rants & recipes

Ingredients:

• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 6 tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 cup applesauce
• 2 tbsp oil
• 1/2 cup soy milk
• 1 tsp vanilla
• about 1/2 cup apricot preserves
• about 1/4 tub Tofutti Cream Cheese

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Grease and line with parchment an 8*8 baking dish.
3. Mix flour and baking powder in a large bowl.
4. Mix together preserves and cream cheese in a separate bowl.
5. Mix remaining ingredients in a third bowl.
6. Add cocoa mixture to flour and stir until combined.
7. Pour about half the brownie batter into the baking dish.
8. Spread the preserve/cream cheese mixture on top.
9. Cover with remaining brownie batter.
10. Bake about 30 minutes or until brownies test done.

Notes:

• Modified from the first review (Duckbill's) of this recipe.
• The total weight for the filling ingredients was 210 grams, which was just enough.
• Once cool, the filling in these was plenty sweet, so more cream cheese, less preserves would probably work, as well as preserves/jam from fruit that more traditionally mixes well with chocolate - cherry or raspberry come to mind.
• These were wonderful, warm, out of the oven - but once they cooled, they were very sweet. Next time, I'll use more cream cheese and less jam. Cream cheese and peanut butter would be good, too. (With maple syrup to taste, if using unsweetened peanut butter.)
• These were also really good with the following for filling (omit apricot and cream cheese from ingredients list, of course): about 1/2 tub Tofutti Cream Cheese, about 1 tbsp Earth Balance, about 1 tbsp fresh grated ginger and 4-6 tbsp powdered sugar - soften 'cheese' and Earth Balance in microwave. Stir in ginger, add sugar to taste.
• Also very tasty - about 1/4 tub of vegan sour cream, 2 - 3 tbsp cashew butter and powdered sugar, to taste.
• Basically, this would be good with about a cup, to a  cup and a half, of any-flavored filling that goes well with chocolate. You want the filling to be about the same consistency as the batter, maybe a little more "spreadable".
• Don't worry if the filling's a little lumpy - it'll even-out as it bakes.