My gentleman friend is somewhere on the vegetarian spectrum (sometimes pescetarian, sometimes vegan, usually somewhere in-between). He had a potluck at work last week and I agreed to help him make something tasty and animal-free for the event. After searching through all sorts of savory recipes, his work cohort requested dessert. I know dessert. I can do dessert.
After some research (there are a lot of great vegan resources out there), I settled on this brownie recipe from Food.com. It’s pretty straightforward and baked up nicely. (Apparently, sometimes vegan baked goods have trouble setting up.) We made a double batch and they were a hit. Here’s the recipe:
Vegan Brownies
1 cup unsweetened applesauce
1/2 cup raw sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
3/4 cup unbleached white flour
1/3 cup cocoa powder
2 tsps baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup semi-sweet vegan chocolate chips (I forget the name of the brand we used, but it was a blue bag. FYI: I’m told to avoid carob chips at all costs, so stick with chocolate. Also, we amped up the chocolate and put in close to a full cup. Mmm, chocolate.)
1/3 cup walnut pieces
dash cinnamon
Preheat oven to 350 degrees and spray an 8″ x 8″ pan with oil.
Mix applesauce, sugar, and vanilla in a medium bowl. In another bowl, whisk together flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon.
Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients and add the applesauce mixture. Mix until just combined. Gently fold in chocolate chips and walnuts.
Spread in prepared pan and bake 25-30 min, until center is firm and not sticky. Cool completely before slicing.
The brownies turned out great and, like the reviews say, people actually asked for the recipe. Next time, I’ll actually remember to take a picture!
