Oat Flour Almond Butter Brownies with Salted Date Caramel Frosting
[Vegan]

For the Oat Flour Almond Butter Brownies:

1. Preheat oven to 350°F and line an 8×8-inch or 9×9-inch square baking dish with parchment paper, leaving enough overhang to allow for easy lift-out.
2. Place the flax and water in a large bowl, whisk, and let it thicken for two minutes.
3. Add the almond butter, coconut oil, coconut sugar, maple syrup, milk, and vanilla, and whisk until smooth.
4. In a medium bowl, mix together the oat flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, and salt. Add the flour mixture to the almond butter mixture and stir to combine. Fold in the chocolate chips. The batter will be quite thick (more like a dough).
5. Transfer the mixture to the prepared baking dish, using wet fingers to push it out towards each corner of the pan.
6. Bake for 18 minutes for a moist, gooey brownie or 20 minutes for a slightly more firm brownie.
7. Remove from the oven and let it cool fully before frosting.

For the Salted Date Caramel Frosting:

1. To make the salted caramel frosting, place the dates, almond butter, salt, coconut oil, lemon juice, and almond milk in a food processor and process until ultra-smooth. This might take a few minutes, but be patient: it will get there!
2. Lift the brownie from the pan and transfer to a flat surface before frosting. Slice into 12-16 squares. You might not need all of the frosting; leftover frosting makes a delicious dip for apple slices!