Peppermint Brownies

For a delicious comfort food, try these brownies made with applesauce. To make your own easy applesauce, click here. 

This recipe is the best of two worlds. I often baked Peppermint Fudge Cake from Heather Van Vorous’ Eating for IBS (2000, Da Capo Press), but I missed brownies. After trying “Cocoa Brownies with Mini Chocolate Chips” from Good Housekeeping’s Comfort Food! (2011, Hearst Books), I wondered if I could make healthier brownies by combining the two. After numerous tasty experiments, I worked out a share-worthy recipe. 

Ingredients:
2 cups flour (including a scant ¼ cup whole wheat flour, if you like)
10 tbsp. (½ cup plus 2 tbsp.) cocoa
1 tbsp. baking soda
¾ tsp. salt
1 tbsp. cornstarch
6 tbsp. canola oil or melted unsalted butter
1½ cups sugar
3 large eggs (for flax egg substitute, see below)
1 tbsp. + 1 tsp. vanilla
1½ tbsp. peppermint oil
1¾ cups applesauce
¾ cup raw pecans (or your nut of choice)
½ cup mini chocolate chips

Method:

• Butter or oil a 9 x 13 x 2” baking pan, and preheat oven to 325° F. 
• Toast pecans for 5 minutes in 300° oven; cool on a plate and chop into small bits. 
• If using flax egg substitute, mix 3 tbsp ground flaxseeds with 9 tbsp (½ cup plus 1 tbsp) water in a small bowl. (I use a trace more to mimic large eggs.) Whisk, then place covered in fridge for 5-10 minutes to congeal. No one will know the difference! 
• Sift dry ingredients into large bowl. 
• Mix wet ingredients with sugar in a smaller bowl.  
• Add wet to dry ingredients in small batches until just mixed; then fold in pecans. 
• Place batter in prepared pan, smoothing the top. Sprinkle with chocolate chips.
• Bake about 36 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the centre comes out clean. 
• Cool on rack. Freezes well. Yields 21 servings. 

Enjoy! 

- Irene Plett

Topics: Food, desserts, baking​