Banana Brownies (egg-free)

Since it's still been so cold here, I've been craving baked goods. And because chocolate baked goods are the best kind, I decided to experiment with egg-free banana brownies. After some tweaking, I think I like these egg-free brownies even better than the original ones. They are nice and chewy with a great chocolate flavor. This time I sprinkled the chocolate chips on top, but it would also work to stir the chocolate chips into the batter.

Banana Brownies (egg-free)
makes an 8"x8" pan of brownies

Ingredients:

• 4 ounces of unsweetened chocolate
• 3 Tbsp. canola oil
• 3/4 cup granulated white sugar
• 1 Tbsp. ground flax seed meal
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract
• 2/3 cup Bob's Red Mill gluten-free flour
• 1/8 tsp. baking soda
• 1/4 tsp. cream of tartar
• 1/4 tsp. sea salt
• 1 cup mashed ripe banana (approximately 2 large bananas)
• 1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips. The two kinds I use that do not contain milk fat are Trader Joe's semi-sweet chocolate chips and Ghirardelli semi-sweet chocolate chips.

Instructions:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line an 8"x8" Pyrex pan with aluminum foil and lightly grease the foil with canola oil.

Chop the unsweetened chocolate and place it in a small saucepan over low heat. Add the 3 tablespoons of canola oil to the pan and stir. Stir frequently until the chocolate has melted; then remove the pan from the heat and set aside to cool slightly. In a medium bowl sift the flour, baking soda, cream of tartar, and sea salt.

Returning to the pan with the melted chocolate, stir in the sugar, flax seed meal, and vanilla. Mash the bananas using a fork or a food chopper and stir the mashed banana into the pot with the chocolate. Pour the chocolate banana mixture into the bowl with the flour and stir just until no traces of flour remain. Fold the chocolate chips into the batter, if desired.

Pour the batter into the Pyrex pan and spread to smooth. If desired, sprinkle chocolate chips over the top of the batter. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean. Let the brownies cool in the pan for at least 1 hour before cutting them.