One of my Twitter friends expressed an interest in some vegan baking recipes. I have a few for you…and here is one to start. If you are vegan and you cannot find vegan baker’s chocolate, use about 16 oz. vegan chocolate chips and decrease the amount of maple syrup by about 1/2 c.

8 oz. unsweetened baker’s chocolate
1 1/2 cups maple syrup, grade B
1 cup applesauce
1 1/2 cups soy milk or skim milk
1 tablespoon vanilla
2 cups firm tofu (not silken)
1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
1 teaspoon salt
2 1/2 cups walnuts or pecans

Begin by blending applesauce, tofu, soy milk or skim milk, maple syrup, and vanilla until it is completely smooth. Heat applesauce mixture with chocolate on low to medium heat. Stir frequently to keep chocolate from burning.

When chocolate is entirely melted, preheat the oven to 375. Add flour and salt and stir or whisk until “just mixed.” Last, stir in pecans.

Pour batter into a greased 13x9x2 pan. Bake at 375F for 35-40 minutes until a toothpick stuck into the middle of the brownies comes out clean.