Ultra Fudgey Okara Brownies

OK, brownies are my favorite dessert (especially with a scoop of vanilla So Delicious and some chocolate syrup), and there are probably a million variations of brownie recipes on this blog. Here's another, one that is decidedly on the fudgey side of the spectrum.



In a bowl, mix thoroughly (it's easy not to):
2/3 cup white whole wheat flour
1/2 tsp. baking powder
pinch salt

On the stove top, in a small pot over low heat, melt together
4 oz. semi-sweet chocolate
4 Tablespoons (1/2 stick, or 2 oz.) Earth Balance
1 Tablespoon (1/2 oz.) coconut oil
2/3 cup sugar
and whisk together until ingredients are well incorporated and smooth.

NB: If you don't like the taste of coconut oil, feel free to substitute it with more Earth Balance or a more mild-tasting oil.

To the chocolate mixture, add
1/4 cup okara
1/3 cup almond milk (I'm sure other non-dairy milks will work fine)
1 Tablespoon cornstarch
3 Tablespoons cocoa powder
and whisk until all ingredients are well incorporated, with no lumps. Turn off heat and add
1 tsp. vanilla
and whisk into chocolate mixture.

Add the chocolate mixture to the dry ingredients and stir together until incorporated. Scrape batter into a lightly oiled 8"x8" pan (I used a Pyrex pan). Bake at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 28 minutes. Allow to cool.

Graham-cracker-style pie crust

Do you like Graham-cracker pie crusts, but hate trying to find vegan Graham crackers? Or do you simply hate going through the bother of smashing up a bunch of Graham crackers just to put together a simple crust? This recipe replicates the taste of the Graham-cracker crust using common pantry ingredients (plus okara!). The secret: toasting the flour first!

Pour
1 1/2 cups white whole wheat flour
in a large baking pan and spread it out evenly. Bake at
350 degrees Fahrenheit
for 20 minutes.

Take
1/4 cup okara
and place it in a saute pan over medium heat. Keep it moving so it does not burn or stick too much to the bottom of the pan. The idea here is to dry it out. By the time you're done, you should be able to cut its volume in half, to about 2 Tablespoons of dry okara.



Place the okara in a food processor fitted with a metal blade, and pulse it several times.


Then, after the flour has toasted, put it into the food processor along with
1 tsp. baking powder
1/3 cup canola oil
1/3 cup maple syrup
pinch salt
and process until the mixture is well incorporated. Scrape it into a lightly oiled 9" pie pan and shape it into a pie crust.

Bake the pie crust for 12 minutes in the 350-degree oven. Remove from oven and set aside. Allow to cool while you prepare a pie filling that is cooked over the stove and set in the refrigerator (i.e., not something you'll be putting back into the oven, as the pie crust has already been baked!).

okara chocolate pudding pie

A simple cornstarch-thickened pudding pie recipe. I still think that other chocolate pie recipe is the best ever, but if you don't want something quite that fancy, this is for you.



First, prepare one pre-baked Graham-cracker pie crust.

Then, in a blender or food processor, liquefy
1/4 cup cornstarch
2/3 cup sugar
1/4 cup plus 2 Tablespoons cocoa
1/4 cup okara
3 cups unsweetened almond milk (not soy!)
1 tsp. vanilla
pinch salt
and transfer contents to a small pot. Heat over medium-low heat on the stove top, and add
1/2 cup chocolate chips
Stir contents with a whisk until mixture has thickened. This can take a while (probably about 20 minutes for me), so just keep stirring until it becomes quite thick and doesn't seem to be getting any thicker. At this point, turn off the heat and pour the chocolate pudding mixture into the pie shell.



NB: If you used a store-bought Graham cracker pie shell instead of making your own crust, you will probably have too much pudding mixture. Those store-bought things are pretty dinky. You can always put the excess in separate bowls, chill, and enjoy as pudding later, maybe with some sliced fruit.

Some people like to put plastic or parchment paper over the top of the pie filling, which apparently keeps it from cracking. I've never tried that, but I probably should.

Allow pie to cool in the refrigerator for at least five hours, but preferably overnight. It needs this time to set, or else you'll be digging into a really splooshy mess.

chocolate chip oatmeal bars

In a bowl, stir together
2 cups quick-cooking oats
pinch of salt
1/3 cup maple syrup
1/3 cup hot water
1 cup okara
and mix until the okara is well incorporated. Pour this mixture into a lightly oiled 8"-by-8" pan and press down until you have flat oatmeal layer.



In a bowl (the same bowl as before, if you like), mix together
1 1/2 cup chocolate chips
3/4 cup finely chopped walnuts, pecans, or a combination of both
1/3 cup maple syrup
1 1/2 cup unsweetened shredded coconut
1 Tablespoon corn starch
and stir until all ingredients are well incorporated. Transfer this mixture to the pan and spread it out over the oatmeal layer to create a second, chocolate/coconut layer.



Bake for
350 degrees Fahrenheit
for 20 to 22 minutes. Remove from oven and cut into squares while still warm. Allow to cool to room temperature before serving.

single-serve fudgey okara brownies

I've been on a quest to make single-serve fudgey brownies (as opposed to cakey brownies) for a couple of months now. While the chocoholic in me thinks that I might try doubling the semi-sweet chocolate next time, these are pretty great.



In a bowl, combine
1/4 cup flour (all-purpose, white whole wheat, or a combination)
1/4 cup sugar
2 Tablespoons cocoa powder
1/8 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. baking powder
and stir until integrated.

In a microwave-safe bowl, place
1 oz. semi-sweet chocolate
1 Tablespoon Earth Balance
1/2 Tablespoon maple syrup
1/4 cup soy milk
and heat (around 1 minute at 70% power on my ancient microwave) until hot enough for margarine and chocolate to finish melting when you whisk the contents. After ingredients are whisked together, add
1/4 tsp. vanilla
3 Tablespoons okara
and whisk until blended.

Add dry ingredients to liquid ingredients and stir with a spoon until just mixed. (Overmixing might result in rubbery brownies.) Divide batter between two lightly oiled 8-ounce ramekins and bake at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 26 minutes. Allow to cool for a few minutes before inverting brownies from ramekins.

chocolate spice loaf

Not super-sweet, but still a yummy treat. This was inspired by the Post Punk Kitchen's chocolate pumpkin loaf, with some tweaking. I used cranberry sauce instead of apple sauce, simply because I had cranberry sauce to use up and no extra apple sauce, but I'm sure either would work. If I didn't know there was cranberry in here, I wouldn't be able to taste it anyway, though I do detect a hint. If you're into that flavor combo, maybe throw in some fresh cranberries.



Bring
1/3 cup of water
to a boil in a small pot. Quickly, before it can evaporate, add
1/4 cup cranberry sauce or apple sauce
2 Tablespoons canola oil
2 Tablespoons cocoa powder
1/3 cup chocolate chips
and stir until chocolate chips are melted. Turn off heat and add
1 cup brown sugar, packed
1 cup okara
1 tsp. vanilla
1 Tablespoon apple cider vinegar
and stir until thoroughly mixed.



Add
1 1/2 cup white whole wheat flour
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 tsp. nutmeg
1/4 tsp. ground ginger
1/8 tsp. ground cloves
3/4 tsp. baking soda
3/4 tsp. salt
and stir until dry ingredients are incorporated into wet ingredients.

Scrape the batter into a lightly oiled 9-inch bread pan and cook for 55 minutes at 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Allow to cool for at least 10 minutes before running a knife around the edges of the pan and inverting the loaf onto a surface.

single-serving okara brownies

And more single-serving creations: a cakey brownie (I'm still working on a fudgey brownie, as I consider myself to be on the "fudgey" side of the fudgey/cakey divide when it comes to brownie preferences.)



In a small microwave-safe bowl or mixing cup, add
1 tsp. corn starch
2 Tablespoons soy milk
and whisk together until corn starch is dissolved. Add
1 1/4 oz. semi-sweet chocolate
0.75 oz. Earth Balance
3 Tablespoons sugar
and microwave until chocolate and Earth Balance are melted. (This took about 90 seconds at 60% power on my ancient microwave.) Stir with a whisk or a fork until mixture is smooth.

Add
2 Tablespoons okara
1/2 tsp. vanilla
and stir until well incorporated.

In a separate bowl or mixing cup, combine
1/4 cup white whole-wheat flour (or any flour, really)
1/4 tsp. baking powder
1 Tablespoon cocoa powder
pinch of salt

Add flour mixture to the chocolate mixture and stir until combined. Divide batter evenly into two 8-ounce (1 cup) lightly oiled ramekins. Bake at 325 degrees Fahrenheit for 29 minutes. Allow to cool.



Run a knife around the edges and invert ramekins to remove brownies (or eat them directly from the ramekins).

sweeter pumpkin pie

Not sick of pumpkin stuff yet? This recipe is tweaked from an earlier pumpkin pie recipe published here. As promised, this version is a bit sweeter.



Throw the following ingredients into a food processor:
1 15 oz. can pureed pumpkin
1/4 tsp. ground cloves
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. agar powder
1/2 tsp. nutmeg
1/2 tsp. powdered ginger
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup corn starch
1/4 cup okara
1/2 cup maple syrup
3 Tablespoons canola oil
1 Tablespoon molasses
3/4 cup soy milk

Blend until thoroughly mixed and pour into an
unbaked 9-inch pie shell

Bake for 10 minutes at 425 degrees Fahrenheit, and then reduce heat to 350 degrees Fahrenheit and bake for an additional 45 minutes. Allow pie to cool on a rack before eating.

Verdict: This is everything I need a pumpkin pie to be. If you need it to be sweeter still, you can look into vegan whipped cream or this "Rad Whip" I hear tell about.

single-serving peanut-butter brownies

So it's been awhile. That's because I've been trying (and succeeding!) to cut down on my sugar intake. And, unfortunately, most of my okara creations have been baked goods. However, with an investment in some 8-ounce ramekins, I have looked into the possibility of creating single-serving desserts, so that I can have something nice but not keep eating it day after day.

I actually initially sought to come up with a microwave brownie, but all my attempts were gooey and awful. So instead I've been baking these in a toaster oven. Microwave recipes are so imprecise, anyway; the toaster oven is the way to go.



In a small bowl or cup, whisk together
2 Tablespoons unsalted peanut butter
1 Tablespoon maple syrup
until mixture is smooth. Set aside.

In a small bowl or measuring cup, mix together
1/4 cup sugar
1 oz. okara
1 oz. semi-sweet chocolate
2 Tablespoon Earth Balance or canola oil
and microwave until chocolate is melted. (On my ancient microwave, this was accomplished by nuking for one minute at 60% power. Your mileage may vary.) Whisk ingredients until mixture is smooth and all chocolate is incorporated. Then add
1 Tablespoon almond milk or soy milk
1/2 tsp. vanilla
and whisk together until smooth.

Into the chocolate mixture, thoroughly mix
1/4 cup whole-wheat pastry flour or white whole wheat flour
2 Tablespoons cocoa powder
1/4 tsp. baking powder
1/8 tsp. salt

When mixture is thoroughly incorporated, divide batter evenly into two 8-ounce (1 cup) lightly oiled ramekins. Then drop a dollop of the peanut butter mixture on top of the chocolate batter.



Using a knife, cut through the peanut butter and chocolate batter to create a "swirl" effect.



Bake at 325 degrees Fahrenheit for 27 minutes. Allow to cool. I wasn't able to get these out in one piece (though I came close), so this might be something you want to eat directly from the ramekin.

chocolate-cherry (okara!) bread pudding

Do you make more than one batch of soymilk at a time? If so, you might be able to use up a lot of okara if you make this recipe, which calls for nearly two cups of the stuff!



I took one loaf of Trader Joe's par-baked ciabatta bread, which I did not bake as directed, and cut it into cubes. The package said the loaf was 8 ounces, but the scale said it was more like 11 ounces! In any case, I ended up with
7 cups of cubed Italian bread

Take these bread cubes and distribute them evenly along the bottom of a well-oiled 9-inch by 13-inch baking pan.

Sprinkle  
1/2 cup dried cherries
 on top, ensuring that they are evenly distributed.

 

In a small pot over low heat, mix together  
3 cups soy milk 
12 ounces chocolate chips 
2/3 cup sugar
until the chocolate has completely melted and is fully incorporated into the milk. Pour half of this chocolate mixture into a blender along with  
1 3/4 cups okara 
1 tsp. vanilla (I used vanilla paste!)
Liquefy completely. Add the rest of the chocolate mixture into the blender and blend thoroughly (if your blender is big enough -- otherwise do this in two batches).

 

When chocolate-okara mixture is completely liquefied, pour the mixture evenly over the bread cubes. Pat any floating cubes down into the chocolate mixture with a spatula or spoon to ensure that all of the bread is covered.




In a bowl, combine  
1 cup cherry preserves 
1 tsp. lemon juice
thoroughly. Pour the cherry mixture evenly over the bread-chocolate mixture.



Cover the bread pudding with foil and allow it to sit for 30 minutes before transferring it to a 350 degree Fahrenheit oven. Bake for an hour and allow to cool for at least 20 minutes before serving. (I think it tastes better after cooling completely.)


 

Verdict: I think this tastes great, but it might be fun to experiment with liquids aside from soymilk. Perhaps coffee or some kind of liquor could give this dessert a deeper and richer flavor. But I'm not going to complain about a cherry-chocolate combination, and this was pretty easy to make!

chocolate peanut butter brownies

One reason I haven't been updating as often as I should is because I can't stop making these brownies. I've even made a 9"x13" version and a chocolate-raspberry version. So ... here's a peanut-butter version!



In a small bowl or cup, whisk together
1/4 cup unsalted peanut butter
2 Tablespoons maple syrup
until mixture is smooth. Set aside.



In a bowl, thoroughly mix
1 cup whole-wheat pastry flour or white whole wheat flour
1/2 cup cocoa powder
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt

On a stove top over low heat, mix together
1 cup sugar
4 oz. okara
3 oz. semi-sweet chocolate
1/4 cup almond milk or soy milk
and stir until chocolate is completely melted and ingredients are incorporated. Be careful not to let the chocolate burn. Remove from heat, and add
1/2 cup canola oil
2 tsp. vanilla
and whisk together until oil is emulsified.

Add the chocolate mixture to the dry ingredients and stir together until incorporated. Scrape batter into a lightly oiled 8"x8" pan (I used a Pyrex pan). Then drop dollops of the peanut butter mixture on top of the chocolate batter.



Using a knife, cut through the peanut butter and chocolate batter to create a "marbling" effect.



Bake at 325 degrees Fahrenheit for 32 minutes. Allow to cool.

brownie tart

This is a slight tweaking of the delicious chocolate-coconut brownie tart I came up with last month. I made it with hazelnut milk instead of coconut milk and changed a few other things as well. Still delicious!



to make the brownie layer:

Over the stove top, on low heat, stir together
4 ounces semi-sweet chocolate
3/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup canola oil
1 cup okara
1 tsp. vanilla
until the chocolate has melted and the mixture is smooth.

In a separate bowl, mix together
3/4 cup whole-wheat pastry flour
1/4 cup cocoa powder
1/4 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. salt

Add the chocolate mixture to the dry mixture and stir until well combined.

Mist a 9-inch spring-form pan with
vegetable spray
and pour the batter inside. Spread evenly and cook at 375 degrees Fahrenheit for 19-21 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.

Allow brownie layer to cool while you work on the next steps.

to make the custardy layer:

In a saucepan, whisk together
1 cup hazelnut milk
1 1/4 tsp. agar powder (not flakes)
2 Tablespoons cocoa powder

Place saucepan on stove top and stir over medium heat until the mixture starts to boil. Lower heat and simmer for about 5 to 10 minutes, stirring frequently, until the mixture starts to thicken.

In a small bowl or measuring cup, make a slurry of
1/4 cup hazelnut milk
1 tsp. arrowroot powder

Whisk together until smooth.

Add the slurry to the hazelnut milk mixture over the stove top, and stir into the mixture. Keep stirring until the mixture thickens and bubbles.

Then add
3 1/2 ounces (about 1/2 cup) chocolate chips
and stir until the chocolate has melted and the mixture is smooth. Remove from heat.

In a food processor or a large, powerful blender, puree
12.3 ounces silken tofu
2 Tablespoons canola oil
1 Tablespoon barley malt syrup
1/2 cup maple syrup
1/4 tsp. salt
2 tsp. vanilla
until all tofu has been liquefied.

Add the contents of the saucepan to the food processor or blender, and puree contents until totally combined. You will probably have to scrape down the sides with a spatula a few times.

When it's all mixed, pour the contents of the food processor or blender into the spring-form pan, over the brownie layer.

Optional topping:

Chop up
1/4 cup chocolate chips
and sprinkle over the top of the tart.

Place the pan into the refrigerator to set. Allow it to chill for at least an hour. When ready to serve, run a sharp knife around the edges of the spring-form pan before releasing the cuff.

Verdict: The reason I used hazelnut milk is because I love the way it tastes with chocolate. However, the hazelnut flavor really wasn't discernible here, leading me to believe you could use any plant-based milk and achieve similar results. Almond might be a good choice as well!

But all in all, delicious.

chocolate-coconut brownie tart

This recipe includes two things I despise, namely thickeners and chopping chocolate chips. I hate dealing with thickeners, whether it's corn starch or kudzu. In this case, it's arrowroot powder and agar powder. I have no confidence when it comes to thickening a liquid over the stove top; it never seems like it's working and it just gives me anxiety.

As for chopping chocolate chips, that's got to be one of the stupidest things ever. Is there a trick to it that I just don't know about? I've tried using a blender and a spice grinder, to no avail. Perhaps it would be easier to chop a chocolate bar -- at least a bar wouldn't be rolling around under your knife, making it nigh-impossible to get some quality chopping in.

I think the annoyances were worth it, though.



to make the brownie layer:

Over the stove top, on low heat, stir together
4 ounces semi-sweet chocolate
3/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup canola oil
1 cup okara
1 tsp. vanilla
until the chocolate has melted and the mixture is smooth.

In a separate bowl, mix together
1/2 cup whole-wheat pastry flour
1/4 cup soy flour
1/4 cup cocoa powder
1/4 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. salt

NB: I'm sure you could substitute regular flour for the soy flour. The reason I threw it in is because I have a big bag of it that I'm trying to get rid of!

Add the chocolate mixture to the dry mixture and stir until well combined.

Mist a 9-inch spring-form pan with
vegetable spray
and pour the batter inside. Spread evenly and cook at 375 degrees Fahrenheit for 18-21 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.



Allow brownie layer to cool while you work on the next steps.

to make the custardy layer:

In a saucepan, whisk together
1 cup coconut milk
1 tsp. agar powder (not flakes)
2 Tablespoons cocoa powder

Place saucepan on stove top and stir over medium heat until the mixture starts to boil. Lower heat and simmer for about 5 to 10 minutes, stirring frequently, until the mixture starts to thicken.

In a small bowl or measuring cup, make a slurry of
1/4 cup coconut milk
1 tsp. arrowroot powder

Whisk together until smooth.



Add the slurry to the coconut milk mixture over the stove top, and stir into the mixture. Keep stirring until the mixture thickens and bubbles.



Then add
1/4 cup chocolate chips
and stir until the chocolate has melted and the mixture is smooth. Remove from heat.

In a food processor or a large, powerful blender, puree
12 ounces silken tofu
2 Tablespoons canola oil
1/2 cup maple syrup
1/4 tsp. salt
2 tsp. vanilla
until all tofu has been liquefied.



Add the contents of the saucepan to the food processor or blender, and puree contents until totally combined. You will probably have to scrape down the sides with a spatula a few times.



When it's all mixed, pour the contents of the food processor or blender into the spring-form pan, over the brownie layer. Place the pan into the refrigerator to set while you chop up
1/4 cup chocolate chips



Remove tart from fridge, sprinkle the chopped chocolate over the top of the tart, and return the tart to the fridge.



Allow it to chill for at least an hour. When ready to serve, run a sharp knife around the edges of the spring-form pan before releasing the cuff.

Verdict: I think this is great. The coconut flavor wasn't too strong for my tastes; it also might be interesting to experiment with almond milk or hazelnut milk in place of coconut milk. The custardy layer might have benefited from another 1/4 cup of melted chocolate, but when eaten with the brownie layer, it's just fine.

The brownie layer was a bit on the crumbly side, which might have been due to the inclusion of soy flour. (In the past I've noticed that soy flour seems to make baked goods a little crumbly.) Might be wise to use all whole-wheat pastry flour rather than a combination of wheat and soy flours.

oatmeal-okara cookies

These oatmeal cookies are based on last month's delicious pumpkin cookies, only lacking the pumpkin and spices. Makes about 33 cookies.



In a bowl, thoroughly combine
1 cup white whole wheat flour
1/2 cup oats (quick-cooking)
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
3/4 cup chocolate chips

In a second bowl, whisk
3/4 cup sugar
1/3 cup canola oil
1/2 cup okara
1 Tablespoon molasses
1/2 tsp. vanilla
until thoroughly emulsified.

Add wet ingredients to dry ingredients and stir until they are thoroughly incorporated. Drop by the Tablespoonful onto a cookie sheet that has been lightly misted with vegetable spray. They don't spread out too much; I liked them best when I didn't flatten them out and instead let them stay in little rounded domes.



Bake for 14-15 minutes at 350 degrees Fahrenheit.

pumpkin cookies (with optional chocolate chips!)

These pumpkin cookies are delicious on their own, but I really love the addition of chocolate chips. This recipe makes about 45 cookies.



In a bowl, thoroughly combine
1 1/2 cup white whole wheat flour
1 cup oats (quick-cooking)
3/4 tsp. baking soda
3/4 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp. ground nutmeg
1/2 tsp. salt
3/4 cup chopped walnuts
3/4 cup chocolate chips (optional)

In a second bowl, whisk
1 1/4 cup sugar
1 Tablespoon flaxseed meal
1/2 cup canola oil
1/2 cup pureed pumpkin
1/4 cup okara
1 Tablespoon molasses
1 tsp. vanilla
until thoroughly emulsified.

Add wet ingredients to dry ingredients and stir until they are thoroughly incorporated. The dough will be quite stiff. Drop by the Tablespoonful onto a cookie sheet that has been lightly misted with vegetable spray. They don't spread out too much; I liked them best when I didn't flatten them out and instead let them stay in little rounded domes.

Bake for 15 minutes at 350 degrees Fahrenheit.

chocolate-beet muffins

I had leftover beets, and the obvious choice was to sneak them into some chocolate muffins. This recipe is based on this chocolate-banana muffin recipe, so if you're wary of getting beets in your chocolate I highly recommend trying that one instead! (Or in addition to.)

I'm not sure whether to classify this as a dessert or not. It has a great flavor but really isn't very sweet. Next time I make it I'll add more sugar and maybe even play with some spices, but I think this is a nice recipe as is, and might be especially appealing to people who don't like super-sweet desserts or snacks.



In a bowl, mix together
1 1/4 cup whole-wheat pastry flour
1/4 cup spelt flour
1/4 cup cocoa powder
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
and stir until well combined.

NB: I'm sure you could use all whole-wheat pastry flour instead of a combination of that and spelt flour. The reason I threw in some spelt flour is because I happened to have 1/4 cup of it to use up!



In a blender or food processor, mix until completely pureed:
1/2 cup brown sugar (packed)
1 cup okara
1/4 cup canola oil
1/4 cup soymilk
1 tsp. vanilla
8 oz. cooked, peeled beets
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips, melted



Add chocolate-beet mixture to dry ingredients and stir until just mixed. Distribute batter evenly between the wells of a lightly oiled 12-muffin pan. The wells will be pretty full!



Bake at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 23 minutes. Allow to cool for at least a few minutes before removing from pan.