Better Brownies

4Susan's Note:

No butter, eggs, white flour or white sugar - but plenty of taste! Do you love brownies but just wish they could be a little healthier for you? Fiber rich oats are more filling; heart-healthy canola oil instead of butter. Plus, the total amount of fat is reduced and applesauce added to keep the brownies moist and sweet. Pecans add healthy monounsaturated fat, vitamin E, and minerals. I believe this recipe was clipped from a Reader's Digest magazine.

• Total Time: 55 mins
• Prep Time: 20 mins
• Cook Time: 35 mins

Ingredients:

Servings: 12

• 1 cup rolled oat
• ½ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• 1 cup packed brown sugar
• ½ cup applesauce
• 1⁄3; cup canola oil
• ½ cup vanilla almond milk
• 1 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract
• ½ cup chopped pecans , toasted
• 1 1⁄3; cups mini chocolate chips

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350°F.
2. Oil an 8x8 baking pan.
3. In a food processor, blend the oats for 2 to 3 minutes until powder-fine, pulsing occasionally.
4. Transfer the oat flour to a large bowl and add the cocoa, baking powder, and salt, and whisk together.
5. In the food processor, mix together the brown sugar, applesauce, and oil; add the almond milk and vanilla extract and pulse to blend.
6. Add the wet ingredients to the dry and mix until just blended.
7. Stir in the pecans and chips.
8. Pour the batter into the pan and smooth the top.
9. Bake for 35 minutes, or until a tester inserted into the middle comes out clean.
10. Let cool completely.

Reviews

[Suzy mom to 2]

These are very tasty brownies, I bet nobody can tell they're GF! (only if using certified gluten free oats) Based on ladypit's review I added 1/2 tsp of xanthan gum, and they held together beautifully. We had no nuts in the house, so I used apple/raisin/walnut granola instead; which had some cinnamon in it (a nice addition to the dark chocolatey taste). Thank you for a lovely recipe!

[ladypit]

Very chocolatey rich brownies. I left out the nuts, though, and these would not holf their shape. Since I'm not sure if it was because of leaving out one ingredient, I'm not assigning stars. I used Almond Milk (Almond Drink Base) for the almond milk but otherwise left the recipe as is. I think I would cut the oil in half next time. Also, be sure to continue to whir your oats in the blender for the full 2 to 3 minutes even if your oats look fine after about 30 seconds. The consistency won't be quite right yet. Thanks for submitting this one!

[Chef #248876]

This was WONDERFUL!I used spelt flour,used 1/2 c brn sugar +1/4 c Splenda, soy milk and walnuts. It is so moist and yummy. It was plenty sweet for me even with cutting the sugar.Thanks for sharing this recipe!!