My Morning Chocolate

Yum! Chocolate brownies in the morning...

The title of this blog is significant: I eat chocolate most mornings, right after I get up.  For the runners with a sweet tooth, an old coach told me the best time for sugar is after a run and I run in the mornings (I don’t remember the reason for this and, of course, I can’t find anything to corroborate it.  But Runner’s World suggests eating protein bars, healthy candy bars that can have lots of sugar – and yes, protein too.  But that’s a minor detail.  You can always have your chocolate with some milk).

Regardless, the coach’s advice is good enough for me because I like any excuse to eat chocolate.  I stretch his words slightly, thinking that before a run should be a good time for sugar too because you’ll burn it right off (if you consume it in moderation of course).

This rich, dense double fudge brownie recipe is my favorite chocolate to eat in the morning.  One recommendation: don’t omit the chocolate chips.  The finished product doesn’t taste the same without them.

Double Fudge Brownies
Adapted from King Arthur Flour’s Whole Grain Baking

½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter
2 cups brown sugar
¾ cup cocoa (I like Ghiradelli best)
½ cup applesauce
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
¼ cup cold coffee
1 tbsp vanilla extract (you can skip this and still get delicious brownies)
4 large eggs
½ cups traditional whole wheat flour
½ cup chocolate chips

Preheat the oven to 350. Lightly grease a 9 x 13-inch pan (I use a 9½ x 7½ casserole dish and increase the cooking time).

Melt the butter in a medium microwave-safe bowl or in a saucepan set over low heat.  Add the sugar and stir to combine.  Return the mixture to the  microwave (or heat) briefly, until it’s hot and starting to bubble (if you’re cooking on the stovetop, be careful here; the mixture can burn easily).    Heating the mixture a second time will dissolve more of the sugar, which will yield a shiny top crust on your brownies.

Stir in the cocoa (followed by the applesauce), baking powder, salt, coffee, and vanilla.  Cool the mixture until you can test it with your finger; it should feel like comfortably hot bath water (mixing in the cold applesauce should cool it enough).  Whisk in the eggs, stirring until smooth, then add the flour and chips, again stirring until smooth.  Spoon the batter into the prepared pan.

Bake the brownies until a cake tester or sharp knife poked into the center reveals wet crumbs but not raw batter, 30 minutes (50 to 55 minutes for the 9½ x 7½ dish).  The brownies should feel set on the edges and in the center.  Remove them from the oven and cool on a rack; cover when cool.  Let sit overnight before serving; this gives the bran a chance to soften, giving the brownies a more pleasing texture (yes, the recipe says this! Who are they talking to?  I cut into mine before their cool).