Fresh Fruit Brownies

Ingredients:

1 cup unsweetened applesauce

½ cup sugar

1 ½ tsp vanilla extract

¾ cup whole wheat pastry flour

½ cup cocoa powder

2 tsp baking powder

½ tsp baking soda

½ tsp salt

½ cup semisweet chocolate chips

½ – ¾ cup fresh fruit (blueberries, strawberries, raspberries)

Cinnamon to taste

To make:

1.     Preheat oven to 350˚F.

2.     Mix applesauce, sugar, and vanilla in a medium bowl.  If you are using strawberries or other sturdier fruit: remove stems and chop. Then mash with a potato masher and add to the mixture.  If you are using a more delicate fruit, hang tight; we’ll add those later!

3.     In a larger bowl, whisk (with a fork) together the flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon.

4.     Gently fold in the wet ingredients to the dry ones, just until combined.

5.     Gently fold in the chocolate chips.

6.     Gently fold in fruit just until combined. 

7.     Spray an 8x8-inch baking pan then pour in the batter.

8.     Bake for approximately 30 minutes.

9.     Let them sit at least 30 minutes before slicing.  Enjoy!

Makes 9-16 brownies.

I adapted this recipe from one that I got off of recipezaar.com.  It was recipe # 150473.