Vegan Chocolate Brownie Bites with Raspberry-Coconut Whip

Chocolate and raspberry go together like peas and carrots. From a culinary perspective, when I think of Valentine’s Day I envision chocolate and raspberries. It just works together and it’s the “shoe that fits” when fusing health and sweets together.
 
One recipe I’ve always wanted to create are fruit-based frostings. Many traditional frostings use powdered sugar, which is finely grounded sugar into its powdered state. Essentially, most frostings and icings are loaded with sugar. Although tasty, my goal is to create recipes that are closet to nature using whole foods.
 
And well, nature provides the best “food coloring” while using fresh fruit. The colors, soft and sweet, are the perfect combination for the day of love. So for this V-day, I am in love with creating. I feel that when you are in-tune with your physiology and psychology, your creativity naturally blossoms and have better opportunities for getting it right the first time - like I did with this experiment! 
 
So, for something short and sweet this Valentine’s Day, look no further than these amazing (and mouth-watering) chocolate raspberry love bites. 

Cooking Tips
Brownies are one of the easiest dessert recipes to create. It’s not difficult, but the secret is the sugar to flour ratio.  Altering or reducing the sugar content creates a more cake-like (fluffier) substance. The sugar, combined with the butter, is what gives brownies that somewhat “greasy” and outer crispy texture.
 
When creating the frosting, I decided to use coconut cream. Coconut cream is also one of the easiest “things” to make. All you need to do is place the can of coconut milk into the refrigerator (preferably overnight or around 6-8 hours) for it to solidify.
 
Take a look at this post on how (and must-know tips) to create coconut cream. 
The coconut frosting will take a couple hours to thicken. But, I recommend storing the frosting in a jar and dabbing the brownie when you are ready to serve. 
​
Also, I used a mini-muffin pan, and the batter makes exactly 12 small brownies. 

Vegan Chocolate Brownie Bites with Raspberry Coconut Whip
Prep Time: 12 Minutes
Cook Time: 14-16 Minutes
Total Time: 26-28 Minutes
Makes: 12 Small Brownies 

Brownie Ingredients:
1/2 cup flour
​1/2 cup sugar 
1/3 cup cocoa (I used unsweetened cocoa powder)
1/3 cup vegan butter
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp vanilla
1 flax egg (1 tbsp flax meal mixed w/ 2 tbsp water)
2 tbsp nondairy milk (used almond milk)
optional: 2 tbsp chocolate chips

Raspberry Whip Ingredients:
1/4 cup coconut cream
1/4 cup fresh raspberries, washed
1/2 tsp vanilla
1 tbsp maple syrup

Directions:
Make flax egg and let it sit momentarily. Preheat oven to 350-degrees. Melt the butter and stir together the butter, flax egg, sugar, vanilla, cocoa powder and baking powder. Next, add in the flour and milk. Mix until it forms a well-blended dough. Fold in the chocolate chips. 

Grease a mini-muffin pan. Use a spoon and place chunks of the batter into the pan. You may need to pat down the batter so it has an even top. Bake for 14-16 minutes. 

Meanwhile, make the whip/frosting. Place all ingredients in a food processor and mix until well blended. Let the brownies cool entirely before topping them with the frosting. Enjoy! 

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