A trip to the Zoo and Brownies too

Today is day 6 of Zach being deployed, things are still running as usual. Chassi (my dog) is happy she gets to sleep in bed with me every night… To keep my mind off missing Zach we just try to stay busy!

Today my lovely cousin Juniper Invited Ivy and I to the Sacramento Zoo! This was Ivy’s first trip to the zoo and I definitely think she liked it! Well she loved watching little Claudia run around! I also had a great time hanging out with my cuz, it’s always a good time when we hang out! One of the great thing about going to the zoo, is that you walk all-around, which is great exercise that you don’t even realize you’re doing! You get to see so many cool animals, and you’re outside all day! This definitely needs to happen more often!

Claudia and Ivy

 

This evening I was craving something sweet! Trying to stay healthy and eating sweets is not always the easiest thing, and O man can I make desserts! I went to my trusted Pinterest for ideas… I found some really delicious ideas, but not so healthy… Then I stumbled on Jillian Michaels brownie recipe, she’s the guru of being fit! I might try her work out videos some day when she stops scaring me… I will admit I was slightly hesitant on this however, I love brownies, and I’ll be honest I think box brownies are the best! There are very few desserts that I think are better from a box, but as of now I still think box is best with brownies! That however did not stop me! I still wanted a healthy dessert!     

This was the image that popped up on Pinterest

 



Fudge Brownies

Ingredients

Olive oil spray for the pan

2/3 cup mild honey, such as clover or orange blossom

1/3 cup natural unsweetened cocoa powder

1/2 cup white whole-wheat flour

1/4 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt

               1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce

               2 tablespoons olive oil

               1 large egg, at room temperature

               3/4 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

               Directions

1.      Preheat oven to 350F. Spray an 8-inch square pan with olive oil spray

2.      Place honey in a glass measuring cup. Microwave until honey is runny and just bubbling, 45 to 60 seconds. Add cocoa and stir with a fork until well combined. Let cool to room temperature

3.      Meanwhile, in a small bowl, place the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Whisk until well combined.

4.      In a large bowl, combine the applesauce, oil, egg, and vanilla. Whisk together until well blended. Add the honey- cocoa mixture and whisk until smooth. Add the flour mixture to the liquid mixture and stir until no traces of flour remain. Scrape the batter into the prepared pan.

5.      Bake until the surface looks dry around the edges of the pan and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out with moist crumbs clinging to I, about 25 minutes. Do not over bake. Place the pan on a cooling rack and let cool completely before slicing into 16 squares. (Store the brownies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days.)

Here is my result ( this was taken a few days after they were made) 

 

         When they came out of the oven I was excited to try them! I’ll be honest not my favorite… I only had normal honey so they had a very strong honey flavor! The texture was also odd… I don’t really know how to explain it, not fudgy but not fluffy either. And not that perfect fuggy fluffy texture you want from a brownie… a weird spongy texture I guess. I will not be trying this recipe out again! But with cooking you always find things you don’t like, but that means I am now on a hunt to find a brownie that can compare with the box!

*They did get a bit better the next day, and I did not refrigerate.

       Thanks for stopping by! I’ll keep you posted on the elusive brownie hunt! Please feel free to leave any questions or comments, I’ll make sure to get back to you ASAP!