Amazing Vegan Brownies

In keeping with my comfort foods (I know some are saying, girlfriend you JUST made cookies for crying out loud) well . . . yesterday I craved brownies! I think desserts should be mandatory for all dinners. A cookie, a scoop of soy ice cream, a piece of cake, a slice of pie, a brownie, a banana with peanut butter--it does not matter. For me, nothing rounds out a day better than, after a great meal, having dessert. I have never been on a diet. Not that I don't sometimes have to ramp up the running/exercising to compensate for the calories--sometimes I do. Hey, I'm not a small woman, I am tall, and unlike some on these crazy tv ads: "I was a size 10, now I'm a size 4"--what the heck, when did a size 10 become a "large" size--oh please! Anyhow, for me, the key is in the amount of calories coming in being balanced with calories expended out. BTW, eating the brownie itself counts as a "calorie expended" too! Yes, I made delicious Amaranth Ginger Shortbread cookies two nights ago--a little something for the cookie jar. . . a little something for the cake plate, too! These brownies are just the right amount--not your 9x13 pan of them, but rather an 9" square pan. Just enough to get us through the weekend. I can make these last for a week keeping them in a container in the fridge. To me, they actually taste better the older they are. If you are chocolate averse, well, I am sorry for you. If not, you will love these! I topped mine with ganache--mmmmmm.

Amazing Vegan Brownies

1 1/8 cup cocoa powder (I used Ghiradelli unsweetened) *1/8 cup is half of a 1/4 cup

1 cup unbleached all-purpose flour

1/4 teaspoon plus 1/8 teaspoon baking powder *1/8 teaspoon is half of 1/4 teaspoon

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/8 teaspoon cinnamon *optional

1 1/2 tablespoon Ener-G Egg Replacer

1/4 cup plus 1/8 cup water

3/4 cup soy milk
1/2 cup plus 1/8 cup canola oil

1/2 tablespoon vanilla extract

1 1/2 cup Sucanat or Florida Crystals (try to get the Sucanat)

1/2 cup mini chocolate chips

Ganache

1 cup powdered sugar

1/4 cup canola oil

1 teaspoon vanilla

1/3 cup cocoa

3 tablespoons arrowroot

1/4 cup water

Preheat oven to 350. Grease and flour a 9" baking pan. In a large bowl, mix together the dry ingredients. In a separate bowl, mix by hand the wet ingredients until smooth. Add wet ingredients to dry. Mix by hand--there may be a few lumps, that's ok. Fold in the mini chips. Pour into baking pan. Bake for 25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted comes out with a few crumbs on it--don't overbake. You will have a dense brownie--with a moist crumb.

For ganache, add all ingredients to a saucepan. Mix well over medium heat. Keep stirring but do not let come to a boil. Turn off heat as mixture begins to thicken. While mixture is still warm, pour over warm brownies and set aside. Let brownies cool. Slice and serve!