These wheat-free, butterless brownies are decadent and dense. "It's really, really hard to make a good vegan brownie," says chef Erin McKenna. Her first efforts using applesauce and vegetable oil were cakey or fluffy. It took her six months of making small adjustments to perfect them. More Brownie Recipes
How to Make It
Preheat the oven to 325°. Spray 2 mini muffin pans with vegetable oil spray. In a bowl, whisk the baking flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, salt and xanthan gum. In another bowl, whisk the applesauce, oil and vanilla; stir into the dry ingredients. Stir in the chocolate chips. Spoon the batter into the muffin pans, filling them three-quarters full. Bake for 15 minutes, or until set. Let the brownies cool in the pans for 15 minutes, then turn out onto a rack to cool completely.
Notes
Gluten-free baking flour: McKenna likes the flour from Bob's Red Mill, made from fava bean and chickpea flours. Dairy-free chocolate chips: Vegan chips are made without milk or milk solids. Bittersweet and semisweet varieties of artisanal chocolate, like Scharffen Berger, may also be dairy-free; check the labels. Xanthan gum: A natural gum that binds like gluten and adds volume to baked goods.
One Brownie 69 cal, 4 gm fat, 0.8 gm sat fat, 10 gm carb, 0.8 gm fiber.