recipes in the latest edition of Farmlander: https://issuu.com/farmlands/docs/farmlander_summer2024_issuu