Apple Sauce Brownies
One ingredient swap and our brownies go from good to great!
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We love to try new variations of traditional recipes, especially when it comes to desserts. This brownie recipe really caught our eye because it replaces the oil found in other recipes with a secret ingredient we’d never though of using before: unsweetened applesauce. Not only does this make the brownies a little lighter in calories, but even lighter in density, without compromising any moisture. We were couldn’t have been more pleased with the results.
These brownies have a cake-like texture, and adding a little espresso naturally enhances the chocolate, blending everything into a decadent bite of chewy chocolaty perfection. It only takes a few minutes to get these treats into the oven, and the cleanup is just as simple, so they’re great for busy weeknights, bake sales and after-school surprises. We whip them up whenever we’re in the mood for immediate chocolate satisfaction!
Apple Sauce Brownies
Ingredients
- 2 large eggs
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
- 1 1/4 cup sugar
- 2 cups unsweetened applesauce, room temperature
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 1/2 cups flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 6 tablespoons high-quality cocoa powder
- 1 teaspoon instant espresso (optional)
- 1 1/2 cups chocolate baking chunks
Preparation
- Preheat oven to 350°F, and grease a square baking pan with cooking spray.
- Combine butter and sugar until creamy, and beat in eggs one at a time. Mix in applesauce and vanilla.
- Combine flour, baking soda and salt in separate bowl. Add cocoa powder and espresso and stir until well blended. Slowly fold dry ingredients into batter.
- Fold chocolate baking chunks into batter.
- Pour batter into prepared baking dish. Bake for about 30 minutes, or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool completely before cutting into squares.
Recipe adapted from Taste of Home