Did you know brownies are actually part of the cookie family and not the cake family?

Yes, they are bar cookies, the type you bake in a tin and slice into bars of various sizes and/or shapes.

I was a bit taken aback by this, to be honest. When I eat one, I don’t think of it as a cookie, cause the shape and texture are totally different to a chocolate chip cookie for example.

But I digress.

I think brownies are one of those bakes that have been constantly re-invented to suit younger palates and little fingers from 6 months or whenever mothers start solids with their little ones.

There are kid friendly brownie recipes out there that incorporate veggies too (because… you know, toddlers are selective).

This one I’m sharing here doesn’t.

But it does have one quirky ingredient and I’ll let you find out what it is if you jump to the recipe now.

Are you team fudge or team cake?

A fudgy brownie is denser and moister than its cake-ish counterpart.

Myself, I’d rather have some fluffiness in there, combined with just a little moisture to balance things out nicely.

For little ones just starting out, a cake-y consistency might be more suitable, as it won’t stick to the roofs of their mouths like the fudgier ones do.

This baby friendly brownie recipe I’m sharing here is rather on the moist side, but I would recommend it from 6 months and up because it’s not sticky (or at least, that was my opinion).

Can I make any substitutions in this kid friendly brownie recipe?

Any substitutions that you make from the list below is going to affect taste and flavour.

But technically, here is what you can do in case you don’t have one ingredient or more:

• Use any nut butter

• Use any liquid sweetener or I suspect it can be replaced with an equal amount of mashed fruit or applesauce

• Use melted butter or coconut oil instead of the vegetable oil – any neutral tasting oil will work

• Use cacao powder instead of carob if you feel comfortable with it – I tend to avoid recommending it for very little ones; or you can leave it out completely and the end result will look more like a blondie rather than a brownie

• Use any type of flour that you’ve got (if self-raising, leave out the baking powder in the recipe)

• Use any type of beans that you’ve got – I bet chickpeas work well too.

All these being said, let’s get baking!

Other great recipes to try or what to read next:

• 125 first foods for babies with no teeth

• Basic waffle recipe

• Easy peasy scones

• Basic muffins recipe