By using unsweetened apple juice concentrate and bananas to sweeten these brownies naturally, you can turn a seemingly devilish chocolate dessert into something that satisfies your sugar cravings more wholesomely.
Britt Kurent
| 4 cups all-purpose flour | 2 2/3 cups unsweetened frozen apple juice concentrate, thawed | |
| 2/3 cup Dutch processed, cocoa powder | 2/3 cup carob chips, or other naturally sweetened chips | |
| 2 teaspoons baking powder | 1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened, for Honey Cream Cheese Frosting | |
| 1 cup oil (vegetable, canola or grapeseed) | 8 ounces cream cheese, regular or reduced-fat, softened, for Honey Cream Cheese Frosting | |
| 2 eggs | 1/4 cup honey, for Honey Cream Cheese Frosting | |
| 2 bananas, ripened and mashed well |
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Spray 2 13x9-inch pans with nonstick spray. If only one pan is being used, you will bake half of the batter, let cool, and use the same pan again for the remaining batter.
In a bowl, combine the flour, cocoa powder and baking powder.
In a separate bowl, combine oil, eggs and bananas. Mix well on medium speed for one minute.
Add half of the dry mixture into the wet mixture and mix on low speed to combine. Add half of the apple juice concentrate and mix again. Add the remaining dry and wet ingredients separately and mix just until combined. Add carob chips if desired, and mix to combine.
Bake at 350 degrees F for approximately 20 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Let cool and remove from pan onto large cutting board.
Make frosting by combining the butter, cream cheese and honey. Mix for several minutes in a stand-up mixer or with a handheld mixer until creamy and fully incorporated.
Once both brownie layers are cool, cover the first layer with frosting and place the second layer on top.
In order to achieve a clean cut for the triangles, freeze the brownie for a couple of hours and remove to slice.