I've always wanted to make brownies with a crust. They just look so darn pretty and let's face it, crusts are delicious! This is pretty much a hybrid pecan bar/brownie/oatmeal cookie. Triple threat! The recipe is based on Taste of Home's Triple Layer Brownies, which was pretty straightforward to veganize. As you can see, I left out the third layer, which is chocolate frosting. That would've sent me into a sugar coma. Check out the original recipe and try out all three layers if you want total decadence. Either way, you'll end up with a wonderful crowd pleaser...or you can just keep them all for yourself too. :)
Crust:
1 cup quick-cooking oats
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup Earth Balance Buttery Sticks, melted
Brownie Layer:
3/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup Earth Balance Buttery Sticks, melted
1 oz. unsweetened chocolate, melted
1 egg replacement (I used 1 tablespoon ground flax seeds mixed with 3 tablespoons water)
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
2/3 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup almond milk (or other non-dairy milk)
1/2 cup chopped pecans
- Preheat oven to 350°F.
- In a large bowl, mix the oats, flour, brown sugar, baking soda, and salt; stir in the 1/2 cup melted Earth Balance.
- Pat this mixture into a greased 11 x 7-inch baking pan and bake at 350° for 5-10 minutes.
- In one bowl, mix the sugar, 1/4 cup melted Earth Balance, and melted chocolate. Add in the egg replacement and vanilla extract.
- In another bowl, mix the flour, baking powder, and salt.
- Gradually add the dry ingredients to the chocolate mixture, alternating with the almond milk. Mix well after each addition.
- Stir in the pecans.
- Spread the batter over the oatmeal crust and bake for 25 minutes.
- Let cool and then cut into 16 squares (or more, depending on how small you cut them).
Enjoy!