Healthy Applesauce Brownies (vegan + eggless)
Moist, slightly fudgy, and rich in flavor, these vegan applesauce brownies are a lighter and healthier twist on the classic. Made without eggs or butter, they are surprisingly decadent and come together in one bowl.
Servings: 16 slices
Calories: 164kcal
Equipment
Ingredients
Sugar mixture
- ¾ cup sugar *
- ½ cup water
Wet ingredients
- ¾ cup unsweetened applesauce
- ¼ cup light olive oil or another neutral-tasting oil
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
Dry ingredients
- 1 ¾ cup oat flour use gluten-free if needed**
- ¾ cup cocoa powder
- ½ cup chocolate chips
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon instant coffee or espresso powder
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 180C/350F.
- Add water and sugar to a microwave bowl. Microwave for 3-5 minutes or until sugar has dissolved completely. Stir it every 60 seconds. (Alternatively, you can heat the mixture in a pot over medium-low heat.)¾ cup sugar, ½ cup water
- Pour in the sugar solution and all the wet ingredients. Fold to combine.¾ cup unsweetened applesauce, ¼ cup light olive oil, 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- Now, add all dry ingredients and mix until everything is well incorporated.1 ¾ cup oat flour , ¾ cup cocoa powder, 1 teaspoon baking powder, 1 teaspoon instant coffee, ½ cup chocolate chips
- Pour batter into an 8x8 baking pan lined with parchment paper. Optionally, top it with more chocolate chips.
- Bake for 20-25 minutes or until brownies look set. You can also insert a toothpick down the middle to check for doneness. You will want some moist crumbs attached to it.
- Let brownies cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then gently transfer them to a cooling rack. Allow vegan applesauce brownies to cool completely before slicing.
Notes
*Sugar - This brownie is slightly less sweet than traditional brownies. You can slightly increase the sugar by 2-4 tablespoons for a sweeter brownie.
**Oat flour - If you do not have it on hand, add some quick or rolled oats to a blender and process until they turn into flour.
Helpful tips
- Do not overbake brownies - Applesauce brownies are lower in fat; hence, they tend to dry out easily if overbaked. Check for doneness by inserting a toothpick down the middle. It should come out with a few moist crumbs clinging.
- Slicing brownie tips - Allow brownies to cool completely before slicing. Use a straight-edge knife, and clean the knife between each cut to produce clean slices.
- Get creative with the mix-ins - Feel free to add whatever mix-ins sound good, such as chopped walnuts, your favorite candy, or a chopped-up candy bar.
- Using leftover applesauce - Check out my applesauce baked oatmeal, applesauce banana muffins, or applesauce overnight oats.
Nutrition
Calories: 164kcal | Carbohydrates: 25g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 7g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 3g | Sodium: 31mg | Potassium: 138mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 14g | Vitamin A: 3IU | Vitamin C: 0.1mg | Calcium: 32mg | Iron: 1mg
