Mexican Hot Chocolate Brownie Bites

Did everyone have an enjoyable Derby Day? I did! 

Don't you LOVE my hat?! Etsy is awesome. I found that for $20 with shipping where others were going for upward of $200! Amazing, huh? So the Kentucky Derby was on Saturday as well as Cinco de Mayo. How fun! You could choose to drink Mint Juleps or Margaritas. I chose wine. I did have one Mint Julep though, since I was at a Derby party.

I figured since I was celebrating the Derby on Saturday, I'd bring in something to celebrate Cinco de Mayo on Quatro de Mayo. I found these yummy brownie bites and thought to add some spices to make them "Mexican Hot Chocolate" brownie bites.

The brownie recipe is from a vegan dessert blog Chocolate Covered Katie and I just added the spices I found from a few other recipes for Mexican Hot Chocolate Brownies. I also used regular sugar and unbleached all purpose flour since I was taking these to work and not everyone is into the same tastes as I am.

This recipe used tofu to give it body as well as provide some kind of protein. I used regular tofu I found at Trader Joe's. It wasn't silken or Mori-Nu but it worked. I wouldn't try to use extra firm though. considering you probably want soft, fluffy brownies.

The melted coconut oil firmed up when I added it to the cold ingredients so I poured what I could into the bowl of the dry ingredients, melted the food processor container (with out the blade, of course!) into the microwave to melt the remainder and add to the batter.

I scooped the batter into my mini muffin tin. I doubled my batch since I was baking for more than 12 people.

I assumed these wouldn't rise since there was no egg in them but they did. I was pleasantly surprised with how they looked after 16 minutes in the oven at 325F.

Isn't that crazy? It's like magic! These brownies were amazing. I didn't tell anyone they were secretly healthier than regular brownies and no one noticed they were different. They were a huge success. It was only until after they were gone that I mentioned the tofu and lack of egg product. No one believed me!

I made my own batch at home using the original recipe and added very little stevia. I like bitter chocolate though and these were perfect. What did you all do for Derby Day? I hope you had your party pants (and dresses) on and were donning your hats!

Recipe
Yields: 12
Chocolate Covered Katie

1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 cup whole wheat pastry flour (I used unbleached AP flour)
1/4 tsp baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 - 1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/2 cup sweetener (I used regular sugar)
1.5 ounces tofu (about 1/8 box)
1/4 cup applesauce
1.5 Tablespoons coconut oil
1.5 Tablespoons canola oil
2 Tablespoons non-dairy milk (I used vanilla unsweetened almond milk)
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Combine dry ingredients, and mix very well. In a blender, combine wet ingredients and blend until smooth. (I use a Magic Bullet cup.) Pour wet over dry and stir, then pour batter into a mini muffin tin. Cook for 12-18 minutes at 325F.