best brownies ever

...well vegan brownies. but you know what I mean. These come from blog.fatreevegan.com (which, in case you haven't noticed, is pretty much the only vegan food blog I use) and they came out soft and fudgy, not dry and cakey. I added a bit more cinnamon because I'm on something of a cinnamon kick right now (cereal, oatmeal, toast - you really can't wrong), which the 'miso seemed less than happy with (he could also taste the maple syrup - me, not so much). Your call on that one.

Fatfree and Fabulous Fudgy Brownies

1/2 tbsp. ground flax seed
1-1/2 tbsp. hot water
3/4 cup lite silken tofu (firm), crumbled
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup pure maple syrup
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
3/4 cup unbleached white flour or cake flour
1 cup unbleached cane sugar
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 to 1/2 cup chopped walnuts (optional--depending on how nutty you like your brownies)

Mix the ground flax seeds with 1- 1/2 tablespoons of hot water and set aside. (Mixture will thicken slightly.)

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Mist an 8-inch x 8-inch x 2-inch glass baking pan with non-stick cooking spray and set it aside.

Blend the tofu, water, maple syrup, cocoa powder, flax mixture, and vanilla extract until completely smooth. (I use a hand-blender, but you can do this in a regular blender.)

Place the remaining ingredients, except the walnuts, in a medium mixing bowl and stir them together until they are well combined. Pour the blended mixture into the dry ingredients in the mixing bowl, and stir them until they are well combined. Fold in the walnuts, if using.

Pour the batter into the prepared baking pan. Bake on the center rack of the oven for 30 minutes, or until a cake tester inserted in the center comes out clean. Completely cool the brownies in the pan. Cut and serve.



I took these over to a dinner party at a friend's house this weekend and served them warm with some TJ's cherry chocolate chip soy ice cream topped with frozen cherries. yum yum, indeed.