Apple sauce brownies

Wait wait, before you turn your nose up let me assure you these brownies are chock full of chocolate.

I read somewhere (can't remember where) that you could replace half the fat in most baking with fruit purée of some sort, such as apple.

Now maybe this would make some cakes and traybakes much healthier but I don't think it can make the humble brownie much healthier, yes the fat will be reduced but lets not forget about the 300g of chocolate in them and I am NOT replacing my chocolate with fruit.

I was interested to see the final texture and so an experiment began. I have also just realised apple sauce begins with 'A' so I am sliding it in as a last minute alpha bakes entry!

Apple sauce brownies

200g dark chocolate 
40g butter50g groundnut oil, or another 50g butter
85g apple sauce230g caster sugar130g plain flour3 eggs
100g white chocolate, I used giant milky bar buttons

Preheat the oven to 170C/150C FAN. Grease and line a brownie tin with baking parchment.

Place the butter, oil and chocolate in a heat proof bowl and set over a pan of barely simmering water. Allow to melt, stirring from time to time. When fully melted remove the bowl from the heat and mix in the sugar until fully incorporated. Next stir in the flour until no more remains visible. Finally add the eggs one at time and stir until combined. 

Pour the brownie mix into the prepared pan and level out with a spatula, or the back of a spoon. 
Bake in the oven for 25-35 minutes until flaky on top but not overcooked, you want a nice fudgey centre! Remove from the oven and allow to cool in the tin for at least an hour this will make removal  much easier. 

The verdict? These were good, they were pretty fudgey and chewy in the centre and crisp on top. Not as fudgey as a full fat brownie with not quite that oozey goo in the very centre. Its possible I over baked them a little but I am sure its the apple sauce. You could not really taste the apple unless you got a small piece, maybe a should have sieved the apple sauce first. I would definitely try fruit purée in future bakes.