If I told you that you could make delicious brownies without eggs, butter, oil, funky ingredients or even gluten - would you believe me? Most likely not..... don't worry, in the past I would've thought the same.
How about if I told you that these gluten free, vegan, low fat brownies are also light and fluffy and don't taste healthy in the slightest? In fact, they taste so indulgent you'll be wondering if the baking fairy slipped in a few added extras you didn't see.
You're still not believing me, are you?
I wouldn't lie to you, dear reader! These brownies are one of my all-time favourite recipes, so much so that I make them for any party we have so that I know I can have dessert too. I'm even considering making them for my wedding because they're delicious to gluten-eaters and brownie connoisseurs alike.
These brownies will change your view of healthy cooking entirely. I'm all about showing my friends and family that healthy food can taste even better than it's not-so-healthy cousins - and now I want to show you too!
Healthy Double Chocolate Brownie Cakes makes 9
The brownies that prove that healthy can taste amazing.
Adapted from Mama Pea's Double Chocolate Single Chin Brownies
3/4 cup plain flour/wholewheat flour/GF flour/GF pancake mix*
1/3 cup cocoa powder
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1 cup unsweetened applesauce
1/3C unrefined cane sugar/brown sugar**
1 tsp vanilla
Around 1/2 cup chopped chocolate or chocolate chips (optional, but so much better!)
Preheat oven to 180°C/355°F.
In a large mixing bowl combine flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda and salt.
In a separate medium mixing bowl combine applesauce, sugar and vanilla and pour into dry ingredients.
Mix until just combined and stir through the chocolate.
Pour brownie mixture into greased muffin tins or muffin cups until 3/4 full.
Bake for 6-12 minutes or until brownies are set and the edges start to pull in from the sides.
*If you want to make a pan of brownies, pour batter into a greased and/or lined 8x8 baking pan and bake for around 20 minutes.
Store in an airtight container in the fridge or a cool pantry or freeze wrapped individual brownies for a snack or dessert whenever you feel like.
*If you want to make a pan of brownies, pour batter into a greased and/or lined 8x8 baking pan and bake for around 20 minutes.
Store in an airtight container in the fridge or a cool pantry or freeze wrapped individual brownies for a snack or dessert whenever you feel like.
Bake them in pretty cupcake liners for extra cuteness!
Notes:
*I use gluten free pancake mix a lot in my gluten free baking as I find it gives you baked goods with a better texture and flavour and that are the closest to their wheaten cousins due to the added starches. It also means you don't have to buy twenty different flours. My favourite to use is Orgran's Buckwheat Pancake mix - it only a few ingredients, no sugar and tastes great. Don't worry about the extra leavening agents, when it comes to gluten free the more the better!
**I don't like things really sweet, so when I make these brownies for myself I reduce the sugar to 1/4C and find them more than sweet enough. The original recipe calls for 1/2C sugar, but I've found this is way too sweet with the added chocolate. I use unrefined cane sugar as I love the flavour of it - it has a delicious delicate vanilla flavour that's perfect for baked goods.
It's important to choose a cocoa powder that tastes delicious - if it doesn't taste good on it's own, chances are it'll make your brownies taste less amazing. Oddly enough, my favourite cocoa powder is Woolworth's Homebrand - it's cheap and tastes delicious!
...
So tell me, what kind of brownie do you like?
Soft and cakey like these ones? fudgy? or do you prefer chewy brownies?
Edited to add: Try making this brownie recipe into a cake! Simply leave out the chocolate chips, bake in a small cake tin and top with chocolate frosting. (I like my Vegan Chocolate Frosting)
yum!!! I've had some pretty bad healthy brownie fails in the past because they've always gone gummy. These dont look gummy at all!!
ReplyDeleteHey Allison, give these brownies a try - they're not gummy whatsoever!
DeleteLet me know what you think of them if you bake them! :)
You've got me going on this one... I try to make healthier recipes sometimes that still include everyday ingredients, so I know it's possible for them to turn out good! I'll have to give these a try; I think I could take them for breakfast too!
ReplyDeleteBrownies for breakfast?! Yum!
DeleteI think these brownies are incredible, you'll have to let me know what you think! :)
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
ReplyDeleteWhat a GREAT recipe! Thanks for posting it. The brownies came out way better than any outside stuff I have had and they are healthy too! Plus; loved the muffin pan idea as I could really control the portion size. Thanks again!
ReplyDeleteHi Kristy,
ReplyDeleteLet me first start by saying I think you're awesome!
Just wondering, for recipes such as this one and things like the chocolate cake and brownies, can I use stevia or equal powders instead of normal sugar?
Many thanks,
Danielle
Oh how sweet are you! To be completely honest, I have no clue how stevia or artificial sugars work in baked goods as I don't use them, however, if you've had success using them in baked goods I'm sure you certainly could.
DeleteWith all of our recipes, we use either natural sugars like honey or maple syrup or small amounts of regular sugars so the sugar content and calorie count is still low and you don't have to worry about eating anything artificial or unnatural.