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There is always one basic-ish recipe that has always alluded me. For a while, it was the vegan chocolate chip cookie, then it was the perfect vegan pancakes, but recently, I’ve been trying to conquer the perfect, fudgy dark chocolate vegan brownie. I’ve tried a few renditions of vegan brownies, some coming out too cakey, other always coming out too dry, and I knew something was missing. I do already have a deep dish version that I love, but it didn’t always translate over into a pan of brownies like I wanted them to. I really wanted a fudgy, vegan brownie, that was easy to pull together and came with all the crunchy edges and soft middles that are the marker of a perfect brownie. Lo and behold, I only had to look to my fellow baking blogger Oh, Ladycakes to find the answer. Her vegan brownie recipe won me over each and every time, using ingredients I always have in stock in my cabinets and making for a pretty quick bowl to slicing and eating time.
So I figured, let’s tinker with it a bit! I kept the base of Ashlae’s recipe just about the same, but swapped out coconut oil for olive oil and splashed in a cup of Zevia cola for a little fizzy action in the batter. While these don’t necessarily taste like cola, I think the cola flavors combined with the dark chocolate and cocoa is a perfect combination. It’s a like a good back up singer, you can hear them and notice when they aren’t there, but it’s not the full-blown star of the show. Chocolate is obviously the standout here, so make sure you are using a good chocolate (lol, channeling my inner Ina) since you want the best bites of chocolate filled brownies possible. I also would normally bake brownies in an 8×8 or 9×9 square pan, but often, they came out too think or overbaked for my taste. For these, I instead baked them in a loaf pan. This makes a few less brownies in the end, but they also end up being thick, chewy, and perfectly chocolatey!
Lesson learned here, sometimes you don’t need to mess with a good thing! I was going to try to create my own from-scratch dark chocolate vegan brownie recipe, but this one was already perfect. I’ll probably still tinker with the base because I can’t leave well enough alone, but for now, these are going to be my go-to brownie recipe. Also, I usually take my recipes to work or send them to work with my husband, but he kept them close to home, eating a brownie almost every day before work or for a sweet treat after dinner. I’ll consider it a baking win!
Cola Dark Chocolate Vegan Brownies
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 30 minutes
- Total Time: 50 minutes
- Yield: 8 1x
- Category: Desserts
Description
The perfect rich, decadent dark chocolate vegan brownies, with a cola twist!
Ingredients
- 1 cup all purpose flour
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- 1/3 cup cocoa powder
- 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 1 cup dark chocolate chips
- 3/4 cup sugar or stevia equilavalent
- 1/2 cup almond milk
- 1 cup Zevia Cola
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line a loaf pan with parchment paper and grease the pan. Set aside.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, cornstarch, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt.
- In a small, microwave-safe bowl combine the olive oil and dark chocolate chips and microwave for 30-second increments, until chocolate is melted. Stir in the sugar or stevia equivalent, almond milk, and Zevia Cola.
- Add the chocolate mixture to the flour mixture, combining with a spoon or spatula until no flour streaks remain.
- Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake for 25-30 minutes, or until edges are well done. The middle of the brownies is still going to be soft to the touch, but they will be solid as they cool.
- Allow to cool before cutting. Can be stored in a sealed container for up to a week.
Kelsey @ Appeasing a Food Geek says
I’ve never thought to put cola in brownies! Interesting! I can imagine the carbonation would give an extra boost to the batter. Thanks for the inspo girly! xo
Heart of a Baker says
Yes! I knew your science-loving brain would like that 🙂
puja says
What an interesting recipe . Would love to try it this weekend. Thanks. 🙂
Heart of a Baker says
Thanks Puja! Hope you love it!
acox1209 says
Just made brownies inspired by these. I had been looking for a way to bake with stevia cola for a few months because I don’t like to drink it and brownies were the perfect recipe! More fluffy than the typical brownie, but super delicious!
Heart of a Baker says
That’s so great! Love 🙂
Haley says
These were delicious! However, I had to bake them for almost 50 minutes in a loaf pan.
Thanks for the delicious idea 🙂