Velvety Red Brownies

My Aunt Pauline loved red velvet cake. She wasn’t as interested in alternative flours, beets or quinoa as she was in a smooth Coca-Cola Classic and a nice, long brown ciggy. She did write a few of her cherished recipes, including red velvet cake, inside the cover of a 1923 edition of The Boston Cooking School Cookbook. Here’s a 2021 modification of the 1923 classic: Velvety Red Brownies.

1 cup beets, roasted, peeled and puréed

1/2 cup of your favorite baking oil

3 eggs or flax equivalent

1 teaspoon vanilla extract or Kentucky bourbon

3/4 cup honey, coconut sugar, maple syrup or date syrup

1 cup + 3 tablespoons total alternative baking flours-like almond, quinoa, coconut or cassava

1/3 cup cocoa powder

pinch salt

1/4 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 cup chocolate chips for a topping.

Preheat oven to 350°. Prepare an 8 inch square baking pan by spraying with cooking spray. Blend all ingredients except for chocolate chips in a high speed blender or food processor until they become a batter.
Bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Add chocolate chips while the cake is hot. Cool 30 minutes before slicing.