Black Forest Brownie Hearts

Here is a Valentine’s Day-inspired variation of my Paleo brownies. I pressed the batter/dough into a heart-shaped mold to make these super cute.

These have a mild berry flavor, but if you are a cherry fanatic, try these tips for making the cherry flavor stronger (without adding artificial flavors):

• replace the milk with sweet cherry juice
• replace the applesauce with pureed fresh cherries
• replace the chocolate chips with chocolate covered dried cherries (chopped)
• Get creative and have fun!

If you try any of these variations, let me know how they turn out : )

Black Forest Brownie Hearts

Black forest Brownie Hearts
Makes 6 hearts

Paleo, Vegan, Gluten-free; Free of: eggs, soy, gluten, corn, nuts

1/2 cup dried bing cherries
1/2 cup applesauce (room temperature)
3 Tablespoons coconut oil
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/4 cup coconut flour
1/4 cup cocoa powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4-1/3 cup milk of choice
1/3 cup chocolate chips

1. Pre-heat the oven to 350 ˚ F and spray a heart-shaped tin or silicone mold with spray oil. If you don’t have a heart shaped mold, you can cook these in an 8″ x 8″ pan and use heart-shaped cookie cutters to cut out heart shapes once they have cooled completely.
2. Put the dried cherries and the applesauce into a food processor and process until pureed. Add in the coconut oil and vanilla and process again until well blended.
3. In a separate bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients. Add in the pureed fruit and mix together with a hand blender. Slowly add in the milk while blending until incorporated.  Stir in the chocolate chips if using.
4.  Fill the heart shapes full (there is no need for liners with these). The batter is quite thick, so you will have to press the batter/dough into the shaped tin.
5. Bake for 20-25 minutes, or until the brownies have set well (in an 8″ x 8″ pan, these would cook for about 30 minutes). Let cool for a bit before removing from the pan. These hold together better and taste the best when they have cooled for several hours (sometimes overnight). It takes a bit for these to set up completely, so they will be wet inside if you dig in too soon!  Enjoy!

You can cook the batter in an 8×8” pan instead; these will cook for @ 35 minutes at 350˚ F.