CHOCOLATE MATCHA SESAME BROWNIES by VeguKate

CHOCOLATE MATCHA SESAME BROWNIES

Yields 1 delicious tray of brownies

INGREDIENTS:

Chocolate Sesame Brownies:
1 cup tahini 
½ cup coconut sugar 
¼ cup maple syrup
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 eggs
¼ cup cacao powder
1 Tbsp. coconut flour 
½ tsp baking soda
¼ tsp sea salt
¼ cup mini dark chocolate chips

Matcha Frosting: 
1 ½ cup raw cashews (soaked at least 2 hours)
½ cup coconut oil, slightly solid
1 Tbsp. Mizuba Culinary Organic Matcha
1 tsp. vanilla extract
½ tsp. sea salt
2-3 Tbsp. coconut milk 
1 Tbsp. black sesame seeds, to garnish

DIRECTIONS

1) Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit and generously grease a 9×9-baking dish with coconut oil or avocado oil.

2) To a large bowl add tahini, coconut sugar, maple syrup, vanilla extract, and eggs. Mix well until mixture is fully combined and thick.

3) Stir in cacao powder, coconut flour, baking soda, and sea salt until combined. Finally, stir in dark chocolate chips until just combined. The brownie batter texture will be THICK.

4) Pour brownie mixture into greased baking dish. You may need to use a wet spatula to smooth our thick mixture in the pan.

5) Bake brownies for 20-25 minutes, or until edges are slightly browned and knife inserted into the center comes out clean. Do not over-bake brownies, as they will dry out!

6) Remove brownies from oven and let cool completely before frosting – at least one hour.

7) Prepare Mizuba matcha frosting: Drain and rinse cashews and add to a food processor or high-speed blender along with the remainder of the other frosting ingredients – except for the sesame seeds. Blend on high until mixture is completely broken down and is smooth and creamy. You may need to pause to scrape down the sides of your blender/food processor. Scoop frosting into a bowl and chill in the refrigerator or freezer for 30 minutes. Remove bowl and stir frosting vigorously to create a light and fluffy texture. Use a spatula to spoon frosting onto cooled brownies. Sprinkle with sesame seeds and slice into squares.

I recommend devouring these chocolate matcha brownies immediately – or storing in the refrigerator for a day or two. Enjoy!

NOTES:

-These brownies were inspired by my flourless Almond Butter Brownies and Ambitious Kitchen’s grain-free tahini brownies!
-The matcha frosting is adapted from Baked The Blog’s Vegan Chocolate Matcha Cupcakes.
-No coconut sugar? Swap with organic sugar or brown sugar. The same goes for maple – feel free to swap with honey if you’d like!
-Do you feel like kind of cheating? You don’t haaaave to make the frosting – at all. Skip it, or you can also buy a store-bought version (Simple Mills vanilla frosting is my go-to) and stir in a teaspoon or two of matcha powder. I promise I won’t tell anyone your secret!
-Feeling crazy? Swap out ground beetroot powder for matcha powder = hello pretty pink frosted brownies!

Thanks for this amazing recipe, Vegukate!