Blizzard Brownies

In anticipation of the big storm of 2013, "Nemo" we got the essentials ready. First on our list of provisions? Brownies! We got the recipe for these brownies from the Forks Over Knives Cookbook (but tweaked it a little ourselves). We had never made these before, so we had high hopes for some chocolaty, comforting morsels of deliciousness...

 

  

 

Vianne: These brownies are amazing! They really do taste like they are the real deal! A

 

Mariah: I am crazy for brownies, so I definitely approached this recipe with skepticism. I was also sure that the kids would not like them. What a pleasant surprise I was in for. The brownies have the right texture and a really pleasant cocoa-ness! Chopped walnuts drive it home. This totally satisfies my chocolate cravings. A

 

Ingredients:

 

3 Ounces Extra Firm Silken Tofu - drained (we couldn't find extra firm so just used silken)

 

1/3 cup pitted prunes

 

1/2 cup almond milk heated until very hot but not boiling

 

3/4 cup 100 percent pure maple syrup

 

1/2 cup + 2 tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder ( we did heaping, not level!)

 

3/4 cup water heated very hot but not boiling

 

2 tsp pure vanilla extract

 

1 cup whole wheat pastry flour (we added an extra 1/4 cup because batter seemed to runny)

 

1/2 tsp baking soda

 

1/2 tsp salt

 

1/2 cup walnuts roughly chopped

 

Directions:

 

1. Pre heat the oven to 325, Spray and 8x8 pan with cooking spray.

 

2. Crumble the tofu into a blender and add the prunes. Pour in the hot milk and puree for about 30 seconds. Add the maple syrup and puree until relatively smooth. Some flecks of prune are okay but there should be no chunks of tofu. Scrape down the sides of the blender with a rubber spatula to make sure all the ingredients are incorporated.

 

3. Sift the cocoa powder into a mixing bowl. Add the hot water and mix with a fork until well combined. It should look like a thick chocolate sauce.

 

4. Add the tofu prune mixture to the chocolate in the mixing bowl and stir to combine, mix in the vanilla.

 

5. Sift in half of the flour, and add the baking soda and salt. Mix well. Then mix in the remaining flour and fold in the walnuts.

 

6. Spread the batter into the prepared baking pan, it will be rather thick, but you don't need to push it into the corners as it will spread when it bakes. (mine wasn't thick like they described)

 

7. Bake for 17-20 minutes. The top should be set and firm to the touch. (I baked mine for 30 minutes. The middle was still a bit gooey, but I like it that way)

 

8. Remove the pan from the oven and let cool for at least 20 minutes. Slice the brownies into 12 squares and enjoy!