Recipe by Chef Joe Peroney
A friend to vegan bakers, aquafaba is the liquid left over from cooked chickpeas. While it doesn't add much structure, it will whip into meringue like egg whites.
* 1/2 cups aquafaba (chickpea liquid)
* 1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar
* 1 1/4 cups granulated sugar
* 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
* 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
* 1 stick unsalted butter (8 tablespoons)
* 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
* 1/2 cup cocoa powder
* 1 teaspoon baking powder
* 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
Line an 8-by-8-inch pan with parchment paper and preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
Beat aquafaba with cream of tartar for 5 minutes until stiff peaks form. (I used my stand mixer with whisk attachment, but you can use an electric hand mixer.) Slowly add sugar, about 1/4 cup at a time, until it's all incorporated. It should be very fluffy at this point with stiff peaks. Beat in the vanilla and set aside.
In a microwave safe bowl, add chocolate chips and butter. Melt in the microwave in 30-second intervals, whisking well at each interval, until melted.
Pour the melted chocolate/butter mixture into the aquafaba mixture and stir gently with a spatula. The aquafaba mixture will shrink at this point but that is fine.
In a medium bowl, whisk flour, cocoa, baking powder and salt together until combined and no clumps remain. If your cocoa is really clumpy, use a sifter.
Add the dry ingredients to the wet and stir until combined using a spatula.
Pour the brownie batter into the prepared pan, even it out with a spatula and bake for 35-37 minutes until the top is shiny.
Let cool for at least 30 minutes as the brownies will firm up as they cool. Enjoy!
Makes 9 brownies. ■