1-bowl vegan brownies infused with peppermint and dusted with crushed candy canes. So delicious and fudgy you'd never guess they were vegan, gluten-free, and made with black beans!
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (176 C) and lightly grease a 12-slot standard size muffin pan (not mini // amount as original recipe is written // adjust if altering batch size).
Prepare flax egg by combining flaxseed meal and water in the bowl of the food processor. Pulse a couple times and then let rest for a few minutes.
Add remaining ingredients besides candy canes, peppermint extract and chocolate chips, and puree – about 3 minutes – scraping down sides as needed. You want it pretty smooth.
If the batter appears too thick, add 1-2 Tbsp water or almond milk and pulse again. It should be slightly less thick than chocolate frosting but nowhere close to runny.
Add in peppermint extract a little at a time, pulse, sample and adjust until it's to your liking. I liked 1/4 tsp (as original recipe is written). Then stir in chocolate chips.
Evenly distribute the batter into the muffin tin and smooth the tops with a spoon or your finger.
Bake for 21-26 minutes or until the tops are dry and the edges start to pull away from the sides. I found mine took about 25.
Remove from oven and let cool for 20-30 minutes before removing from pan. They will be tender, so remove gently with a butter knife or fork. The insides are meant to be very fudgy, so don’t be concerned if they seem too moist – that’s the point. Plus, they’re vegan so it doesn’t really matter anyway.
Dust with crushed candy cane and serve immediately. Topping them with coconut whipped cream makes them ultra decadent and pairs perfectly with the chocolate-mint flavor.
Store in an airtight container for up to a few days. Refrigerate to keep longer.
Notes
*Heavily adapted from my V GF Black Bean Brownies *You can bake these in an 8x8, just extend the baking time to between 25-30 minutes. 27 should be your sweet spot. *Prep/cook time does not include cooling time. *Nutrition information is a rough estimate.