Hello, Healthy Family, Healthy You Folks!

Out of eggs? Trapped in by the snow and still want to use your brownie mix (I used Duncan Hines Milk Chocolate Brownie Mix)? Or, like me, you just don’t see the need to add half a cup of oil to any recipe that goes into your body…?

Say “Hello” to Vegan, Caramel Banana “Milk” Chocolate Brownies!

There is one cooking blog that alternately has very rich, decadent, full of cream, eggs and butter recipes one week, and then raw vegan recipes the next week. I subscribe to it for those occasional gems that I can use (the latter, obviously). However, what makes me crazy about this blog, is that I need to scroll through 15 pictures and paragraphs of text before I can get to the recipe. I’m pretty sure it is all for search engine optimization (SEO) purposes. While I know I need to take time to increase my SEO (easy tips from my helpful minions appreciated!), I haven’t focused on it. I’d rather focus on getting more recipes to my people and wrapping up the Healthy Family Healthy You book. You should know that I will never write 500 words of unnecessary information and waste your time – all in the name of SEO – or in the name of anything!

Here is the recipe:

Vegan Caramel Banana “Milk” Chocolate Brownies

Ingredients

1 Duncan Hines Milk Chocolate Brownie Mix (This is what I had on hand. I’m sure a different boxed brownie mix would work.)

1/4 cup coffee (instead of the water the mix calls for)

1/2 cup applesauce (instead of the oil the mix calls for) I had Plum Organics berry squeezable fruit on hand and it worked well.

2 bananas (instead of the eggs the mix calls for)

1/4-1/2 cup caramel baking chips

Optional: vegan marshmallows, cut in half (you need to cut them because vegan marshmallows don’t come in the small size)

Directions

Preheat oven to 350

Grease an 8×8 square pan with non-stick baking spray

Place all ingredients in a large mixing bowl

Stir to wet the brownie mix

Place an immersion blender into the bowl to blend the bananas fully

Stir again if necessary to make sure that every ingredient is completely mixed together

Pour the batter into the greased square pan Bake in 350 degree oven for 15 minutes

Pull the pan out and sprinkle with the caramel chips.

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Optional: You can also put the cut marshmallows in at this time if you are using them. Place them sticky side down. They are soooo sticky (more than non-vegan marshmallows) that you need to be careful to only touch the dry outside or you’ll never get them off your hands and into the pan. Trust me on this!

Bake for an additional 25 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.

Let cool in pan before cutting and serving.

They taste great warm, but you don’t want them to be too hot because you can burn your mouth on the hot caramel chips. Don’t you just love those two words together? Hot Caramel….Yumm……. Enjoy!

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Let me know how they turn out and if you use any alternate ingredients.