It took me three tries to get these brownies right. Three tries, lots of brownie baking at 10pm, and a few exclamations of ‘This is NEVER going to work!’ with a side of ‘Crap, I’m almost out of cocoa powder‘. Over three days and a few late night brownie baking sessions, I finally got the recipe juuuust right, ultimately using a recipe that has worked consistently for me in the past. After finally getting out from under the too thin to too dry to brownie recipes where I forgot the salt and milk (doh!), I knew I wanted to top them with a perfect chocolate and almond frosting, nice and sweet, with a little crunch after it sets up nicely. Brownies that took all that work and tribulations deserve a healthy dose of powdered sugar and chocolate frosting, right? Reminiscent of the frosting from one of my favorite recipes from my grandmother, Texas Sheet Cake, this vegan frosting comes together with a few ingredients and a few minutes. Add a healthy sprinkle of sliced almonds and slice into thick, fudgy squares of vegan brownie goodness.
If you like your brownies a little more on the fudgy side, underbake them a little more and add a tad more liquid. I loved the way these turned out and they ended up setting up even better after they cooled. If you try to handle them too quickly after baking, they will crumble and fall apart, so you’ve been warned! Add the frosting while they are still warm and let cool, trust me, they are so much better this way.
Keep an eye out on Thursday, I’m going to have an easy vanilla ice cream recipe with one heck of a giveaway.
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Vegan Brownies with Chocolate Almond Frosting
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 25 minutes
- Total Time: 45 minutes
- Yield: 9 1x
- Category: Dessert
Description
Easy vegan brownies with a powdered sugar and cocoa frosting, topped with crunchy almonds!
Ingredients
- For the brownies:
- 1/2 cup all purpose flour
- 1/2 cup whole wheat flour
- 1/2 cup cocoa powder
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 1/4 cup powdered sugar
- 2 tablespoons cornstarch
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 olive oil
- 1/2 cup pure maple syrup
- 1/2 cupSo Delicious Almond Milk
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- For the frosting:
- 2 cups powdered sugar
- 2–3 tablespoons So Delicious Almond Milk
- 1 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1/2 teaspoon almond extract
- 3 tablespoons cocoa powder
- 3/4 cup sliced almonds
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line an 8×8 pan with parchment paper and set aside.
- In a small bowl, whisk together the maple syrup, milk, olive oil, and vanilla extract. Set aside. In a large bowl, stir together the flours, sugars, cocoa powder, cornstarch, baking powder, and salt. Whisk in the wet ingredients that were set aside and only whisk until no flour streaks can be seen.
- Pour batter into prepared pan and bake for 20-23 minutes. Remove from oven and allow to cool. Prepare frosting while brownies are cooling.
- To prepare the frosting: In a small bowl, whisk together all of the ingredients, except for the almonds. Pour the frosting over the brownies and sprinkle with the almonds. Cut and serve.
Liz @ Floating Kitchen says
Wish I was around to eat all those 10pm failed attempts! These look awesome and all brownies deserve an awesome, sugary, chocolatey frosting!
Kathryn @ The Scratch Artist says
I’ve been there! The finished product looks great. So, worth the effort?
Julia says
Kudos for keeping at these brownies – they look like they were well-worth the three attempts! Plus I bet the previous two batches were delicious on ice cream 😀 Loving this almond frosting you’ve got going on and now my mouth is watering for a brownie (or 4) for breakfast!
The Frosted Vegan says
I would totally share, come on over girl!
whiskandshout says
That chocolate almond frosting though! Abby you’re killing me 🙂 And I feel you- brownies always take a couple tries, moreso than other vegan desserts, I feel 🙂 Pinning!
The Frosted Vegan says
I’m glad I’m not alone in that!
Our Foodie Appetite says
Ooh! This frosting looks heavenly! I love the sounds of that. I am going to have to try this vegan dessert on my husband. I feel like with desserts, he won’t be able to tell as much and may give it a go =) http://www.ourfoodieappetite.com/belmont-house-of-smoke-norfolk-va-review/
The Frosted Vegan says
Especially when it involves chocolate, right?! 🙂
Sarah | Well and Full says
Brownies can be so finicky! But it looks like you’ve struck gold here 😉
Tessa | Salted Plains says
Multiple brownie attempts are well worth it! I’ve been having similar brownie woes as of late. We should be having a brownie party! These look soooo good, Abby!
cadylwhicker17 says
The best thing about failed baking attempts is that my boyfriend will still eat them with a spoon. Haha! But I understand that when you’ve blown through all of your ingredients it can make you want to melt into a puddle of failed brownies, too. I will try these with spelt in place of ap flour. They turned out fantastic!
foodbloggerclub (@foodbloggerclub) says
These brownies look absolutely gorgeous!
The Frosted Vegan says
Thank you! xo
Sarah says
These look delicious! The almonds and frosting give the brownies the perfect finishing touch.
The Frosted Vegan says
Thank you Sarah! The frosting just really makes them I think!
hipfoodiemom says
Abby, I love these!!! can’t wait to try them! and three tries a charm right? 🙂
The Frosted Vegan says
You got it lady!
Heartbeet Kitchen (@amanda_paa) says
once you described them as Texas Sheet Cake like I was all in… kudos on finding just the perfect combination for these brownies! i’ve never thought of adding sliced almonds to the top, really gives them a pretty appearance. xo
The Frosted Vegan says
Thank you dear Amanda! The frosting is just so good, I’ve been trying to keep myself from eating it straight off the brownies 🙂
Becca | Spices and Spatulas says
I’ve dabbled in the vegan brownie-arena, but never did I think to use olive oil! LOVE that. Definitely going to try this soon! xo
The Frosted Vegan says
I hope you love it Becca! xo
Rob says
Any Banana creations?
The Frosted Vegan says
Oh haha! There’s banana bread granola!
Rob says
Thunks a lot!
Manuela Almeida says
Delicious! I thought the frosting was a bit too sweet for me so I added a bit of coffee and culinary chocolate. Thank you! 🙂