Deceptively Delicious Brownies
I’ve been wanting to try this recipe for a long time. It’s the spinach and carrot brownies from “Deceptively Delicious” by Jessica Seinfeld. I know there are many newlywed wives who have picky eaters for husbands and a cookbook like this one can help keep their hubbies healthy without them even know it. There are some people have moral objections to sneaking foods into their loved one’s meals. I consider myself lucky that hubby will eat basically anything. So I would never have to think about sneaking veggies into his meals, but I was still very intrigued by the idea that you can put veggies into a dessert and they supposedly go unnoticed.
I made these last night and let them cool overnight. I realized as I was falling asleep that I used unsweetened baking chocolate instead of semisweet or bittersweet. When I tried one, the chocolate taste was a bit harsh. I think that was due to the unsweetened chocolate. I did like the texture and how well they baked up. I had hubby try one and he had a very similar critique. I told him about the chocolate mishap ahead of time. Although he didn’t say anything about it tasting weird (other than the chocolate tasting a little off). When I told him there were veggies in the brownie, he said he couldn’t even tell.
Deceptively Delicious – I got the recipe from Not Quite Nigella
Nonstick cooking spray
3 oz/90g semisweet or bittersweet chocolate
1/2 cup carrot puree*
1/2 cup spinach puree*
1/2 cup firmly packed light or dark brown sugar
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
2 Tbsp. trans-fat-free soft tub margarine spread
2 tsp. pure vanilla extract
2 large egg whites
3/4 cup oat flour or plain flour – I bumped up the baking powder and salt to account for not using self-rising flour as suggested on Not Quite Nigella
1/2 tsp. baking powder – I used a heaping 1/2 tsp
1/2 tsp. salt – I used a heaping 1/2 tsp
Preheat the oven to 350° degrees.
Coat an 8″ x 8″ baking pan with cooking spray or line with baking paper.
Melt the chocolate in a double boiler or over a very low flame (or in microwave) In a large bowl, combine the melted chocolate, vegetable purees, sugar, cocoa powder, margarine and vanilla and whisk until smooth and creamy, 1 to 2 minutes.
Whisk in egg whites. Stir in the flour, baking powder, and salt with a wooden spoon.
Pour the batter into the pan and bake 35 to 40 minutes. Cool completely in the pan before cutting into 12 bars.
Created by Jessica Seinfeld
From the book Deceptively Delicious
Makes 12 brownies
I used about 6 oz of spinach which yielded 3/4 cup of spinach puree. For the carrots, I used 3 large handfuls of baby carrots and it yielded about 1 1/4 cup of carrot puree. I’m not sure what I’ll do with my leftover puree, but I’m sure I’ll find something to do with it…
How to puree spinach
PREP No prep at all for baby spinach. For mature spinach, fold leaves in half lengthwise with the stem outside, then strip the stem off the leaf.
COOK Steam for 30 to 40 seconds, or cook in a skillet with 1 tablespoon of water for about 90 seconds, or just until wilted.
PUREE In a food processor or blender for about 2 minutes, until smooth and creamy.
How to puree carrots
PREP Peel, trim the ends and cut into 3-inch chunks. 
COOK Steam for 10 to 12 minutes.
PUREE In a food processor or blender for about 2 minutes, with a few teaspoons of water if needed for a smooth texture. 
I am Jen the Beantown Baker. Engineer by day and baking maven by night. Hubby serves as my #1 fan and official taste tester. We got hitched back in 2006. Barefoot. In the sand. With the waves crashing behind us. It was one of the best decisions we’ve ever made. 
What an awesome way to feature goat cheese in a dessert! I never thought of turning it into a chocolate mousse – sounds like I need to try this soon. 🙂
beantownbaker — June 7th, 2013 @ 8:51 am
You definitely should. I know goat cheese isn’t for everyone, but we really enjoyed the subtle flavor in the mousse.
Jen, I love everything about this tart – from the chocolate crust to the mousse and the pretty strawberries on top. Yum! Enjoy your birthday month 🙂
beantownbaker — June 7th, 2013 @ 8:52 am
Thanks for humoring me on the whole birthday month thing 🙂
Ohhh lalalalala, I totally dig this dessert even more because it has goat cheese and strawberries…some of my fave foods!! Happy Birthday month…you better party and eat like it’s your birthday!!
beantownbaker — June 7th, 2013 @ 1:52 pm
Oh I’m definitely going to party like it’s my birthday! All month long 🙂
oh yes to the goat cheese in this tart! fabulous. happy birthday month 🙂 you might need to make this a few more times to celebrate?!
beantownbaker — June 10th, 2013 @ 12:09 pm
Oh I have been baking plenty of deliciousness this month to celebrate 🙂 You know how hard it is to repeat recipes…
Love the idea of incorporating goat cheese in a dessert- I have never seen it down with chocolate before. I will definitely be trying this soon as I have some goat cheese in my fridge waiting to be used 🙂
beantownbaker — June 11th, 2013 @ 7:20 am
Oh yea, goat cheese and chocolate go really well together.
Oh my, the use of goat cheese in this is phenomenal! I would love to try it!
beantownbaker — June 11th, 2013 @ 8:46 am
Definitely do! And you could top it with any fruit you like. I think raspberries would be good too.
Chocolate must work great with goat cheese since they’re both utterly delicious!! This recipe looks magnificent omg I think I would be able to eat the whole tart by myself *-*
Goat cheese is one of my favorite ingredients to use in desserts, and your tart looks soooo delicious! Thanks for sharing =) Definitely a must try this summer.
Oh wow this is gorgeous! I love this recipe, I bet it tastes heavenly!
I just finished making my second one for this week…we love it…it is so smooth and rich and well D E L I C I O U S!!!…my grandson requested the second one but truth be told I was gonna make it anyway…the bittersweet chocolate and the cocoa in the crust are what make it….if anyone out there hasn’t tried it do so you will be in love….
beantownbaker — June 25th, 2013 @ 5:38 pm
So glad you’ve enjoyed it! I definitely need to make this again. I have already made it with raspberries but want to try blackberries next.
you wont believe it but I made this AGAIN yesterday…I did a play on bananas foster on the top…it was a hit with my company…and good recipes for sweets for the 4th?..lol….
beantownbaker — July 3rd, 2013 @ 5:02 pm
Wow – bananas foster on top. I would never have thought of that! I am making this tart and this strawberry shortcake for the 4th.
So sinful and delicious looking 🙂
Holy yumminess. I never thought of putting goat cheese in. My mouth is watering at the thought. Strawberries are my absolute favorite berry of all time. I will have to for sure try this recipe, Got it saved to my personal file. thank you.
I love chocolate mousse and I love goat cheese, so clearly I need to make this!
Also, there is strawberry picking (not sure it is organic though if that matters) up here near Oxford. I can get you the info for next year if driving up here is not a problem (I imagine it depends on what side of Cinci you live 🙂 ).
beantownbaker — August 4th, 2013 @ 6:44 pm
I definitely don’t mind driving for freshly picked strawberries!!
I love absolutely EVERYTHING about this recipe! It’s hard to beat mixing tangy goat cheese with chocolate and berries. What a unique recipe!
beantownbaker — September 25th, 2013 @ 4:11 pm
It tastes as good as it sounds! I hope you try it.
WOW! What a wonderful recipe! Definitely one of my new favorites! Happy birthday month!
Does this go in the fridge covered or uncovered and how long does it last? Thanks!