Recipe: Java-Infused Brownies

Today it’s time to take a little sidestep from the super healthy side of vegan eating and enjoy some Java-Infused Brownies. Of course, even vegan sidestepping can be healthier than the typical diet. It’s one of those cool benefits of cooking without eggs and dairy!

I decided to jazz up our traditional brownies by adding a layer of Chunky Monkey Cookie dough on the bottom followed by some Coffee-infused Chocolate Brownies on top.

That’s right. Jazzed up, java-infused brownies? That’s the way we vegans hang!

Double Decker Brownies

Ingredients

1 batch Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough
1 batch Java Brownies (recipe follows)

Directions

Begin by heating your oven to 350F and preparing a 9 x 12 baking dish. I sprayed mine with some vegetable spray.
Prepare the Peanut Butter Cookie dough as directed. Press the dough into the bottom of your prepared baking dish. Place in the oven and bake for 15 – 20 minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool thoroughly. That’s an important step and one I often try to push. Go paint your nails or browse through Pinterest to help the time pass.
Prepare the Java Brownie dough. Pour the brownie batter over the baked and cooled peanut butter layer. Return the pan to the oven and bake for 30 minutes.
Remove from oven and allow to cool before serving.
Enjoy!

Java Brownies

(Inspired by a recipe in La Dolce Vegan! called Espresso Brownies)

Ingredients

1 cup water
2 teaspoons instant coffee (I used Starbuck’s Via Cinnamon Spice)
3 cups flour
1 cup cocoa
2 cups sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 cup soymilk
1 cup oil
1 cup dairy-free chocolate chips

Directions

Normally you’d begin a recipe for brownies by heating the oven and preparing a pan, but since this is the base for the Double Decker Brownies, we’ll skip that part. However, if you’d like to make these brownies sans the peanut butter bottom level, begin by heating your oven to 350F and spraying a 9 X 12 baking pan with vegetable spray.
In a medium bowl combine the water and instant coffee. Stir a bit and set it aside.
In a separate medium bowl, combine all the dry ingredients. Stir a bit and set it aside.
Now, grab that bowl with the coffee water in it and add the soymilk and oil. Stir it a bit and then pour half of it into the bowl with the dry ingredients. Stir to ensure all the dry ingredients are incorporated and then add the remainder of the wet ingredients. Brownies are tender spirited so you don’t want to stir too much. Just make sure everything is well incorporated, then add the chocolate chips and you’re ready to bake!
If you’re baking these solo, bake for about 40 minutes. You’ll know when they’re done because you’ll smell them throughout the house. That and you can use those tried and true tests like inserting a toothpick or lightly pressing the center of the brownies to see if it springs back. If you’re baking these as part of the Double Decker Brownie, follow the steps above for baking.