Vegan Cake-like Brownies

Dry ingredients:

1 1/4 cups flour

1/4 cup cocoa powder

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon salt

Wet ingredients:

1 cup shredded zucchini

1/2 cup mashed ripe banana

1/2 cup applesauce

1/2 cup sugar

1/3 cup plant milk

1 teaspoon vanilla

Stir-in or topping ingredients:

1/2 cup vegan chocolate chips

1/2 cup chopped nuts

Instructions:

In a medium bowl, mix the dry ingredients together. In a smaller bowl, stir the wet ingredients together. Combine the dry and wet mixtures together. Fold the chocolate chips and nuts into the batter (or sprinkle them on top). Spread the batter into a 9"x 9" baking pan lined with parchment paper. Bake at 350F degrees for about 40 minutes or until toothpick inserted near center comes out clean.

Allow to cool, cut into bars. Store in the refrigerator up to five days or freeze.

Substitutes for zucchini - shredded carrots, cooked pumpkin, sweet potatoes or black beans.

Related recipes:

For a fudgy brownie recipe without flour or sugar click here.

For black bean sweet potato bars click here.

 

Black Bean Sweet Potato Bars

Sweet potatoes give these bars a moist cheesecake-like texture. Similar to Black Brown Brownies,

1 can black beans, drained (or 1 3/4 cup home-cooked black beans)
1 cup baked sweet potato, peel removed, mashed
3/4 cup dates without pits (firmly packed)
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 Tablespoon ground flax seed
2 Tablespoons peanut butter
1/2 cup cocoa powder

Place all ingredients except cocoa powder in a food processor. Process until smooth. Add the cocoa powder and process until all the ingredients are mixed well.

Spread mixture into an 8" x 8" baking pan lined with parchment paper. Bake at 350 degrees for about 40 minutes or until the top looks cracked and the edges are pulling away from the sides of the pan.

Cool. Store in fridge.

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Sweet Potato Note: To bake sweet potatoes in a conventional oven, poke holes all over with a fork. Place the sweet potatoes on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Bake at 350 degrees for about an hour or until syrup starts to seep out of the potatoes and a fork inserted in the middle goes in easily.

Instant Pot: Place whole sweet potatoes on steamer rack and add 1/2 cup water. Cook under pressure for 14 minutes. Allow pressure to release naturally.

Cooked sweet potatoes will keep for a week in the fridge or 4 to 6 months in the freezer.