Vegan Peanut Butter Cookie Brownies

Ingredients

FOR THE VEGAN BROWNIES:

• 1/2 c Vegan Margarine
• 1 c Sugar
• 2 tbsp Ground Flax + 6 tbsp WATER (for flax "eggs")
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/2 c Flour
• 1/3 c Cocoa Powder
• 1/4 tsp Baking POWDER
• pinch Salt

FOR THE PEANUT BUTTER COOKIE:

• 1/4 c Oil
• 1/2 c Sugar
• 1 tbsp Ground Flax + 3 tbsp WATER (for a flax "egg")
• 1/2 tsp Vanilla
• 1/4 c Peanut Butter (I use creamy, but you could use crunchy)
• 1 c Flour
• 1/2 tsp Baking SODA

Instructions

1. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.
2. Prepare a 8" x 8"  square baking pan by lining it with parchment paper.  If you leave a bit of overhang, it makes removing them SO much easier later.

TO PREPARE THE VEGAN BROWNIE BATTER:

1. Melt vegan margarine (in a pan or the microwave) and stir in the sugar.  
2. In the bowl of an electric mixer, add flour, cocoa powder, salt and baking powder. Add the butter, sugar and flax "eggs" into the dry ingredients incorporating until just mixed. Do not over mix.
3. Pour the brownie batter into the prepared pan and set aside.

TO PREPARE THE VEGAN PEANUT BUTTER COOKIE DOUGH:

1. In the bowl of an electric mixer, combine the oil and sugar. Then add the flax "egg", vanilla and peanut butter.  Add the flour, baking soda and salt and then add to the wet ingredients until a dough forms.
2. Using a small cookie scoop, drop equal sized scoops of the vegan peanut butter cookie dough onto the brownie batter.  
3. Bake for about 25-30 minutes.  If your cookies brown too quickly, cover the pan with foil until the brownies are done.  A toothpick inserted comes clean.  
4. Cool before removing to cut into bars.  I like to cut them so each portion gets a full vegan peanut butter cookie.
5. OPTIONAL:  Serve with a scoop of vegan vanilla bean ice cream or even a drizzle of chocolate syrup!