Heart Healthy, Whole-Grain Brownies
By: Jessica Boscarini
Published: Thursday, February 16, 2012 - 10:46am

Ingredients




¼ cup Organic unsweetened applesauce
¾ cup Organic white sugar
2 egg whites
¼ cup coconut oil, melted
¼ cup soymilk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
½ cup whole-wheat pastry flour
½ tsp. Stevia
¼ teaspoon baking powder
¼ teaspoon salt
½ cup chopped walnuts (optional)
½ cup Organic chocolate chips (optional)

Preparation

1 Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease an 8x8 inch square pan. (For V-day, I used a heart-shaped muffin-tin pan, and reduced the baking time by 7 minutes). 2 In a medium bowl, stir together the applesauce, sugar, egg whites, and coconut oil until smooth. Mix in the soymilk and vanilla extract. 3 Combine the cocoa powder, whole-wheat flour, Stevia, baking powder, and salt in a separate bowl; stir into the sugar mixture just until incorporated, being careful not to over mix. 4 If adding walnuts or the chocolate chips, fold in now. Spread the batter evenly into the prepared pan. 5 Bake for 25 minutes in the preheated oven, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Don’t overcook, because you want the brownies to remain moist. 6 Cool, and cut into squares. Enjoy.

About

Finding a good, healthy brownie recipe is surprisingly hard to come by. Usually, when a recipe says “healthy” it tastes that way too, and brownie recipes are no exception. In honor of Valentine’s Day this week, I decided to make some brownies for my husband. He definitely loves his sweets so if I can make something that is also good for him, I’m all over it. 
This recipe uses whole-grain flour, unsweetened cocoa powder, coconut oil instead of butter, less sugar, and still has the consistency and taste of “pure-bred” brownies. To say these brownies are heart healthy may be taking it a bit overboard, although when compared to traditional brownies, they are actually pretty good for you. Plus, they are full of fiber, protein, and healthy fats; not stuff usually found in baked-goods.
Too good to be true? Try them for yourself. Now, you tell me.