Nutty Rum Brownies (vegan)

Course Dessert

Cuisine American

Keyword brownies

Prep Time 25

Cook Time 20

Servings 9 brownies

Author Domestic Gothess

200 g (1 ¾ cups) mixed nuts (I used pecans, hazelnuts, almonds, cashews and walnuts)
120 g (½ cup) vegan block butter
80 ml (⅓ cup) unsweetened non-dairy milk (I use soy)
125 g (½ cup + 2 Tablespoons) caster or granulated sugar
100 g (½ cup) light brown soft sugar
200 g (7oz) dark chocolate finely chopped
80 ml (⅓ cup) dark rum (or bourbon, whisky, amaretto, Irish cream or Tia Maria)
2 teaspons vanilla extract
190 g (1 ½ cups) plain flour
30 g (¼ cup) cocoa powder
30 g (¼ cup) cornflour (cornstarch)
¼ teaspoon baking powder
pinch salt

Line a 20 cm/8 inch square cake pan with baking parchment, making sure that it overhangs either side so that it is easy to lift the baked brownies out of the pan. Preheat the oven to 180°C/160℃ fan/350°F/gas mark 4.
Roughly chop half of the nuts, not too small, and set aside.
Place the butter, milk and sugars in a pan over a low heat and stir until melted and the sugar has dissolved; the mixture should be hot but not yet boiling.
Add the chopped chocolate to the pan and stir until completely melted then whisk in the rum and vanilla.
Sift together the flour, cocoa powder, cornflour, baking powder and salt then stir it into the chocolate mixture until no pockets of flour remain. Stir in the chopped nuts.
Pour the batter into the prepared pan and spread it level. Scatter (or arrange carefully) the whole nuts on top.
Bake for about 20-30 minutes until the brownie feels firm to the touch and a skewer comes out gunky but not wet. If it comes out clean the brownies are overbaked so keep an eye on them. You may need to loosely cover the top with tin foil partway through baking to stop the nuts from catching.
Leave the brownie slab to cool completely in the pan (I like to put it in the fridge overnight once it has cooled so that the brownies are easy to slice neatly), then carefully lift it out using the overhanging parchment and use a sharp knife to cut it into squares.

See post above for tips, details and step-by-step photos.
USE SCALES. As with all of my baking recipes I really do recommend using the metric measurements with a digital scales rather than the cup conversions. Cups are a wildly inaccurate measuring system and you will get far better, more consistent results using a scale, not to mention that it is also easier and less messy than cups!
Use a metal rather than a glass or ceramic pan. Glass dishes retain more heat and it is easier to overbake the brownies as they will continue to cook after you take them out of the oven.