Anti-Depressant Brownies
photo by SamanthaK
- Ready In:
- 50mins
- Ingredients:
- 9
- Yields:
-
1 9x13 inch pan
- Serves:
- 24
ingredients
- 3⁄4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1⁄2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1⁄3 cup canola oil
- 1⁄2 cup boiling water
- 1⁄3 cup unsweetened applesauce
- 2 cups sugar
- 4 large egg whites (or 1/2 cup Egg Beaters)
- 1 1⁄3 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
directions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F.
- Spray a 9x13" baking pan with cooking oil and set aside.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the cocoa and baking soda (I like to sift them together to destroy any lumps in the cocoa).
- Blend in the oil, and mix until smooth.
- Pour in the boiling water, stirring until the mixture thickens.
- Stir in the applesauce, the sugar, and the egg whites; mix until smooth.
- Add the flour and the vanilla; blend completely- there should be no lumps.
- Pour into the prepared baking pan.
- Spread the batter evenly to avoid crispy edges.
- Bake for 35 to 40 minutes (25-30 minutes if using a Pyrex pan), until just set in the middle.
- Let cool and cut into squares.
- Note: I've also halved this and baked it in an 8x8" glass pan and it was done in about 25 minutes.
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Reviews
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Have never tried making anything that substitutes applesauce for the butter or shortening, but these turned out really good. Also, using egg whites only in brownies is a new one for me and it definitely works! I too made only half the recipe. These were delicious and very well may become my favorite brownies. Thanks for posting this recipe, Kree.
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These are not at all a fudgy brownie, more like a fudgy chocolate cake but then, I wasn't looking for a fudgy brownie or else I would have just made my Recipe #268933. I went looking for this because I wanted two layers of cakey brownie so I could put a layer of marshmallow cream in the center and I frosted it with a good chocolate liquor flavored frosting. OMG amazing! Who would believe these are low-fat? I also added some extra vanilla for a better flavor.
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Tweaks
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Dark, decadant and delicious! These are great, Kree. I halved the recipe - and I must warn anyone who tries to do this! Recipezaar's conversion seems to think that half of 1/3 cup is 1/4 cup. Which it is not- its 1/ 6 of a cup, which is about 2 2/3 Tbs. So I just used a scant 3 Tbs of the applesauce and oil I did substitute the egg whites with 1 whole egg (again, that is for a half recipe- its 1 whole egg for every 2 whites) and used Sucanat instead of sugar (and I only used a heaping 3/4 cup measure). I also added 1/3 cup walnuts, because I love my brownies with nuts. Lowfat or not, these are divine! They are nice and dark and very moist and tender. OMG, these smell so good when they're cooking and taste even better. I think next time I might try subbing the boiling water with hot coffee for an even darker brownie (mmm!) and I might try using melted butter instead of the oil (I know you don't do dairy, Kree, but I sort of missed the butteriness) or add a bit of salt. Kree, this is a real winner. One of the best brownie recipes I've ever tried, lowfat or not! Thanks for posting.
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Have never tried making anything that substitutes applesauce for the butter or shortening, but these turned out really good. Also, using egg whites only in brownies is a new one for me and it definitely works! I too made only half the recipe. These were delicious and very well may become my favorite brownies. Thanks for posting this recipe, Kree.
RECIPE SUBMITTED BY
I'm a real estate agent in the lovely city of Rochester, New York. That's not what I expected to do with my life. I got my bachelor's in psychology, my masters in literacy education, and I taught high school special education for two years. Then I discovered that helping people find the homes of their dreams was my real passion. I've been doing it for over two years now and still absolutely love my career.
Other than that, I have a very spoiled Border Collie mix named Bear that I adopted from a local shelter in spring '08. He's gorgeous and fun and brings me great joy. Now if only I could find a man like that... LOL!