Vegan, Gluten-free, Chewy Pecan Fudge Brownies

The tropical flavors of coconut, chile pepper, dates, and either peanut butter or sesame seeds make these fudge-like (and very moist) brownies a treat as well as healthy to chew on. They are absolutely gluten-free and vegetarian too (no wheat, eggs, or dairy products), so long as you use gluten-free flour (the recipe below calls for tapioca and rice flours), vegan carob chips (check the label) and the cultured yogurt substitute is dairy-free. (You can of course substitute ordinary vanilla-flavored yogurt made from milk for the latter, but then these treats won't be "vegan;" also in my opinion the dairy-free brownies keep a bit longer.)

Sweet and Healthy

These brownies are sweet but not too sweet. Cultured coconut cream and apple cider vinegar used in this recipe helps not only to make them moist, but also interacts with the cocoa in a way that gives the brownies a wonderful reddish brown color.

The addition of minced chile pepper spices these brownies nicely but hardly makes them too fiery to chew on. And of course the cocoa in them is a top antioxidant according to a U.S. Department of Agriculture Nutrient Data Laboratory study (2007) of "The Oxygen Radical Absorbance Capacity (ORAC) of Selected Foods," and regarded as good for the blood vessels. The flax seed adds a few omega 3s, while oat bran and pecans help to lower cholesterol.

Locating the Ingredients

The xanthum gum used to help hold these together is a common ingredient in gluten-free baking (it can also be used to make puddings). It's available at most health food stores and at some other stores. Cultured coconut cream (or vanilla soy yogurt if you prefer) and carob chips are also available at health food stores (but note that not all carob chips are vegetarian; some contain milk). Other ingredients such as ground flax seed, oat bran, and the various flours, are available at larger supermarkets and grocery stores as well as at health food stores.

Rice and tapioca flour are both fairly light and work well in most recipes. Tapioca flour holds together well in quick breads.Thus, these are worth keeping in stock. (For more on gluten-free flours, see "Gluten-free Baking or Just Baking Without Wheat on a Budget.")

Recipe Information

The recipe below makes enough to serve a houseful. Preparation sounds complex, but it's relatively simple once you assemble the ingredients. Because the mixture is quite moist, baking takes almost an hour.

Ingredients

• 1/4 cup chopped pitted dates
• 2 to 3 tbsps hot water
• 1/2 cup sunflower or safflower oil (these have the best flavor and are almost "buttery" tasting)
• 1 tbsp sesame seed paste (tahini)
• 1/2 cup honey (or a mix of half honey and half brown sugar)
• 1/2 heaping tsp baking soda
• 1-and-1/2 tsps ground flax seed
• 1/2 cup (4 ounces) vanilla-flavored cultured coconut cream (ideally sweetened with cane syrup or something other than sugar, white or brown; alternately use 3 ounces of coconut water, increase the apple cider vinegar using 3 or 4 tablespoons instead of 2; and use an additional tablespoon of honey; alternately use 4 ounces of vanilla-flavored soy yogurt)
• 1/2 orange habanero pepper, cored, seeded, minced (or alternately try a whole red San Francisco chile, which is not nearly so hot)
• 1/4 tsp xanthum gum (or slightly less; don't use too much; it will make the brownies come out like pudding)
• 5 ounces (5/8 cup) unsweetened cocoa
• 1/4 cup tapioca flour
• 1/4 cup plus 2 tbsps (3 ounces total) brown rice flour
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/2 heaping tsp cream of tartar
• 2 tsps apple cider vinegar
• 1 tbsp oat bran
• 1/4 cup chopped pecans, plus a few extra for topping
• 1/3 cup vegan (lightly sweetened, with beet juice or some other means) carob chips, finely chopped

Steps

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees fahrenheit. Lightly oil and flour a 9" by 9" cake pan, or a 9" round pan; line it with parchment paper, and very lightly oil that.
2. Stir the chopped dates into the warm water with 1/4 tsp of the baking soda, and place in the oven for a few minutes so that the dates start to soften.
3. Soften the flax seed in about a tablespoon of the cultured coconut cream or coconut water or soy yogurt
4. Meanwhile, in a large bowl. cream together the oil and honey or honey-brown sugar mix, with the sesame paste.
5. Stir the date mixture into the oil and honey mixture, along with the flax seed and tablespoon of cultured coconut cream or soy yogurt.
6. Stir in the minced habanero or red San Francisco chile pepper.
7. Stir in the xanthum gum and blend well. The mixture should start to thicken very slightly.
8. Stir in the cocoa, stirring till all is combined.
9. Sift together the tapioca and brown rice flour with the salt, cream of tartar, and remaining baking soda.
10. Stir the flour mixture into the date, honey, and oil mixture.
11. Stir in the remaining cultured coconut cream or coconut water plus the two teaspoons of cider vinegar.
12. Fold in the oat bran, chopped pecans, and vegan carob chips.
13. Spread the mixture into the prepared pan. Sprinkle the top with extra chopped pecans. Trim any excess parchment paper from the edges.
14. Bake the brownies for about forty-to-forty-five minutes. At this point, you can dry out the top by opening the oven slightly and broiling the top for just over a minute. Then leave the brownies in the hot oven (turned off) for ten minutes more.

Now, cool the brownies at least ten minutes (the brownies will "firm up" as they get cooler), cut into squares, and serve.

Tips

The pan you use does make a difference; if you have one, a thick aluminum pan is best.

Soy yogurt or coconut coconut cream helps emulsify the honey/sugar and oil mix; I had problems when I replaced this with fruit juice.

A blend of "dutched" (processed with alkalis to remove some of the bitter taste) cocoa with natural cocoa (such as made by Hershey's) can make the brownies darker and "richer" than the natural cocoa typically sold in U.S. groceries; however the dutched cocoa may be slightly lower in flavenols.

You can replace the rice and tapioca flours with 5 ounces (5/8 cup) of a gluten-free blend of rice, tapioca, and perhaps a little potato flour. (This works really well.)

Use fresh pecans. For a real treat, chop them yourself as whole pecans keep their freshness longer. If you use raw pecans, you can spread them in a pan and roast them in the oven at about 300 degrees f before using them to bake this.

Reduce the flour by 1 tbsp and stir in about 1 tbsp of finely minced pecans (minced to a meal) just before folding in the chopped pecans, carob chips, and any coconut (below). This gives the brownies a bit of firmness and a really nice "pecan-like" taste.

Fold in several tablespoons of flaked unsweetened coconut and perhaps a bit of grated orange zest. Flaked coconut helps gluten-free baked goods hold together better, and makes them lighter and of course more delicious. You can also top the brownies with additional flaked coconut before baking.