Hazelnuts and chocolate are the ULTIMATE indulgent combination so of course I had to combine them into a brownie recipe!
These vegan hazelnut brownies are a guaranteed crowdpleaser and require only a handful of ingredients. No eggs and no dairy but with all the flavour of the best brownies you could buy from the store! Now let’s get onto the recipe!
If you’re not a fan of brownies then not to fret – check out my other recipes here!
As always, here are my top tips to nailing these incredibly decadent, delicious brownies. If you’re still not sure what you’re doing – feel free to drop a comment down below or send me a DM on instagram!
Baking tips:
This recipe is fairly straightforward to follow but I know I’ve made some silly mistakes on easy recipes before so here are some tips and tricks to make sure yours are picture perfect!
1. Do follow the recipe as described! It’s very tempting to cut corners on recipes (I do it all the time!) but often people make the most mistakes on the easiest recipes!
2. This recipe results in a perfectly fudgey brownie but if you prefer lighter, cakier brownies then add 1/2 tsp baking powder.
3. Don’t skip the salt. I know it seems odd adding salt to desserts but when all the elements are sweet, you need a pinch of salt for balance.
4. Don’t be intimidated by the meringue element of this recipe. It make seem odd to whip an airy meringue when we’re aiming for fudgey brownies but this method provides a lot of value. Firstly, aquafaba is a mild binder so it replaces some of the properties of adding eggs to this kind of recipe. Secondly, dissolving the sugar into the meringue results in a shiny top of the brownies which you can see in the photos. It also adds a small amount of air into the batter so it’s not too fudgey.
5. Use a good quality chocolate. Like most chocolate recipes, these will only taste as good as the quality of chocolate you use. Feel free to even use a hazelnut-flavoured chocolate to add an extra layer of nuttiness.
6. Don’t worry about the brownies sinking in the middle. This is completely normal and, in my opinion, actually desirable. I love a corner piece with a crispy edge and a softer middle! If you want slightly gooey brownies then bake these brownies for only 30-35 minutes.
If you’re in the UK, I’ve provided a list below with some of the key ingredients I’ve used…
Ingredients:
- My go-to vegan block butter is the one from Naturli.
- For the hazelnuts I use a mix of blanched hazelnuts and chopped roasted hazelnuts from Sainsbury’s.
- You can use either regular cocoa powder or Dutch-processed cocoa powder for these brownies. I used Dr. Oetker Fine Dark Cocoa Powder.
For this recipe you’ll need:
- kitchen scale (for weighing ingredients)
- electric whisk
- 8-inch square pan
Vegan Hazelnut Brownies
These double chocolate hazelnut brownies are absolutely irresistible and are guaranteed to impress family and friends (or better yet eat them all yourself). No egg, no dairy but all the chocolatey goodness of your dreams!!
Ingredients
- 260g chopped dark chocolate
- 275g caster sugar (swap 100g for brown sugar for extra molasses flavour)
- 180g plain flour
- 120g vegan block butter
- 50g cocoa powder
- 140g roasted hazelnuts, roughly chopped
- 150g aquafaba
- 30ml plant milk
- 2 tsp espresso powder
- ½ tsp baking soda
- ½ tsp sea salt
Directions
- Step 1 Pre-heat the oven the 170C (338F). Line an 8-inch square baking pan with baking paper.
- Step 2 Pour the aquafaba and caster sugar into a large mixing bowl. Use an electric whisk (or stand mixer) to whip the aquafaba for 10 minutes into a thick meringue.
- Step 3 Add the chocolate to a heatproof bowl with the vegan butter and use the bain-marie method to melt them together (i.e. sit the bowl on top of simmering water to melt with the residual heat). Stir until smooth.
- Step 4 Add the 30ml plant milk and stir again until fully incorporated.
- Step 5 Sieve together the dry ingredients (flour, espresso powder, cocoa powder, baking soda and salt). Add the chopped hazelnuts.
- Step 6 Fold the meringue into the melted chocolate mixture. Once fully combined, pour the mixture into the dry ingredients and stir until just combined.
- Step 7 Pour the batter into the baking tin and smooth it out with a palate knife.
- Step 8 Place in the oven and bake for 40 minutes or until a toothpick comes out with a small amount of batter with some moist crumbs attached.
- Step 9 Take them out of the oven and leave them to cool in the tin for 5 minute then transfer them to a wire rack to fully cool to room temperature.
These hazelnut brownies look so yummy! Can’t wait to try your recipe out next week!
This recipe was delicious! So rich and chewy . I used a combo of pecans, hazelnuts and walnuts since I didn’t have enough hazelnuts. I also subbed some brown sugar for caster as suggested. They turned out great and they probably won’t last long!
I refrigerated the cooked brownies before cutting but I found them really messy. Any suggestions for a better presentation?