vegan brownies, with applesauce

Not too long ago, I made brownies, of sorts, with bananas. They were delicious. And according to this blog, I made those in April. I could've sworn it was two months ago, tops. Time has been flying this summer ... and I love it. It feels like every weekend brings a new daytrip, a new festival, a new restaurant — and, when I'm focused, a new baked treat.

I made these brownies for a book group that my friends and I recently began. It's pretty awesome. We read, we meet, and we discuss it over a yummy potluck dinner. I wanted to make a vegan dessert so my friend could join us, and that's where brownies made with applesauce came in. The recipe — made with simple ingredients I already had — sounded so good, I would have made them anyway.

Fudgy. Not cakey. This brownies are so super fudgy and moist, and very, very chocolatey. I loved the contrast of the melted chocolate chips against the smooth cocoa powder. You can't taste the applesauce, but it adds a surprisingly light finish to the brownie.

On another note, I'm hosting next month's book group. Anyone local want to join in? :)

Vegan Brownies, With Applesauce

Adapted from Food.com

1 cup unsweetened applesauce

1/2 cup raw sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla

3/4 cup unbleached flour

1/2 cup cocoa powder

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

dash of salt

1/2 cup semi-sweet vegan chocolate chips

dash of cinnamon

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly oil an 8x8 baking pan with olive oil.

Mix together the applesauce, sugar and vanilla.

In a separate bowl, sift together the flour, cocoa, baking soda, baking powder, salt and cinnamon. Make a well in the ingredients, then add the applesauce mixture. Mix until just combined. Fold in chocolate chips.

Spread evenly in baking pan and bake 25-30 minutes, until the center is firm and not sticky.