Almond Brownies

We are pumped to post this brownie recipe for several reasons.  First, this recipe is a sneak preview of Tia Mowrey's, whose show Tia Mowry at Home premiers on The Cooking Channel on Wednesday, April 29th at 9:00pmET/6:00pmPT.  Tia is a busy mom herself, and we are thrilled to have been asked by The Food Network/The Cooking Channel to give her recipe a try in our Busy Moms' kitchens.

Second, I am excited to share this recipe because, well, these brownies are flat out awesome.  The prunes seem a bit unconventional, but the added sweetness and flavor mixed with the cocoa, mmmmmm.... And the best part? The sea salt sprinkled on top.  The combination of the sweet, almondy, chocolaty goodness and the salty topping provided by our favorite sea salt - Sea Love Sea Salt out of Wrightsville Beach, NC - is decadent and irresistible.  This one is so worth the splurge.

INGREDIENTS:

• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature, plus more for greasing the pan
• 1/2 cup almond butter
• 2 large eggs
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1/4 cup prune puree (I used baby food)
• 2 teaspoons vanilla
• 3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1/2 cup whole-wheat flour
• 1/2 teaspoon fine salt
• 3/4 cup mini chocolate chips
• 1/4 cup walnuts, chopped
• 1/2 teaspoon flaky sea salt (try Sea Love's!)

DIRECTIONS:

1. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Grease an 8-by-8-inch pan with butter. Cut a piece of parchment to hang over 2 sides of the pan.  Mix together the butter and almond butter by hand in a large mixing bowl. Beat the eggs in a small bowl, then add them to the butter mixture. Mix in the sugar, prune puree and vanilla.
2. Whisk together the cocoa powder, flour and salt in a separate bowl. Gently stir the flour mixture into the wet ingredients. Mix by hand just until combined; do not over-mix. Stir in the chocolate chips and walnuts. Pour the batter into the prepared pan. Sprinkle with the flaky sea salt.
3. Bake until a toothpick inserted in the middle of the brownies comes out clean, about 30 minutes. Remove to a wire rack to cool, and then cut into squares.

Difficulty: medium

Time: 1 hour 20 minutes (includes 20 minutes prep as well as cooking and cooling time)

Source: Tia Mowry at Home- Premiering Wednesday, April 29^th at 9:00pmET/6:00pmPT - SERIES PREMIERE! (COOKING CHANNEL)

Skinny Chunky Monkey Cookies

I saw these on Facebook a while back when I was trying to detox myself from the holiday sweets.  I had sworn myself to no sweet treats for at least a week, but going cold turkey is tough.  When I saw this ingredient list, I decided that these cookies looked awesome and that I could definitely use them to soothe my cravings.  My kids and I made them together and they loved them.  They happily nicknamed them the "Healthy Cookies" and are thrilled to help make them nearly every time that we have three overripe bananas.  We've made them often enough now that they have earned their own bag in our drawer that we reuse when we make them.  These cookies clearly aren't the same as a sugar-laden oatmeal chocolate cookie, but they are tasty and pretty much guilt-free.  They are great for a snack and before an early morning run, too!

INGREDIENTS:

• 3 ripe bananas
• 2 cups quick oats
• 1/4 cup peanut butter
• 1/4 cup cocoa powder
• 1/3 cup of unsweetened applesauce (a GoGo Squeeze 3.2 oz pouch works perfectly, too, if that is what you have)
• 1 tsp vanilla

DIRECTIONS:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  In a large bowl, mash bananas well.  Add remaining ingredients and mix thoroughly.
2. Drop by teaspoonful onto an ungreased cookie sheet.  The cookies will more or less keep their shape, so flatten if desired.  Bake for 10-12 minutes.  Makes about 30.

Difficulty: easy - my kids do most of it

Time: 10 minutes prep, 10-12 minute baking

Source: shared on Facebook; original source unknown (If it is you let us know!)