The Science Behind (Vegan) Brownies
Many of the classic recipes that older generations have grown up making are slowly being undermined by a novel awareness of dietary allergies, restrictions, and ethical reasons for excluding certain foods from modern diets. One such example of this growing trend to revisit the way we think about food and what we consume is veganism - a diet that excludes all animal products. With the growing concern about the impending doom of climate change, an animal-free diet has jumped in popularity due to its potential implication for lessening the effects of global warming, due to cattle and livestock industries being large contributors to greenhouse gas emissions. This growing emphasis on plant-based recipes prompted us to re-envision a classic brownie recipe by replacing its non-vegan ingredients with vegan ones. Will a classic, family-favorite recipe hold down under the pressures of the new plant-based trend?
Although brownies are a simple recipe, the ingredients interact in chemically complex ways. For a visual of the original recipe, here is the Recipe at a Glance: Brownies
For a more detailed look at the science behind each ingredient, keep reading!
This recipe is provided by Alex Tapia and brian Ta
Servings:
12
yield(s)
Prep Time:
40
mins
Cook Time:
20
mins
Total Time:
60
mins
Ingredients
- 3 oz unsweetened chocolate
- 8 tbsp salted butter
- cup sugar
- 2 eggs
- 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
- 1/2 tsp vanilla extract (optional)
Instructions
- Heat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Combine chocolate and butter in a small saucepan over very low heat, stirring occasionally. When chocolate is just about melted, remove from heat, and continue to stir until mixture is smooth. Meanwhile, grease an 8-inch-square baking pan. If you like, also line it with waxed or parchment paper and grease that.
- Transfer mixture to a bowl, and stir in sugar. Beat in eggs, one at a time. Add flour (and salt and vanilla if you are using them), and stir to incorporate. Stop stirring when no traces of flour remain.
- Pour into pan, and bake 20 to 30 minutes, or until set and barely firm in the middle. Cool on a rack before cutting.
Recipe Notes
Science Behind Each Ingredient:
- Beaten eggs:
- The beating of the eggs in the recipe is an example of denaturation, which is the alteration of a protein’s natural structure by high acidity or high alkalinity, stretching, or exposure to heat, which is the case for this recipe. The beating of the eggs will also affect the substance in that it has the potential to aid in the expansion of the substance it is being beaten into. This is made possible through the egg protein being suspended in the water because air introduced through the beating process will cause air bubbles to form, expanding the volume.
- The beating of the eggs in the recipe is an example of denaturation, which is the alteration of a protein’s natural structure by high acidity or high alkalinity, stretching, or exposure to heat, which is the case for this recipe. The beating of the eggs will also affect the substance in that it has the potential to aid in the expansion of the substance it is being beaten into. This is made possible through the egg protein being suspended in the water because air introduced through the beating process will cause air bubbles to form, expanding the volume.
Reference here
- Butter:
- Butter is an example of an emulsion, which is a substance that contains two immiscible liquids. In butter’s case, these liquids are water dispersed in an oil continuous phase.
- Butter is an example of an emulsion, which is a substance that contains two immiscible liquids. In butter’s case, these liquids are water dispersed in an oil continuous phase.
Reference here
- Sugar:
- Sugar chemical reactions have the potential of creating Maillard reactions, which is when sugar and proteins in the eggs are mixed and heated in the oven.
- Sugar chemical reactions have the potential of creating Maillard reactions, which is when sugar and proteins in the eggs are mixed and heated in the oven.
Reference here
- Flour:
- Flour can serve as a leavening agent; when wet and dry ingredients are added to flour and mixed, proteins in the flour form gluten that holds in gas bubbles to help in the rising process.
- Flour can serve as a leavening agent; when wet and dry ingredients are added to flour and mixed, proteins in the flour form gluten that holds in gas bubbles to help in the rising process.
Reference here
Our Adaptation: We wanted to substitute the applesauce and the canola oil for the eggs and the butter to make the recipe vegan-friendly. We were curious to see how these substitutions would potentially affect the brownie and whether the substitutions would cause the final result to taste different, have a different texture, or have a different appearance than the original recipe. We chose the above substitutes because they are both commonly used replacements for the non-vegan ingredients of eggs and butter. In addition to these substitutions, we added baking powder because we were curious to see how this powerful leavening agent would potentially affect the result of the recipe as we were confused as to why such a leavening chemical was excluded from this baked good in the original recipe. In this way, we wanted to see whether the baking powder would lift the brownies and how would it affect their flavor and color. We were also curious to see whether the baking powder would react differently with the vegan substitutions as opposed to the original ingredients. Our hypotheses regarding substitutions and additions (backed by science) can be found below!- Substitution: Applesauce in place of Egg
- There are a variety of substitutions for eggs in brownies and one of them is applesauce. Eggs in a recipe commonly serve the function of being a "binding agent", which is difficult to replicate in a vegan recipe. (6) Although applesauce does not have the same strength in binding as eggs do, applesauce has a similar texture and functions similarly to help bind ingredients together. Eggs also add a lot of moisture and liquid to the baked good, so it is important to use a substitute that also has high water content. Therefore, applesauce proves to be a good substitute as it is also high in water. (1)
- Substitution: Canola Oil in place of Butter
- Oil and butter share very similar fat content, so they are good substitutes for one another. (3) However, it is important to note that less oil should be substituted for butter to account for butter being in a solid phase and oil being a liquid phase. (5) In other words, when butter is melted into a liquid form it lessens in quantity, as the solid form gives the illusion there is more butter than there actually is. (4)
- Addition: Baking Powder
- Baking powder is beneficial as a leavening agent that helps baked goods rise and gives them their fluffy and airy texture. Therefore, when added to brownies, the brownies will become more cake-like in texture as opposed to fudgier. Because the original recipe we were basing our recipe off of focused on making fudgier brownies, they omitted baking powder. However, adding baking powder proved to give a nice fluffiness and lightness to a decadent and already dense sweet. (2)