Brownies

These brownies fool everyone!  You won't believe how scrumptious they are (or how good they are for you) until you make them yourself.  Just don't serve them warm- it's not until they're completely cool that the spinach flavor totally disappears.

3 oz semisweet or bittersweet chocolate

1/2 cup carrot puree

1/2 cup spinach puree

1/2 cup firmly packed light or dark brown sugar

1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

2 T margarine

2 t pure vanilla extract

2 large egg whites

3/4 cup oat flour, or all-purpose flour

1/2 t baking powder

1/2 t salt

Preheat the oven to 350 F.  Coat an 8x8-inch baking pan with cooking spray.  Melt the chocolate in a double boiler.  In a large bowl, combine the melted chocolate, vegetable purees, sugar, cocoa powder, margarine, and vanilla, and whisk until smooth and creamy, 1 to 2 minutes.  Whisk in egg whites.  Stir in the flour, baking powder, and salt with a wooden spoon.  Pour batter into the pan and bake 35 to 40 minutes.  Cool completely in the pan before cutting into 12 bars.

These brownies are low in calories (only 133 per brownie) and saturated fat.  They're also packed with 3 grams of fiber (which is just crazy for a brownie!), while spinach and carrots provide two powerful antioxidants that help your kids' eyes stay healthy.

My Review

Let's just say that this is a healthy dessert for kids!  This will not satisfy an adult chocolate craving.  That being said... this brownie is a dense fudgy goodness.  You can not detect the spinach and the carrots.  My daughter even thought her brownie had a chocolate chip in it... but it must have been a piece of carrot!  The name of this cookbook, 'Deceptively Delicious' is appropriate.