This Recipe Is: • Make Ahead • Vegetarian •
Gather round, friends. It’s story time.
Once upon a time, back when we were dating, my husband wanted our first Valentine’s Day to be really special. Instead of going out to dinner at a restaurant in our little college town, he wanted to cook me dinner before we went to his fraternity’s date party.
I shopped for the perfect gifts, found the perfect card (I spent … oh, I don’t know … an hour reading cards!), and got all dolled up for a fun night with my guy.
When I got to his house, there was a note on the door to follow the rose petals. I walked along the (darling!) path he’d made, and finally found him in the kitchen cooking up a storm. He was all dressed up, looking so darn cute. And on the table he had flowers and gifts for me. Oh … and dinner smelled amazing!
Before we ate, we exchanged gifts … cards first, of course!
As I opened the card he’d gotten for me, my heart stopped. Oh no!
Did I open the wrong card?
While my mind was racing, he started laughing as he opened the card from me.
What was happening???
I’ll tell you what happened. We bought each other the SAME card. The exact one. Of all the thousands and thousands of cards available for that one day, we’d picked out the identical card.
Welp, that was it for me. I was going to marry this one. I already knew I loved him, but those cards solidified it. If we could pick out the same sentiments for how we felt about each other … well, I figured it was destiny. And by the next Valentine’s Day, I was knee-deep in planning my wedding!
Now that we’re married and have kiddos, February 14th isn’t quite the same. Instead of shopping for the perfect gift, I’m at the craft store picking up supplies for the perfect Valentine’s Day “shoebox” for the class party. Stickers, papers, duct tape, oh my!
But no matter! With brownies like these, any Valentine’s Day (heck any regular day!) is awesome … rose petals or duct tape! Whether you’re a kiddo hoping for the best candy at the class party, a teenager hoping for a smile from the cute guy in your math class, or a wife hoping for a little blue box with a big white bow (ahem … hint hint, honey) … these brownies are just the thing.
Deliciously fudge-y, perfectly chocolaty, wonderfully healthy, and a breeze to make … what better way is there to tell someone you love them?
Want to know how I know these are so easy to make? It’s because I made at least 10 test batches. Some were promising, others … notsomuch. But this version. Oh … this version … our taste tester panel families seriously loved ’em! My oldest didn’t believe they were healthy. So good. Shelley texted me in desperation when her supply ran out because she wanted more, and the rest were at my house. Yes, friends. These brownies are that good. And then, she texted to ask if I thought it’d be ok for her to make these once or twice a day. Told ya. They are just. that. good.
Oh … one more thing … this is all done in one bowl! Super fast. Super easy. Super clean. Seriously!
No doubt, these brownies say love any day of the year. Rose petals or no. Really … you need to enjoy these little beauties year-round. Every single day, in fact, would be best.
So … bake these brownies, and tell someone you love them! Any day … every day!
Surprisingly Decadent Brownies (Healthy, Whole Wheat & One Bowl!)
Rich, moist, delicious fudge brownies that are surprisingly healthy (with whole grains and less fat) and also super quick and easy to make (one bowl)!
• Make Ahead • Vegetarian •
Ingredients
- 2/3 cup packed brown sugar
- 1/2 cup whole wheat pastry flour
- 1/3 cup cocoa powder
- 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 2 eggs
- 1/3 cup unsweetened applesauce
- 2 tablespoons canola oil
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 1-2 teaspoons granulated sugar for topping
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F.
- In a large bowl, combine brown sugar, flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, and salt. Stir well with a whisk until ingredients are evenly combined and brown sugar is broken up.
- Add eggs, applesauce, oil, and vanilla, stirring just to combine and being careful not to over-mix.
- Pour batter into an ungreased 8x8 pan.
- Bake for about 28-33 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean with just a few crumbs. (Baking longer, to get a completely clean toothpick, will yield drier, more cake-like brownies.)
- Remove pan to a cooling rack and immediately sprinkle brownies with granulated sugar.
- Allow to cool before cutting.
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 16 servings Serving Size: 1 brownieAmount Per Serving: Calories: 131Total Fat: 4gSaturated Fat: 1gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 2gCholesterol: 26mgSodium: 70mgCarbohydrates: 22gFiber: 1gSugar: 9gProtein: 3g
Nutrition information should be considered an estimate only, and may vary depending on your choice of ingredients or preparation. No guarantees are made regarding allergies or dietary needs. Always consult a physician or dietician for specific advice and questions.
The brownies look great and love the tip of sprinkling sugar on top, but that story? It is absolutely DARLING! What a great one to tell your future grandkids one day! So sweet, Gretchen!
Aww! Thank you for your sweet words! I do look forward to having grandkids some day … but that’s a LONG time from now! 😀 Not that we haven’t thought about it, and even discussed it on here! LOL! HeeHee! 😉
And yes, Lori – don’t forget the sugar on top! It’s the perfect touch! ~Gretchen
Cute cute. I love the story. I love a good romance story. 🙂 The brownies look great too! I also love a good brownie. Hmmm, just like you and your hubs were meant to be, so are these brownies and me! hee hee. Happy Valentine’s Day!
Yes, it is absolutely the same … you are totally right! My hubby and I were meant to be, just like you and this brownie recipe! 😀 Trust me, you’ll love ’em! ~Gretchen
I don’t have pastry flour on hand. If I use regular flour, the brownies will be heavier, right? Should I try it, or do you strongly recommend I get the pastry flour? Thanks!
Hi Sue! That’s a great question – one that Shelley and I have been discussing in great detail! We’ve found whole wheat pastry flour at several of our local supermarkets – it is available, you just may need to keep an eye out for it!
Our go-to replacement is to use half all-purpose flour and half whole wheat flour (because the gluten content is essentially the same in this mix as in whole wheat pastry flour) – such as in many of our bread and muffin recipes. In most other recipes we’ve tried, this works perfectly and we couldn’t tell a difference between the different batches. And it does work in these brownies … but the texture is a bit different (it isn’t a problem of them being more dense). Additionally, the bake time was actually shorter when we used the all-purpose/whole wheat blend.
Most whole wheat flours tend to be more coarse. Due to the delicate nature of the brownies, we found that occasionally you could detect that coarseness of the flour in the brownie.
These are just so delicious, if you’ve only got whole wheat and all-purpose on hand – just make them! Enjoy!! ~Gretchen
Awww that was the sweetest thing ever! You guys are both too cute :”)
These brownies look amazing, and I can’t believe they’re actually healthy! The sugar touch on top sounds wonderful to me <3
Thanks Consuelo! I think he’s pretty great, too!
These brownies earned such rave reviews – I think you and your whole family with love them! My oldest was shocked when she found out they were healthy – she thought I was joking!! Honestly, I think it’s that little bit of sugar on top – that’s what you taste first, so you don’t even miss the sugar inside. Have a very Happy Valentine’s Day!! ~Gretchen
What a ‘sweet’ story! Pun intended 😉 It was obviously fate. Have a wonderful Valentines Day!
Haha!! Thank you, Sharon! Yes – I like to think that somehow the stars magically aligned and brought us together! 🙂 Happy Valentine’s day to you, as well! 🙂 ~Gretchen