Brownies (whole wheat & flax seed…but don’t tell!)

Ok. I love a brownie as much as the next girl.  In fact, my own girls love a brownie more than your average girl.  BUT -I can’t bring myself to send them with Mama’s Top Secret Brownies slathered with icing to school.  I can, however, surprise them with one of these in their lunch on a Friday.  Actually, they are so similar in taste to a regular brownie that you don’t even notice the “better choices” ingredients.  They are just as good dusted with powdered sugar or straight up, but we like them topped with a handful of chocolate chips.

Recipe

1 cup sugar

1/2 cup melted butter

2 eggs

1 tsp vanilla

1/3 cup cocoa powder

1/4 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp salt

1/2 whole wheat flour

4 tbsp ground flax seed flour

1 handful of semi-sweet chocolate chips

1. Mix eggs, sugar and vanilla in a mixing bowl.
2. Add melted butter and stir fairly quickly to avoid cooking the eggs.  In fact, let the butter cool slightly after melting it in the pot or in the microwave.
3. In a separate bowl, whisk together flour, ground flax seeds, baking powder, salt and cocoa powder.
4. Add the flour blend to the wet ingredients and mix until combined but do not over mix.
5. Grease and flour a square baking pan.  Pour batter into pan and bake for 25-30 minutes at 350 degrees.  They are ready when they are just firm to the touch and slightly pulling away from the edges of the pan.  Also, follow your nose!  Baking always smells good at the end when it’s nearly finished.  Once you start to smell them, keep an eye on them.  They are best when they are JUST cooked but still soft and moist.
6. Immediately sprinkle the top of the hot brownies with the chocolate chips.  Try to get them evenly spread out without having to move them around.  They start to melt right away.  You can gently press them down a bit so that they stick to the tops of the brownies when they cool down enough for cutting.  They can portion them off and freeze them.  Toss them frozen into lunch boxes for a special treat at school.

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