Recently, my fiancé was required to fast for a doctor’s appointment. To boost his spirits, I promised I’d make something extra delicious he could enjoy when he got home. I mentioned something about wanting to bake brownies but then noticed all of the ripe bananas on the counter and also let “banana bread” slip.

Before I knew what I was getting into, I heard myself declare I was going to make banana bread brownies!

Fortunately, I already knew a to-die-for vegan banana bread recipe—I just had to brownie-ify it. Simple, right? I hope so, I thought as I started mashing my bananas.

Brownies are typically denser than bread, so I wanted to make a heavier, thicker batter than your typical banana bread batter. If it came out of the oven a little gooey—that’d be icing on the cake. For this reason, I used coconut nectar (a thick, heavy liquid sweetener) for my sugar. I also added a little flaxseed meal for extra fiber.

The results: soft, chewy, slightly fluffy and very chocolate-y banana bread brownies! Fiancé-approved.

Vegan Banana Bread Brownies

Ingredients:

2 cups all-purpose flour

2 tbsp. cocoa or cacao powder

½ tsp. baking powder

½ tsp. baking soda

¼ tsp. fine salt

1 cup vegan chocolate chips

3 ripe bananas

⅓ cup coconut oil (warmed to a liquid)

¼ cup coconut nectar (or liquid sweetener of your choice)

1 tbs. almond milk

1 tsp. vanilla extract

8 drops liquid stevia (or 1 tsp. powdered stevia)

2 tsp. flax meal

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375F.

In a large bowl, mix flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.

In a separate bowl, mash ripe bananas then stir in liquid ingredients with flax meal. It’s okay if there are still small banana chunks—this makes it better!

Add the liquid ingredients and chocolate chips to the bowl of dry ingredients. Gently combine. Over stirring will make the batter too tough.

Evenly spread batter in a 6” x 6” ceramic baking dish (or something with similar dimensions. You want your batter to be about 2” thick when spread out.)

Bake for 35-40 minutes. Test doneness by inserting a knife into the center of the brownie and pulling it out. If the knife comes out clean, your brownie is done! Remove from oven and allow to cool.

Slice in small squares and serve! For best results, pair with a glass of almond milk or a creamy cup of coffee 🙂

Related: Vegan Mocha Chocolate Chip Scones

Gluten free Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins

Double Chocolate Chip Date Muffins

Super Moist Zucchini Bread

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Photos: Mary Hood