One-Bowl Quinoa & Date Sugar Brownies

Found some date sugar at the market and knew I had to put it to good use – I’ve never baked with it before, so I was excited to say the least. These babies were born. They have an interesting back story, so you may want to read up before you make.

If we are being candid here, I wasn’t 100% sure how I felt about these at first. When they first came out of the oven, I wasn’t too impressed. The next morning, they were much better – I am assuming they just needed to set. Of course, I brought in a batch to work to see what everyone else thought. No one could put their finger on what was “off” about them – they described it as a weird taste at first, but then slowly moving into a more cocoa/brownie aftertaste. Kate even told me that they tasted like salad dressing off the bat (WHAT? NO!) But thankfully, followed up with their better aftertaste, and she may even go back for more. To me, they were much better and definitely did not taste like that. HOWEVER, my taste buds have really done a complete 180 since going vegan, and it isn’t like I eat brownies like this every week – this was the first time I’ve had a brownie in… probably a year. Wait… did they taste like salad dressing? God, I hope not. What on earth would even give them that taste? I have no idea.

So, take these words as caution. If you are a vegan and have been for some time, your taste buds will probably be jumping for joy eating these bad boys (like mine). If not, they may not be as sweet or taste like you would be imagining. Joe and my coworkers were definitely going into this with a brownie state of mind – and then… nope. But… I ended up wanting more – that’s all that matters, right? LOL

Recipe

Oven: 375 F
Bake Time: 18-20 min

You will need:

• 1/2 cup cooked quinoa
• 1/3 cup pumpkin puree
• 1/3 cup soy milk
• 1 tbs maple syrup
• 1/4 cup coconut oil
• 1/2 cup flour
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 cup date sugar
• 1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 3 tbs ground flaxseed
• 1 cup chocolate chips

To make:

• Cook quinoa according to package, set aside.
• Add pumpkin puree, soy milk, maple syrup, and coconut oil to large bowl and whisk until combined.
• Add quinoa, flour, baking powder, sugar, cocoa powder, and flax to wet ingredients – mix with handmixer until combined.
• Stir in your chocolate chips.
• Add to your greased brownie pan and bake at 375 F for about 18-20 minutes (or until a toothpick comes out clean) – true life, I like undercooking because yum, gooey. So, there’s that option, too.
• Allow to cool and set before eating- at least an hour.

I am really interested to see what you think of this recipe (if you try). If you have any pointers, tips, or anything that could help me perfect it, please send along. I really debated even posting this recipe… but oh, what the hell. We’re all being honest here and I want to learn from you, too! xx bianca