Vegan Congo Bars
I usually get my inspiration to cook by glossing over food magazines or cookbooks and then there are other times when I see something on a cooking show that ignites a fire in me to recreate what I saw. But this recipe was born out of an effort to help raise money for a health center where I live. In its second year, BUST A MOVE, is the fund raising event by the IWK Health Centre to raise money to finance the renovations needed to jumpstart the next phase of a world-class Breast Health Centre, which will be located at the IWK Health Centre. The vision of the Breast Health Centre is to have one-stop care so patients can receive treatment in a comforting, all-inclusive care environment. My girlfriend, Jennifer, asked me if I would join her team, ‘bippity bobbity boobs‘ and did so a few weeks ago. My Mom is a breast cancer survivor (double mastectomy) and has been cancer-free for almost 10 years (thank God).
So with a mind to raise money for a worthy cause, I asked Geoff, the owner of Smiling Goat (an organic espresso bar), if he would be interested in supporting this event. He suggested I make something vegan as he has customers who ask for vegan goodies while having a coffee. I surfed the internet and found chooseveg.com. I was quite excited, I have to say, about making a vegan dessert.
Makes 18 bars
recipe adapted from ChooseVeg
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2 cups all-purpose flour, plus extra for flouring the pan
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
2/3 cup margarine, plus extra for greasing the pan
1 3/4 cup brown sugar
Egg replacer equivalent to 3 large eggs
1/2 cup vegan chocolate chips
1 cup chopped walnuts and/or 1/2 cup flake coconut, optional
Preheat the oven to 180c (350°F). Grease and lightly flour a 9″x 13″ glass baking dish. Sift together the flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside. Melt the margarine in a small saucepan over medium heat. Remove from heat and combine with brown sugar in a bowl. Mix in the egg replacer, 1/3 at a time, mixing well after each addition. Add the sifted flour mixture and mix until just combined. Stir in the chocolate and the nuts and/or coconut, if desired. Spread the dough into the prepared baking dish. Bake until golden brown, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, usually 30 to 35 minutes, but start testing at 20 minutes. Place on a rack to cool for about 20 minutes. Cut into 18 bars. Store in an airtight container for up to 5 days.
The Culinary Chase’s Note: Natural egg replacer is available in health food stores as well as some grocery stores that cater to the vegan market. Here in Halifax, Pete’s and Planet Organic carry a natural egg replacer and vegan chocolate chips. The first batch I took over to Smiling Goat I quickly found out that the chocolate chips I used had cocoa butter in it (a vegan no-no). The original recipe didn’t say vegan chocolate chips and being a bit ignorant, I purchased my favorite brand of chocolate chips. So the next batch was all vegan and I have to say these bars tasted like chewy chocolate chip cookies…very delicious!
I’m almost there with my personal goal of $1,000.00 but our team still needs your help. Click here for my personal donation page as every little bit counts. Thank you so much!
Cocoa butter is actually just the fat that comes from the cocoa bean, so it is actually vegan.
Thanks Alexis, I meant to write milk chocolate. 🙂 Cheers!