Vegan Brownies w/ Peanut Butter and Banana Fudge

Share:

The most indulgent, fudgy brownies you’ve ever tasted. These guys use minimal flour so are about as far from “cakey” as you can get. Instead, they’re buttery, rich, and intensely chocolatey with a pleasant salty kick from the peanut butter. AKA: brownie heaven!

Ingredients

  • 3 very ripe bananas
  • 1t vanilla bean paste or extract
  • 260 g vegan butter (ideally the kind which comes in a block, rather than spreadable)
  • 200 g cocoa powder
  • 2T soy milk
  • 450 g caster sugar (sometimes called "superfine" in America)
  • 150 g plain white flour
  • 1.5T espresso powder (or a strong, instant coffee)
  • 1t fine sea salt
  • 170 g vegan dark chocolate chips or chunks
  • 150 g peanut butter
  • pinch flaky sea salt

Instructions

  1. Preheat an oven to 190c or 170c fan. Grease a 26x20cm (10×8 inch) brownie tin with a little vegan butter. Set aside.
  2. Peel the bananas and place them in a medium bowl. Using a fork, mash them well. Add the vanilla and set aside.
  3. Place a medium saucepan over low heat and add the vegan butter. Stirring constantly, allow the vegan butter to melt fully, before adding the cocoa powder. Whisk well until you have a smooth, dark, glossy mixture.
  4. Add the bananas to the cocoa mixture and whisk well. The mixture might look a little split but don’t worry. Add the soy milk and caster sugar and whisk well. The mixture should combine and become smooth and glossy.
  5. In a separate medium bowl, measure out the flour, espresso powder, and fine sea salt. Whisk to combine.
  6. Add the flour mixture to the cocoa and sugar mixture. Stir to combine using a spatula or wooden spoon. Add the dark chocolate chips, reserving a few for the top of the brownies.
  7. Pour the brownie batter into the prepared baking tray and top with the reserved chocolate chips. Using a teaspoon, arrange the peanut butter on the top of the brownies in evenly distributed spoonfuls. Use a knife or bamboo skewer to swirl the peanut butter into the brownie batter, being careful not to overmix.
  8. Top the brownies with a sprinkle of flaky sea salt and place in the preheated oven. Bake for 40 minutes. When done, the edges of the brownies will look puffed and slightly cracked but the centre will still jiggle when the tray is moved.
  9. Place onto a wire cooling rack and allow to cool to room temperature (this will take around 30-40 minutes). Do not be tempted to slice or serve before they’re cooled as the brownies will still be very soft.
  10. Once cooled, you can either serve the brownies at room temperature or chill in the fridge for an hour. Chilled brownies will be very fudgy with a slight snap from the chilled chocolate chips. Room temperature brownies will be soft and gooey on the inside. The choice is yours!
Print

Notes

Here’s a step by step guide to making the world’s fudgiest brownies – and lucky for you – it’s super simple!

vegan brownie

Mash your Bananas

Bananas do two things in this recipe: they bring bold banana flavour (obviously!) but also act as an egg replacement. This means they help to keep this recipe super fudgy and indulgent. Peel them, mash them, add your vanilla and set them aside.

vegan brownie

Make the Cocoa “Liquor”

This sounds way fancier than it is. It’s just a rather traditional method to get the most flavour out of your cocoa. Many people treat cocoa as another “dry” ingredient, adding it along with the flour, salt, etc. But if you combine cocoa with melted vegan butter like a “wet” ingredient, the final flavour is much stronger. Just melt your vegan butter in a saucepan and whisk in the cocoa until everything looks smooth and glossy.

vegan brownie

Add the Bananas, Soy Milk and Sugar

It’s now time to add the mashed bananas to the cocoa liquor. All the excess moisture can sometimes cause the cocoa mixture to split, but don’t worry. We’re going to add a little soy milk too, which will solve the problem. Soy milk is naturally high in lecithin which is a really powerful emulsifier. It’ll help stop the vegan butter and water from the bananas from splitting.

vegan brownie

Add the Dry Ingredients

Here’s where we add the flour, espresso powder, salt, and chocolate chips. The espresso powder is really here just to help take the flavour of these brownies even deeper. It adds bitterness to the chocolate flavour which makes these guys taste extra special. Be sure to use good, dark chocolate. Most chocolate over 65% cocoa solids is vegan but always check the label.

vegan brownievegan brownie

Top With Peanut Butter and Swirl

Here’s where the PB gets involved. Try to use a 100% peanut, palm oil-free variety. Not only are they better for the planet but they’re tastier and slightly runnier, which means they swirl into the batter perfectly. Transfer your brownie batter to the baking tin and top with a few spoonfuls of peanut butter. Use a bamboo skewer to swirl gently, but don’t go crazy. We want most of the peanut butter to sit on the top of the brownies.

vegan brownievegan brownie

Bake, Cool and Serve

Top with a little sprinkle of flaky sea salt and bake the brownies at 170c fan for 40 minutes. They won’t necessarily look “done” when finished – the centre will still be a little jiggly but don’t worry. This bit will become beautifully fudgy once they’re cooled. Let them chill before slicing into around 18 squares and serving!

Did you make this recipe?

Tag @wickedkitchenfood on Instagram and hashtag it #wickedkitchen.

Want more inspiration? Subscribed to The Wicked Kitchen YouTube Channel!

Other delicious recipes:

Search our Recipes