So. I dropped Clark off at the airport on Tuesday morning at the ungodly hour of 4:15am. He left me for a whole month. He’s back in New York, living in a model apartment with 2 other dudes, running around the city all day from casting to casting. I’m just over here in good ol’ Indiana, writing about brownies and stuff.
I’ve had some adjusting to do since he left. I mean, we spend at least 80% of our waking hours together. That’s a lot. That means he’s my sounding board, my comic relief, my partner-in-crime, and so much more.
Clark being gone has not been easy and I knew it wouldn’t be. So what’s a girl to do when her man is gone and she’s got no big spoon to keep her warm at night?
Eat brownies. All of these brownies. And wash them down with a glass or two of merlot.
And I’m not even going to feel bad about it. First of all, look at the brownies. They’re miniature! They’re so cute that they have to be harmless. Applesauce and honey instead of refined sugar means they’re basically good for me. Just give me this one, alright?
These brownies were the last-minute, very last recipe that we squeezed in before Clark jetted off to LaGuardia. I was all set to pour them into an 8″ x 8″ baking dish when he suggested that we bake them in our mini muffin pan instead. It’s not every day that you get to use a ini muffin pan and also, bite-sized things are almost always cuter than full-sized things so naturally, I was all in. We’re just lucky I didn’t quite eat all of the batter before we got them into the oven.
Besides the insanely easy, two-step prep process, my favorite thing about these brownies is the rich combination of chocolate and honey. They definitely taste like brownies, but you also pick up on the subtle flavor of honey in each bite – so much more satisfying than the over-the-top sweetness that goes along with processed sugars.
Make these a couple of times and I promise that you will have the process memorized and the recipe designated as a go-to dessert.
- ½ cup applesauce
- ½ cup honey
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 eggs
- ½ cup gluten free flour mix [I use Wholesome Chow's all purpose]
- ½ cup cocoa powder
- ¼ teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon sea salt
- about ⅓ cup chocolate chunks
- Preheat oven to 350º.
- Prepare baking pan of your choice – I opted for a mini muffin tray. You could also bake these in an 8" x 8" pan. Spray with olive oil or grease with coconut oil.
- In a medium bowl, combine applesauce and honey and mix until smooth.
- Whisk eggs in a small bowl, then add eggs and vanilla to the applesauce and honey mixture. Mix until well-combined.
- Add flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt. Mix thoroughly until smooth.
- Pour in batter, about ⅔ full if using a mini muffin pan.
- Bake 10-12 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of a brownie comes out clean. If using an 8" x 8" pan, you may need to bake slightly longer.
