Deluxe Cocoa Brownies

Yum! Brownies!!!! Who doesn't love brownies? My friend Manne loves brownies. So when I was invited to hang out with him, his son, and his son's friends, I knew I had to make brownies. Because let's face it, kids won't say no to brownies, either.

This recipe is super easy, and a well stocked vegetarian/vegan/Asian household should already have the ingredients on hand. So if you've already got everything on hand, why not just make these brownies right now? :-)

Deluxe Cocoa Brownies

Ingredients

3 oz firm silken tofu, a little less than 1/4 of the package (I couldn't find silken tofu in firm, so I used regular firm tofu)
1/4 cup nondairy milk
1/2 cup canola oil
1 cup sugar
2 tsp vanilla
1 cup flour
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 TBS cornstarch
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 325. Line an 8x8 baking pan with parchment paper or foil.
2. Puree the tofu, nondairy milk, and oil in a blender or food processor until smooth and fluffy. Use a spatula to scrape down the sides to make sure you get everything.
3. Transfer the tofu mixture to a mixing bowl. Use a fork to vigorously mix in the sugar. Add vanilla.
4. Sift in the flour, cocoa powder, cornstartch, baking powder, and salt. Use a spatula to fold and mix batter until smooth. Transfer the batter to the pan and smooth out the top. It's OK if the batter doesn't sink all the way into the sides and edges of the pan, as it will spread during baking.
5. Bake brownies for 30-32 minutes, remove from the pan, and let the brownies cool for at least 15 minutes before slicing and serving

Optional

1. Chocolate Chip Deluxe Brownies: Fold 3/4 cup chocolate chips into the batter.
2. Walnut Brownies: Fold 1 cup chopped walnuts into the batter.

It's very important that you let these brownies cool. While they're warm, they are still very sticky and aren't good to work with. If needed, pop them in the fridge and have the fridge do all the work.

As for the taste, they taste like the brownies I used to make as a kid. They are very yummy, chocolate-y, and satisfying. Let's hope a group of 11 year olds agree with me.