Triple-Chocolate Magic Brownies: No Eggs, No Butter

This recipe has all that. It’s got three types of chocolate and is easy enough for the whole family to make. Oh and by the way, it contains no butter or eggs. And brownie lovers won’t be able to tell the difference. 

When it comes to a simple recipe like brownies, substituting major ingredients like butter and eggs can be problematic. By taking those away, brownies can become gummy, dense, and dry, rather than fudgy and appealing. We found, however, that two small swaps made these brownies every bit as good as recipes with eggs and butter—except this one is vegan. These brownies straddle the line between cakey and fudgy, much like classic brownies. Here are the secret ingredients:

Vegetable oil is ideal because its neutrality brings the chocolate flavor to the forefront, rather than overwhelming it. That makes vegetable oil a natural swap for butter. It also supplies moisture to the batter that may be missed without the eggs.

While eggs are the usual rising agent in a fudgy brownie, a chemical leavener was needed to provide structure and lift. The scant teaspoon of baking powder is enough to support a substantial amount of incoming chocolate.

This recipe uses three—yes, three—kinds of chocolate: 

1) Cocoa powder
2) Unsweetened chopped chocolate 
3) Semisweet chocolate morsels

Together, the three add richness, depth, sweetness, and balance for your brownie experience. The cocoa powder and unsweetened chocolate are bloomed in boiling water, furthering their flavor complexity. The remaining chocolate chips are stirred into the batter for a fudge bomb of chocolatey sweetness in every bite. 

Yes, these are vegan fudgy brownies, but they’re every bit as delicious as ones with butter and eggs. But that can be our little secret.