Let’s Bake: Chocolate and Peanut Butter Brownies (gluten free)

We adore brownies but with beach body season still in full swing, a giant slab of chocolatey goodness seems suddenly sinful. Thankfully, we've found a recipe for (almost) guilt free brownies! This recipe is also gluten free and vegan so you can make them for all of your friends, colleagues and family, whatever their dietary requirements.

At only 140 calories a piece, these chocolate and peanut butter brownies are full of nutritious ingredients that taste amazing without breaking your diet.

• Two tablespoons of peanut butter (go for organic if you can)
• Two tablespoons of natural, unsweetened apple sauce
• 1/4 of a cup of agave syrup
• 1 teaspoon vanilla essence
• 1/4 cup of chopped up dark chocolate (not all chocolate is gluten free so make sure to check the label if you are baking for someone with an allergy)
• 1/2 a cup cocoa powder
• 1/2 teaspoon of baking powder

We used our trusty Joseph Joseph nest of bowls and measuring cups to make these measurements really easy to follow, and to brighten up our bake. Doesn't the brownie mix look even more delicious against the turquoise mixing bowl?

1. Preheat the oven to 180 degrees. Line a tin with greaseproof paper, a small, square cake tin works best for this, but if you'd like more brownies to share (or eat yourself) double the mixture and go for a larger tin.
2. Mix together the peanut butter, agave nectar, apple sauce and vanilla essence until the mixture is smooth. Add the cocoa powder and baking powder, then mix until smooth.
3. Add half of the chopped up chocolate to the mixture and stir. Fill your prepared tin with the mixture, smooth down the top and sprinkle the remaining chocolate on the top.
4. Place in the oven and bake for around 18-20 minutes or until the top is set. These taste best when they're a bit underdone so don't let them bake for too long.
5. Remove from the oven and leave to cool in the tin on a wire rack. Once cooled, cut into squares and devour!

If you try out this recipe, send us a photo of them on twitteror Facebook, we'd love to see them!

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