These molten small batch ‘brown butter’ tiramisu brownies melt in your mouth with the perfect combination of crinkle top brownie meets tiramisu! With a rich, fudgy espresso brownie, dairy free espresso vanilla bean mascarpone, and generous dusting of cocoa powder, you’ll never believe these brownies are entirely vegan too!

dusting cocoa on tiramisu brownie

Tiramisu Brownie Components:

You read that right. Tiramisu. Brownies. Combined.

I’m quite literally obsessed, because it’s my two favorite desserts in one- my small batch vegan brown butter brownies with my favorite vegan tiramisu. And I super simplified the method (no need to bake ladyfingers into the brownies themselves!).

Here’s what we got going on- un ultra fudgy brown butter espresso infused brownie layered with a rich, vanilla bean espresso mascarpone cream. And of course, a hefty dusting of cocoa powder.

sliced vegan tiramisu brownies

Like my small batch blondies and small batch oatmeal fudge bars, these brownies are ultra decadent, so the small batch fits them perfectly.

And they’re super easy too- no baking ladyfingers into the batter. Just simply bake the brownies and layer with your cream!

How are these vegan?

Well, I’m so glad you asked 🙂

Of course, traditional brownies and traditional tiramisu are not vegan. They contain eggs, butter, milk, and cheese. So how are we recreating them to maintain the same flavor and taste profiles without the standard ingredients?

Well, I’ve already spent years perfecting the swaps in my vegan brownies and my vegan tiramisu recipe – 2 recipes that I’m most proud of on this site.

For eggs, we’ll use chickpea brine (aquafaba) or soy milk in the brownies and cornstarch for the “egg yolk” in the mascarpone cream.

And for dairy products (milk, butter, cheese), we use dairy free counterparts. In fact, my homemade vegan mascarpone is so easy, it even uses the traditional method for making dairy mascarpone.

bitten vegan tiramisu brownie on parchment paper

Overview: How to make tiramisu brownies:

For the full written instructions and ingredient measurements, see the bottom of this post in the recipe card. You can also hit the “jump to recipe” button at the top of this post! Here, we’ll go over a brief overview of the steps, along with providing visuals for a better understanding of the recipe.

We’ll first start by mixing the flaxseed with coffee. Extra coffee will not only punch up that chocolate flavor, but also bring in that wonderful strong coffee flavor throughout the brownies.
Next, we’ll make the browned vegan butter. I love Miyoko’s here, as it’s the best vegan butter for browning! Plant crock will also brown. I do NOT recommend Earth Balance, as it doesn’t brown well.
Next, we’ll pour in the browned vegan butter onto the chocolate followed by adding in cocoa powder. Stir to combine for our fudge sauce.
Our brownie butter then begins with mixing aquafaba into our sugar ingredients until dissolved. Then pour in our vegan fudge sauce and coffee flaxseed mixture.
Finish with the flour and extra chocolate chips, then bake!
Once baked, you’ll want to cool these brownies entirely. Before spreading our mascarpone mixture on top, the brownies should have absolutely NO warmth to them.
While our brownies are baking, we’ll make our espresso mascarpone topping. This is done by whisking together the vegan heavy cream with powdered sugar and mascarpone.
Then adding in the espresso powder and vanilla bean paste. Chill the mascarpone cream until the brownies are ready to frost. This will also help the mascarpone thicken and set.
Once the brownies are cool, smear the mascarpone on top.
Then dust with cocoa powder, slice and serve!

Can I substitute the mascarpone with another ingredient?

If you don’t want to make homemade mascarpone, you can technically use dairy free cream cheese. It won’t taste exactly the same, as cream cheese definitely has more of a tang to it. But it will be close!

Is the browned vegan butter necessary?

No, but it certainly adds a richer flavor profile to these tiramisu brownies! Of course, tiramisu brownies are wonderful. But add a rich, nutty flavor profile on top of all of the decadence? It’s a holiday showstopper.

vegan tiramisu brownie on parchment paper

Want to save this recipe for later? Add it to your favorite recipe board on Pinterest!

If you make this recipe, please be sure to leave a comment and a rating ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ below. This helps others to find the recipes! As always, I absolutely love to see your beautiful creations on Instagram and Pinterest, so be sure to tag me there as well!

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dusting cocoa on tiramisu brownie

Small Batch ‘Brown Butter’ Tiramisu Brownies – Vegan!

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  • Author: Britt Berlin
  • Prep Time: 30
  • Chilling time: 120
  • Cook Time: 30
  • Total Time: 3 hours
  • Yield: 8 1x
  • Category: Brownies
  • Method: Baking
  • Cuisine: American
  • Diet: Vegan
Print Recipe

Description

These molten small batch ‘brown butter’ tiramisu brownies melt in your mouth with the perfect combination of crinkle top brownie meets tiramisu! With a rich, fudgy espresso brownie, dairy free espresso vanilla bean mascarpone, and generous dusting of cocoa powder, you’ll never believe these brownies are entirely vegan too!

Ingredients

Scale

Espresso Brownies:

  • 1/3 cup (80 g) vegan butter or coconut oil, melted
  • 3 ounces vegan chocolate
  • 1/4 cup (25 g) high quality Dutch-processed cocoa powder
  • 2 tsp instant espresso powder
  • 1/8 cup (40 mL) aquafaba or dairy free milk room temperature
  • 1/3 cup (75 g) granulated sugar
  • 1/4 cup (50 g) brown sugar
  • 1/4 cup (50 g) dairy free yogurt
  • 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1/4 tsp sea salt
  • 3/4 cup (100 g) all-purpose flour or gluten free 1:1 baking flour
  • 1/4 cup (40 g) vegan chocolate chips, additional

Espresso Mascarpone:

  • 1 batch vegan mascarpone
  • 1 cup (240 mL) vegan heavy cream, cold
  • 1/4 cup (30 g) powdered sugar
  • 1 tbsp cornstarch or arrowroot starch
  • 2 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1 tsp instant espresso powder
  • 2–3 tbsp cocoa powder, for dusting on top

Instructions

  1. Prep: Preheat the oven to 350F, and line a 9×5 loaf pan with parchment paper. Keep in mind that if your loaf pan is smaller in width, you might need longer to bake. Read through the instructions and the ingredient list.
  2. Make the mascarpone: Follow the instructions for making the vegan mascarpone. Set aside to chill in the fridge.
  3. Brown the butter: In a small saucepan, heat the vegan butter on medium heat, melting it down completely. Keep stirring, and reduce the heat to medium low so as not to accidentally burn the butter. Keep stirring until light brown flecks appear in the butter and it has a nutty aroma. Then remove from heat.
  4. Make the fudge sauce: Pour the hot browned vegan butter over the 3 ounces of vegan chocolate in a heat-safe bowl. Let sit for 2 minutes to melt the chocolate, then stir until the chocolate is completely melted into the butter. Then add in the cocoa powder and espresso powder, and stir until dissolved. Set aside.
  5. Dissolve the sugar: In a medium bowl, use a hand mixer to cream together the dairy free milk, granulated sugar, brown sugar, dairy free yogurt, vanilla extract and sea salt. Mix on medium speed until the sugar is nearly dissolved. If you pinch the batter between your fingers, you should feel very small granules if at all.
  6. Finish the brownie batter: Pour in the chocolate fudge sauce, and mix with a hand mixer again until the chocolate mixture is combined. Then add in the flour, and mix on low speed JUST until the flour is integrated into the chocolate brownie batter.
  7. Fold in the remaining chocolate: Add in the additional chocolate chips, and fold with a silicone spatula to evenly distribute throughout the batter.
  8. Bake: Pour the brownie batter into the prepared loaf pan, and bake for 33-35 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out nearly clean.
  9. Make the mascarpone cream: While the brownies are baking, in the large bowl, cream the vegan heavy cream until you reach soft stiff peaks, about 3-4 minutes. Then add in the powdered sugar, cornstarch, vanilla extract, and espresso powder, and cream again until creamy and combined. Finally, spoon in the chilled mascarpone cheese, and cream again until fluffy and combined. Set aside covered and in the fridge for when you’re ready to assemble with the brownies. The brownies must not have any heat on them.
  10. Cool: Remove the brownies from the oven and allow them to completely cool. There should be absolutely NO warmth coming from them, so you’ll need at least an hour.
  11. Assemble the tiramisu brownies: Once the brownies are cool to the touch, spoon the mascarpone cream on top and spread to the edges of the pan.
  12. Slice and serve: Dust with cocoa powder. Use a large kitchen knife to slice the brownies into 6 or 8 large brownies, and enjoy!

Equipment

Notes

Aquafaba: This is the liquid in your chickpea can or jar. It acts just like an egg white and is an amazing egg substitute in baking!

Gluten free: Use a gluten-free 1:1 baking flour.