Agave Nectar Brownies

EDIT: I made these brownies and they turned out dry, then my friend Sarah made these brownies and they turned out "dry as a bone." So I'm thinking there's something off about the recipe. The flavor was good, but the consistency was just not what you should expect from a brownie. If you make them with success, let me know. But for now, I'm recommending we add this recipe to the FAIL pile. Sad, I know. The agave dared us to dream so big.


These brownies are adapted from this recipe. I think I may have overcooked mine because they were a bit dry. But I like the idea of using agave nectar in place of sugar. It gave them a very mild sweetness--almost a savory register--which was lovely against the dark, dark chocolate.

1/2 cup butter, melted and cooled slightly
2/3 cup agave nectar
2/3 cup unsweetened cocoa
2 eggs, beaten
1 teaspoon vanilla
2/3 cup whole wheat pastry flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup chopped walnuts (optional)

1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
a couple tablespoons cream

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Grease a 9 inch square pan.

Combine the butter, agave nectar, and cocoa. Whisk in the eggs and vanilla.

In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients, and stir to combine. Add the walnuts, if using.

Pour the batter into the pan and bake for about 20 minutes (? -- the original recipe says 25-30 minutes, but that was too long for my oven).

After the brownies are baked and cooled, melt the chocolate chips in a glass bowl over a small pot of boiling water. Stir in the cream. Pour ganache over the top and allow to cool.