Healthy Hearing Recipes: Dark Chocolate Chunk Brownies

We saved the best for last… dark chocolate (yes, chocolate!) is our final healthy hearing food. Dark chocolate is rich in zinc, which increases your inner ears’ resistance to age-related hearing loss. Before you reach for that bag of M&M’s, make sure you look for dark chocolate that is at least 70% cocoa. There are plenty of ways to enjoy this treat, including indulging in a dark chocolate bar, melting a few squares in milk to make hot chocolate, or melting some as a dip for fresh fruit. The possibilities are endless! But today, we’re sticking with the classics. Here’s a recipe for dark chocolate chunk brownies, adapted from Martha Stewart. Makes 16 brownies

 What You’ll Need:

• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• ¾ cup all-purpose flour
• ½ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• ½ teaspoon salt
• ½ teaspoon baking soda
• 1 cup packed dark brown sugar
• ½ cup unsweetened apple sauce
• ½ cup sour cream
• 4 ounces dark chocolate (at least 70%) – 2 ounces melted, 2 ounces chopped
• 2 large eggs

What To Do:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
• Grease a 9x9 baking pan with oil or butter
• Mix together the dry ingredients: flour, cocoa, salt and baking soda
• In a separate bowl, mix the brown sugar and wet ingredients: applesauce, sour cream, melted chocolate, eggs, and oil
• Combine wet and dry mixtures and stir until completely moistened
• Spread batter into your greased pan and sprinkle with the chopped chocolate
• Bake for 30-35 minutes (or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean)
• Cool completely (or don’t!) and cut into 16 squares

Now get cooking! These brownies won’t make themselves. If you’re still hungry for dark chocolate recipes, check out last week’s post for an easy dark chocolate mousse.

By: Alice Stejskal