I’ve got a treat for you.
No, this is not a treat-with-hidden-black-beans kind of treat. This is not a tastes-more-decadent-than-it-really-is kind of treat.
This is a splurge. A seriously chocolately brownie filled with sugar, flour, oil, loads of chocolate, and booze.
And I’m not sorry.
I really was planning on just making plain brownies without frosting, but as I poured the port into the batter I wondered why the hell I hadn’t thought to make a port reduction to put in these brownies. That’s the way to incorporate port into a dessert, duh!
So I decided to remedy my sad sad mistake by making a port reduction frosting. Damn. Good call, Leslie. Good call.
brownies:
serves 12
1 C all-purpose flour (you can sub 1 C GF flour + 1/2 t xanthan gum for a GF option – I didn’t try it, but that usually works)
1/3 C raw cacao powder
1/3 C raw sugar
1 t baking powder
1/2 t baking soda
tiny pinch salt
2 oz melted dark chocolate
1 C ruby port (the giant $6 bottle from TJ’s will do just fine!)
2 T softened coconut oil
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Whisk flour, cacao powder, sugar, baking powder & soda together. Mix melted chocolate, port, and coconut oil separately and then pour into the dry ingredients and stir until well combined. Pour into a greased baking dish (8×8 is easiest to find. Mine is 7×5.) Bake for about 35-45 minutes, until cooked through.
OR if you prefer, go ahead and undercook them. They’re brownies. Vegan brownies, meaning undercooking is totally safe and will just result in amazingly gooey though hard-to-serve brownies. Worth it.
frosting:
serves 12
1 C ruby port
1/4 C softened coconut oil
2 T raw cacao powder
2 C powdered sugar
While the brownies bake, make your port reduction sauce. Just put the port in your smallest saucepan and simmer over medium heat until you only have about 1/4 C left, about 30 minutes. Allow to cool a little before making your frosting (or it will melt the coconut oil and you’ll have a runny frosting.)
Then beat all the ingredients together with a hand mixer until smooth. Spread on top of your brownies after they’ve cooled a little.
Nutrition facts per serving: Calories: 264; Calories from Fat: 80; Total Fat: 8.8g; Saturated Fat: 7.6g; Sodium: 55mg; Total Carbohydrates: 39.2g; Dietary Fiber: 1.3g; Sugars: 28.1g; Protein: 2.0g
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