Texas Brownies

Not sure why they are called Texas Brownies, perhaps because everything is bigger in Texas? The pan you need is a jelly roll pan or a large sheet pan with a minimum of one inch around the edge. In my family these are Nana's Texas Brownies. My Nana lived in Nebraska and Minnesota at different times. When she lived in Minnesota when I was little I remember her teaching my how to make cookies. As I grew up she moved back home to Nebraska. The one thing I will always remember about her Nebraska house in the winter around the Christmas holidays is that the garage was as cold as a refrigerator, and at times as cold as a freezer, and no one used the front door every cousin walked in through the garage. Along the wall leading to the house and over and beside the door were shelves full of ice cream buckets. In those buckets were cookies. Lots and lots of cookies. And if you happened to be walking in the door with Uncle Dale, Brian, Eric, Tim, or Craig you could get the most sought after cookies. They were the ones you had to be tall to reach. I'm pretty sure that they were the ones that put those buckets in that location because my Nana wasn't super tall like they were. We are headed into the holiday season and a bit of me got nostalgic the other day. I didn't have diagnosed food allergies when I was a kid, and so I could indulge in any treat Nana made. These brownies never made it outside to the garage cooler shelves. The pan would sit inside her washer/dryer closet in the kitchen. It had a bifold door. I'm not sure how she did it but I know she never oiled it to fix the noise it made opening. She would scold you for sneaking a brownie, but we all knew she never really meant it. Now that I'm older with annoying food allergies. I decided it's time to make some of the treats edible to me again. So without further ado soy free, dairy free, egg free Texas Brownies.

2 c. flour
2 c. granulated sugar
1/2 c. Canola oil

(Optional) 2 drips dairy free butter flavoring by Wilton
1/2 c. shortening (spectrum farms)
1 c. strong coffee 
1/2 c. Coconut buttermilk ( to make simply put 1tblsp of vinegar into 1 cup canned coconut milk)

1/4 cup Apple sauce (cheat: I used 1 pouch of go go squeeze Apple apple sauce)
1/4 c. dark cocoa (unsweetened)
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. vanilla

In large mixing bowl, combine flour and sugar. In heavy saucepan, combine conola oil , butter flavoring, shortening, coffee or water, and cocoa. Stir and heat to boiling. Pour boiling mixture over flour and sugar in bowl. Add the coconut buttermilk, applesauce,  baking soda, and vanilla. Mix well, using wooden spoon or high speed on electric mixer. Pour into well buttered 17 1/2 x 11 inch jelly roll pan. Bake at 400 degrees for 20 minutes. While brownies bake, prepare frosting.

FROSTING FOR TEXAS BROWNIES:

1/2 c. Spectrum shortening
2 tbsp. dark cocoa
1/4 c. Coconut milk
3 1/2 c. unsifted powdered sugar
1 tsp. vanilla

In saucepan, combine the shortening, cocoa, and coconut milk. Heat to boiling, stirring. Mix in powdered sugar and vanilla until frosting is smooth. Pour warm frosting over brownies as soon as you take them out of the oven. Cool. Cut into 48 bars.