I absolutely love chocolate. A few weeks ago I decided it was a good idea to make up a brownie recipe to satisfy my chocolate needs. Let me tell you, it was a great idea. I ate pretty much the whole pan by myself in just over a day. My mom said I would turn into a brownie, if that says anything. I always add a ton of cocoa so I can add a little bit of extra sugar, just to make sure it's really chocolaty. On top of that, the oats give it a great texture that's taken away from removing oil/butter from the recipe. I was also partial to adding bananas to it because I love bananas. But I digress. I almost never make brownies, so I was really happy with the way these came out. I find it really hard to work with cocoa because it's so bitter and I hate adding a ton of sugar to my baked goods (also why I almost added bananas). Anyway, I've included the recipe just in case anyone wants to try it out!

Ingredients:

• 1 1/4 cup flour
• 1 cup oats
• 1 2/3 cup brown sugar
• 2/3 cup cocoa
• 2 servings ENERG egg replacer, prepared according to box (1 tbsp ENERG mixed with 1/4 cup warm water)
• 1 cup applesauce
• 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup chopped walnuts (optional)
• 1/2 cup vegan chocolate chips (optional)

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Lightly grease a 9"x9" baking pan and set aside.
2. In a small bowl, combine baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
3. In a large bowl, mix flour, oats, brown sugar, and cocoa until well-combined. Make sure the brown sugar is broken up and doesn't stick to itself.
4. Add baking powder mixture to flour and stir well.
5. Add prepared egg replacer, applesauce, and vanilla to flour mixture and stir until just combined.
6. Pour batter into pan and add walnuts and chocolate chips to the top. Bake for 32-37 minutes, or until a toothpick can be stuck in the middle and come out clean.

Notes: If you do want to use banana in the brownies, substitute a large mashed banana for the ENERG egg replacer. Extra flour/oats may need to be added. Add enough so that the batter is thick, but still thin enough to be able to pour from bowl. Don't dehydrate the batter.

*Image courtesy Flickr creative commons.