Roasted Cherry Brownies - And They're Fat Free!!

Not so long ago, we thought that our daughter was allergic to milk and eggs. We avoided both like the plague for about six months before finding out that she in fact was not allergic to milk or eggs or anything else for that matter. That's a long story. The short story is that we learned how to make our own delicious vegan baked goods. My favorite brownie recipe is still vegan - I take them to every get together we attend that requires bringing sweets and everyone else loves them just as much as we do. How could we make such a fabulous brownie recipe even better? Why, add roasted cherries, of course.

Roasted Cherry Brownies

1c Cherries, washed, stemmed, pitted and cut in half
3/4c Thrive White Sugar, divided
1c Unsweetened Applesauce
1t Vanilla
1/3c Thrive Whole Wheat Flour
2/3c Thrive White Flour
1/3c Cocoa Powder
2t Thrive Baking Powder
1/2t Thrive Baking Soda
1/2t Thrive Salt
1/2c Chocolate Chips (optional)
Dash Cinnamon (optional)

Preheat your oven to 400 degrees and grease a small oven safe dish. Combine your cherries and 1/4c sugar in the greased dish and roast them for 20 to 30 minutes or until they are soft. Set aside to cool. Reduce oven temperature to 350.

Meanwhile, combine the remaining ingredients. Once the cherries have cool slightly, gently fold them into the brownie batter. Bake in a well greased 8x8 pan or muffin tin at 350 degrees for 25 to 30 minutes or until center is firm and not sticky. Cool and dust with powdered sugar before serving.

 Serving suggestion: double the amount of roasted cherries, reserve half. Serve brownies warm topped with roasted cherries and whipped cream.