A little treat

Since tomorrow is VDAY, I thought I would post a sweet dessert recipe.
The beauty of this one is that it's, on top of being delicious, vegan, sugar-free and can be made gluten free.

It's a chocolate-cherry brownie with chocolate icing. YUMMMMMY.
I don't know for you, but if chocolate is involved, it's probably going to be something I would love. And cherries? Man, I am all over this.

So in the spirit of love and all things red and romantic, why not make this little treat for a loved one?

Here are your lists of ingredients

Brownie:

- 1½ cups unbleached all-purpose flour (you can use gluten-free flours like coco flour)

- ¾ cup splenda

- ½ teaspoon salt

- 1 teaspoon baking soda

- ¼ cup unsweetened cocoa powder

- ¼ cup of melted unsweetened chocolate

- 1½ teaspoons vanilla extract

- ⅓ cup canola oil

- 1 tablespoon white distilled vinegar

- 1 cup cold water

- 1 cup of pitted, fresh cherries
- 2/3 cup of unsweetened chocolate chips

Icing:

- 2 cups organic splenda

- ¼ cup (½ stick) dairy-free margarine, softened (Earth balance)

- ¼ cup plain unsweetened coconut milk

- ¾ cup unsweetened pure cocoa powder

- ¼ cup of melted unsweetened chocolate

- ½ tablespoon vanilla

Here is what you need to do for the brownie :

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F.
2. Mix the dry ingredients in a large bowl.
3. Add the wet ingredients to the dry mixture and mix until just combined. Including the melted chocolate.
4. Add the cherries and chocolate chips.
5. Pour into a lightly oiled 9-inch cake pan and cook for 30 minutes, or until sticking a toothpick in the center comes out clean.
6. Once it's cooled down, transfer it to a cute plate.

Easy, right? Wait till you see the instructions for the icing!

1. In a medium-large mixing bowl, using an electric hand mixer, cream the splenda with the margarine until mixture is thick but well combined.
2. Add the coconut milk, cocoa powder, melted chocolate and vanilla, and continue to mix until smooth.

Now all that is left to do it spread some of that yummy chocolate frosting on top of your brownie, cool it in the refrigerator for 15 minutes to let the icing set and then serve!

Done! See, there's no reason for you not to try this! And the beautiful thing is, if you insist on making it with real butter and sugar, you can. Just change the splenda for the sugar and the vegan margarine for butter. Same amounts.

You can also add strawberries or raspberries instead of the cherries. Just make sure it's fresh fruit. It help keep the brownie moist and decadent.

But I really hope you'll stick to the original recipe ;)

Enjoy!