These Fudgy Cacao Brownies with Matcha Coconut Cream have been sitting on my list of blogs to publish for quite some time. Despite posting beautiful photos of these puppies multiple times on social media I’ve hesitated to actually publish my final recipe.
Why, you ask? (if you’re just here for brownies, skip ahead)
If you’re here to actually read what I have to say, I’ll let you in on the fact that I’m a recovering “wellness” blogger.
The word wellness itself, “the state of being in good health, especially as an actively pursued goal” has been largely skewed and taken over by the diet industry in recent years. By taken over, I mean it now has the tendency to serve up images of skinny teas, supplements, and gluten-free everything.
So, what does wellness actually mean?
Embracing a conglomeration of being in not only good physical health, but good mental, emotional, and spiritual health. All of the healths, not the kind of health that bullies anyone into buying expensive ingredients with big claims.
Not the kind of “health” that involves obsessing over everything you eat.
Yes, I’m technically a Certified Personal Trainer, Wellness & Life Coach. I am the kind that helps you choose yourself time and time again while navigating narratives surrounding your life put in place by you and others. I am not the kind that tells you what to eat for each meal and sells you protein shakes.
As someone who’s been a blogger for a couple of years on a platform of vegan food and “wellness”. I often feel tremendous pressure to make substitutions for items like sugar, flour, and other delicious ingredients.
Why? Deep down I know that if I label something gluten-free it’ll do better with certain audiences. Lots of my audience members scurry away from traditional ingredients. Because most of the other people in a similar industry do. This is thanks to pervasive wellness culture that I’ve fought to break free of myself for years (decades, really).
The meat, cheese, and other animal products that I do not consume are due to ethical purposes, (again, a discussion for another time).
I thoroughly enjoy the taste of coconut sugar, coconut milk, date syrup, and matcha.
Plants are really good for us, and that’s an undeniable fact.
However, a strict vegan diet or any diet, in particular, isn’t appropriate for every single person. Most of us can eat regular flour without melting or turning into a pumpkin. Fat doesn’t make you fat. Carbs are in almost everything. Eating “low carb” just sounds disconnected from reality to anyone who actually understands what carbohydrates are. If you need to make a substitution in recipes for a legitimate medical reason, go for it.
Basically, just eat the damn brownies.
Or don’t.
If you don’t eat Fudgy Cacao Brownies, make it because you aren’t in the mood and not because brownies are scary.
I have never, ever met a scary brownie.
Furthermore, if you’ve ever met a scary brownie: it’s probably because the diet culture surrounding you has convinced you it is such.
Without further ado, a Fudgy Vegan Cacao Brownie and Matcha Coconut Cream recipe featuring some traditional ingredients, and some that are simpler and really tasty. This recipe is one that I’ve taken to multiple birthdays, gatherings, and parties.
Enjoy✨
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Fudgy Cacao Brownies with Matcha Coconut Cream
Description
These fudgy and rich brownies will come together in no time, especially if you're starting with a stocked vegan pantry
Ingredients
Matcha Coconut Cream
- 2 cans coconut milk ((full fat), refrigerated overnight)
- 1/2 cup powdered sugar
- 2 tsp vanilla extract or vanilla bean paste
- 1 pinch of salt
- 1–2 tsp matcha powder (adjusted for taste and color)
Brownies
- 1/4 cup coconut oil
- 1/4 cup almond butter
- 3/4 cup coconut sugar
- 1/4 cup just date syrup (option to sub maple syrup, agave, and honey)
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 flax egg (1 tbsp ground flax + 2.5 tbsp water))
- 4 tbsp nondairy creamer or milk
- 3/4 cup cacao powder (option to sub cocoa powder)
- 1/2 cup flour
- 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp salt
Instructions
Brownies
- Preheat oven to 325 F. In a large mixing bowl, prepare flax egg and set aside.
- Add wet ingredients including melted coconut oil, almond butter, coconut sugar, just date syrup, vanilla extract to the same bowl. Mix to combine.
- In another bowl, sift together flour, cacao powder, salt, and baking powder. Add the dry ingredients to the mixing bowl of wet ingredients and whisk until a thick batter forms.
- Grease 8×8 baking dish, and pour the brownie mix into the pan. Your other option besides greasing here is to utilize parchment paper. I like to cover the pan, leaving enough to overlap the sides of the pan. This makes taking the brownies out of the pan to cool, frost, and cut a much simpler process with way less mess.
- Bake in the oven for 23-28 minutes. They’ll be super fudgy so let them cool completely before icing and cutting. While they’re cooking, go ahead and make your matcha cream:
Matcha Coconut Cream
- Open up the refrigerated coconut milk can and spoon the coconut cream out from the water. Add coconut cream to the mixing bowl (a stand mixer works best) and set aside the liquid coconut milk (this can be utilized in smoothies and other recipes)
- Begin by whipping the coconut cream until small peaks form when the whisk is lifted from the bowl. Add in matcha, vanilla and salt and whip.
- Gradually add the powdered sugar until mixed. An option here to partially or totally substitute powdered sugar with date syrup or some other sweetener, with the understanding that the texture may be different.
- Once combined, spread onto cooled brownies and enjoy. Take a photo and tag me because matcha brownies = life.
Notes
Other optional toppings:
- mini chocolate chips (I love the mini chocolate chips from Enjoy Life)
- additional matcha sprinkled on top
- Category: Dessert
If you’d like to see a video of how this comes together, you can check out this reel.
Reminder: pasta is also not scary.
If you’re with me on navigating wellness culture and just eating the damn brownie, please leave me a comment, send me a message, or come over to social media and let me know what your biggest takeaways are.
If you’d like to learn more about working with me, you can do so over here
I am constantly relearning and dismantling biases around the idea that foods are “good” or “bad”. Grateful for your insight and all the work you put out into this world. Very excited to try these!
Same. Same. Same. I feel like we’ll be dismantling those as a society for a long time. Thank you for taking the time to read ✨ and for your comment. I hope you love the brownies!
Brownies=Life! I can’t wait to make these! Keep giving us gems!
I couldn’t agree more! I hope you love them, Natasha 💞 thanks for your comment.
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These look amazing! I have to eat gluten free but I could easily substitute GF flour!
Thank you! I bet these would still be really tasty with a GF all-purpose flour – let me know if you ever try it 💕