Better Brownies with Agave Nectar

Whenever I walk into a bakery and I look at the sprawling selection of desserts in front of me behind a protective glass case, my eyes seem to find the most chocolately item in the bunch, almost immediately. It's a sort of radar I've discovered I have, but it really does no one much good. Except, of course, for the bakery which inevitably becomes several dollars richer once I finally leave. I definitely have a thing for chocolate brownies, chocolate cookies, chocolate mounds of chocolate drizzled with more chocolate. It's to the point where I transcend the stereotypical woman who craves chocolate, and my love of chocolate is a running joke amongst those who know me best. And given my propensity to purchase the most decadent and rich dessert laid before me, I have been on the search for a better chocolate baked good, and one that I will create myself. Enter, the “better brownies” below. The original recipe was a “low-fat” brownie that still asked for 1 ½ cups of white sugar, and so I decided to do quite a bit of tweaking. And the brownie that emerged is better, in so many ways. These brownies are not for the casual brownie sampler – since these use actual chocolate, and not cocoa powder, the intense chocolate fudgey-ness was almost enough to even overwhelm me. However, they are not very sweet, and so the better the chocolate that you use, the more its distinctive flavor will stand out.


Better Brownies

Ingredients:
¼ cup unsalted butter
8 oz. bittersweet chocolate, coarsely chopped
¼ cup unsweetened applesauce
1 cup date sugar
¼ cup agave nectar
2 egg whites
2 eggs
1 tsp. vanilla extract
¾ cup whole wheat flour
½ tsp. salt

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350° F. Coat an 8-inch square pan with cooking spray.
2. Place butter and chocolate in a heatproof bowl set over simmering water to form a double boiler. Stir frequently until the butter and chocolate are melted together and smooth. Remove the bowl from heat and cool to room temperature.
3. Stir in applesauce, date sugar, and agave nectar, blending well. Whisk in the egg whites and the eggs, one at a time. Whisk in vanilla extract. Stir in flour and salt.
4. Spoon the batter into the prepared pan and bake about 30 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Transfer pan to a wire rack to cool completely.