When my children were little and the budget was tight, I used to grind up carrots, onions, garlic, and saute them in a bit of olive oil and pass it off as either ground meat in the pasta sauce or use it on homemade pizza. Sigh . . . One evening, my older son, an avowed hater of all things fresh and natural, discovered the tiniest crumb of tell tale carrot orange on his pizza and ended that era of my kitchen creation.
So far, they haven't discovered the 'secret' ingredient in this recipe. Of course, I do take into consideration that they are now 26, 24, 22, and 18 . . . but you can't be too careful!
Applesauce Cinnamon Brownies
2 ounces unsweetened chocolate
1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce
1 tablespoon freshly grated orange zest
1 cup brown sugar, firmly packed
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground clove
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 cup nuts, your choice
Melt chocolate and butter together. Set aside to cool.
Mix together the applesauce, eggs, sugar, vanilla, spices, and orange zest. Stir in the remaining dry ingredients. Blend in the chocolate/butter mixtures. Add the nuts. Spread into a vegetable-oil sprayed 9-inch baking pan. Bake in a preheated 350 degree oven for 20-30 minutes depending on your oven. Cool before cutting into serving size squares.
Ideas . . .
Use 1/2 cup white or chocolate chips instead of the nuts.
Drizzle an orange or chocolate glaze over the warm brownies.
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