Healthy Double Chocolate Chip Brownies

"Healthy" and "brownie" in the same sentence...need I say more? These brownies were so delicious and moist, you'd never know that they are egg-free, dairy-free, grain-free, and gluten-free. It's no secret I have a major sweet tooth, and these more than satisfied my craving for something chocolately and sweet.

Ingredients:

-1 cup nut butter -- I used Peanut Butter & Co. Dark Chocolate Dreams

-3/4 cup pumpkin puree

-1/4 cup unsweetened applesauce

-1/3 cup baking stevia (or agave, honey, or pure maple syrup)

-3 tbs unsweetened cocoa powder

-1/4 cup chocolate chips of choice -- I used Enjoy Life Chocolate Mini Chips

-1 tsp baking soda

-1/2 tsp baking powder

Directions: Preheat oven to 350F. Combine all ingredients in a bowl and mix well. Spread the batter evenly into a baking pan coated well with non-stick spray (the batter should be pretty thick). Bake for 25-30 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Let cool before cutting, and store in the fridge.

Chocolate Peanut Butter Banana Bread Bars

Hope everyone had a great new year! Naturally here in New England we had a snowstorm to start off 2014, so I was stuck inside all day. As much as I hate being cooped up inside, it was a good opportunity for my sister and I to bake these chocolate peanut butter banana bread bars because they take a little bit longer to make with all of the different layers. It was so worth it though-- I can’t think of a better combination than banana bread, peanut butter and chocolate!

Banana Bread Layer
Ingredients:

-1 cup oat flour (rolled oats ground into a flour)

-1 tsp baking powder

-1 tsp baking soda

-1/2 tsp sea salt

-1/4 cup coconut oil, melted

-1/4 cup sugar-free maple syrup (can use regular)

-1/3 cup almond milk

-1/2 tsp vanilla extract

-2 ripe bananas, mashed

-1 tsp cinnamon

Directions: Preheat oven to 325. Mix dry ingredients in one bowl, wet ingredients in another, and then mix wet into dry. Pour into a baking pan sprayed well with non-stick spray (we used a 9” round cake pan..a square pan would probably be better). Bake for 30 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Let cool for at least 20 minutes.

Peanut Butter Layer

Ingredients:

-1/4 cup natural peanut butter

-1 tbs coconut oil, soft but not melted

-2 tbs almond meal

-2 tbs sugar-free maple syrup

-pinch of sea salt

Directions: Mix ingredients and spread evenly on top of banana bread layer. Put pan in the freezer for 45 minutes to an hour.

Chocolate layer:

-1/3 bag of dairy-free chocolate chips

-1/2 tbs coconut oil

Directions: Heat oil on medium-low until melted. Then add the chocolate chips and stir until completely melted. Pour on top of peanut butter layer and freeze for an hour. 

Cut into squares and enjoy! :)

*These are vegan-friendly and have no added sugar. They can be gluten-free if you use gluten-free oats for the flour, or a different gluten-free flour. They're also dairy-free if you use dairy-free chocolate chips, such as Enjoy Life brand.