I love my birthday.
I know loving your own birthday is kinda one of those things that’s not very “adult”, but I do. So very much. I have off from work, I get to do what I want, I get to eat what I want, I get to spend time with my loved ones, and it’s always just a really good day.
It’s also an extra special day because… it’s also Fooduzzi’s birthday!
Yep. Seven (seven!!) years ago today, baby Alexa was pressing publish on her very first blog post and making her readers feel like they were truly immersed in a bowl of oatmeal with her lack of photography skills.
And each year since then on December 18, we celebrate in the best way I know how: with peanut butter and chocolate.
Shall we recap the past few delicious years?
- 1st birthday: Peanut Butter Cup Muffins
- 2nd birthday: Snickerdoodle Buckeyes
- 3rd birthday: Vegan Chocolate Peanut Butter Cinnamon Rolls
- 4th birthday: Vegan Buckeye Cake
- 5th birthday: Swirled Chocolate Peanut Butter Slice and Bake Cookies
- 6th birthday: Vegan Chocolate Peanut Butter Cookie Dough Bites (I’ve made these a million times since last year!)
- 7th birthday: Vegan Peanut Butter Cup Brownies (today’s recipe!!)
You just can’t go wrong with a brownie, right?
Vegan brownies are… tough. Without egg, it’s really difficult to get a brownie that sticks together and doesn’t crumble into pieces when you try to cut it.
But! I found a recipe from Bad Manners’ cookbook (excuse the language in the original recipe name!), and it was love at first bite. Literally.
Of course, I had to put my own Fooduzzi spin on the recipe, so that’s what we have here.
So how did I change the original recipe? Just a few ways:
- I used all-purpose flour instead of whole wheat pastry. I figured that AP flour is easier for most of you to find and use, so that’s what I used!
- I used vegan butter instead of oil. I wanted these birthday brownies rich and decadent and gooey, so vegan butter was the obvious choice here.
- I used brown sugar instead of regular sugar. It’s amazing how just one word makes a huge difference in your baking! Brown sugar adds more moisture and flavor than regular sugar thanks to the molasses. I love using it whenever I can, so it for sure was going in my brownies.
- I added peanut butter cups. Aka how to make anything 23857389246752857698 times better.
I also made sure to underbake the brownies a bit. So much so that the middle kind of sank whenever the pan came out of the oven.
Honestly? I think it was a great idea. It resulted in a perfectly gooey pan of brownies. I also like to eat these cold from the fridge, so underbaking keeps them moist and chew!
So happy birthday, Fooduzzi! You have brought me so much joy over these seven years, and I’m so excited to see what 2022 brings us.
And to you, dear reader. Thanks for celebrating with us! I appreciate you so much, and I’m sending you and your loved ones lots of love this holiday season. <3
PrintVegan Peanut Butter Cup Brownies
Chewy, gooey vegan brownies spiked with chunks of peanut butter cups! Does it get any better?!
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 35 minutes
- Total Time: 50 minutes
- Yield: 9-16 brownies
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Bake
- Cuisine: American
- Diet: Vegan
Ingredients
- 3/4 cup unsweetened plant milk (at room temperature)
- 2 tablespoons ground flax seeds
- 1/2 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
- 1 and 1/4 cup vegan semi sweet chocolate chips
- 1/4 cup vegan butter
- 3/4 cup brown sugar
- 1 cup all-purpose flour (scooped and leveled)
- 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 10–15 mini vegan peanut butter cups, roughly chopped
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F. Line an 8-inch square baking pan with parchment paper. Set aside.
- In a small bowl or liquid measuring cup, add your plant milk, flax, and vinegar. Mix to combine and set aside.
- In a large microwave-safe bowl, add your chocolate chips and vegan butter. Microwave in 30-second bursts, mixing between each, until melted. Add your brown sugar, and mix to combine.
- Add your flour, cocoa, baking soda, and salt to a medium bowl, and whisk to combine.
- Add your flour mixture to your melted chocolate chip mixture and mix until partially combined. Add your milk/flax mixture, and combine until almost mixed completely. Finally, add your chopped peanut butter cups (reserving a few for topping, if desired), and mix until completely combined. Try not to overmix! The batter will be thick.
- Pour/scoop your batter into your prepared baking pan and smooth the top. Add your reserved peanut butter cup pieces if you have them.
- Bake for 30-40 minutes, or until a skewer/toothpick inserted into the center comes out with a few moist crumbs.
- Allow your brownies to cool on a cooling rack completely before cutting. I like to cool them for about 30 minutes at room temperature, then transfer the entire pan/cooling rack to the fridge.
- Eat at room temperature or from the fridge (my fave!).
Happy birthday!
Thanks, Kristin!