There’s something about Valentine’s Day that makes me crave chocolatey, cake-y, high calorie goodness. I try and fight it but it’s just so tempting, and usually the lower calorie options just don’t quite hit the spot. But this week I am armed with a very delicious recipe, courtesy of Splenda, and these look good enough to curb my cravings and provide the perfect V Day treat. Whether you’re celebrating Valentine’s Day by solo sneaking some cake in the kitchen to avoid sharing (me!), or you’ve got a romantic meal for two planned later on, these vegan chocolate brownies are the perfect chocolate treat. Plus by using Splenda sugar alternative you can minimise the treat related guilt (or you can eat double.. I’ll leave that up to you!).

Don’t forget to check out more dairy & soya free recipes, and there’s more easy Valentine’s Day baking ideas too.

Vegan Double Choc Cherry Brownies

Prep time: 10 minutes  Cook time: 25 minutes

Ingredients

• 5 tablespoons of sunflower oil, plus extra for greasing
• 210g dairy-free dark chocolate, chopped (I like using the Aldi dark choc bar!)
• ½ cup SPLENDA® Sugar Alternative, Granulated
• 1 banana mashed
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1 cup plain flour (use Free From Fairy flour to make them gluten free!)
• ¾ tsp baking powder
• ½ cup dairy-free chocolate chips (Moo Free do some great ones if you need soya free too)
• ½ cup dried cherries

Method

1. Heat the chocolate until melted in a bowl over simmering water, stirring occasionally, then remove from the heat. Add the oil.
2. Add the SPLENDA® Granulated, mashed banana and vanilla and whisk until smooth.
3. Mix the flour and baking powder, then slowly stir them into the SPLENDA® Granulated mixture until just combined. It’s better to do this by adding half the flour, gently mix, then the other half.
4. Fold in the dairy-free chocolate chips and cherries.
5. Spread in greased 8-inch (2 litre) square metal cake pan.
6. Bake at 180°C for about 25 minutes. To check it’s done stick a toothpick or similar into the middle – it’s done if it comes out clean!
7. Let cool (if you can bear to wait) and cut into squares – I’ll leave it to you to decide on appropriate portion sizes for this one….
8. Enjoy! Share if you want to, or eat it all if you don’t, I won’t tell anyone! Happy Valentine’s Day!

*This is a collaborative post*