Decadent Brownie Bites (Gluten Free and Vegan)

(A dessert for Terrie)

Good night, sweet Prince. These are really phenomenal. Deep and fudgy, they have a beautifully crispy crust. Please, try these even if you aren’t feeding anyone who is gluten free and/or vegan. They are perfect. Note: These look thin because I didn't fill my muffin cups up to the halfway point--I did about 1/4 of the way up and made 16. 

Ingredients (makes 12 small muffin size bites):

2 Tablespoons ground flax seed

6 Tablespoons warm water

1/3 cup coconut oil, melted

½ cup butter and oil replacement made from rehydrated prunes and apples (like Sunsweet ‘Lighter Bake’®)

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 ¾ cups dairy free dark chocolate chips, melted

¾ cup gluten free multipurpose flour (I used King Arthur®)

¼ teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon espresso powder

1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

1/3 cup granulated sugar

Directions:

Make an egg substitute by combining the ground flax seed with the warm water in a cup. Refrigerate at least 15 minutes.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F and spray a 12 cup muffin tin (small cups, please, not the huge size) with vegetable oil spray.

In one mixing bowl, combine the coconut oil, butter/oil replacement, vanilla and melted chocolate chips. Stir to mix well. Add in the flax seed/water combo and stir again—everything should start to pull together after this because the flax seed acts as a binder.

In another bowl, mix the flour, salt, espresso powder, cocoa powder and sugar.

Slowly stir the wet ingredients into the dry and spoon into your prepared muffin tins about halfway full and bake for 30 minutes, rotating the tray once, halfway through baking. Remove and let cool, then run a knife around the edges of each brownie and gently remove to a wire rack to cool completely.