These magnificent brownies are so rich, moist, chocolaty, and fudgy. It’s hard to believe they are reduced in fat and calories. One bite and I know you’ll be hooked. Most brownies are made with lots of butter or oil. They can have as much as 500 calories and 23 grams of fat for just one brownie! My skinny brownies are only 192 calories and 6 grams of fat. Just by using a small amount of canola oil moisturized by applesauce these brownies are dense, fudgy, and gooey beyond all expectations. The key is to use the best quality cocoa.* The second trick is to under-bake them. I also use dark brown sugar as opposed to a golden brown. This enhances their flavor. I hope you try these soon. They are pure chocolate bliss!
Ingredients
- 1 large egg white
- 1 large egg, I love Egg-Land’s Best eggs
- ½ cup unsweetened applesauce
- 3 tablespoons canola oil
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- 1 cup sugar
- ¾ cup dark brown sugar, packed
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 cup unsweetened cocoa, see shopping tips
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup semi-sweet chocolate chips or dark chocolate chips, I used Ghirardelli
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Coat a 9” non-stick baking pan with cooking spray.
- In an electric mixer or using a hand mixer in a large bowl, combine the egg whites, egg, applesauce, canola oil, and vanilla.
- Add both sugars and blend well. Stir in the flour, cocoa, baking powder, and salt, and ¼ cup chocolate chips and mix just until smooth. Do not over-mix.
- Pour the batter into the prepared pan and spread evenly. Sprinkle the remaining ¼ cup of chips evenly over the top of the brownies.
- Bake for 20-25 minutes or until just set. A toothpick inserted into the outside edge should come out almost clean, but the middle should still be somewhat soft. The key to this brownie is in the bake time. It should be slightly under-baked in the middle to give it the fudgy consistency. The inside must remain soft. Over baking will change the brownie by causing it to be dry and cakelike. I usually remove them from the oven at 22-23 minutes. I let them set a bit. If too gooey, I place them back in the oven for 2-3 more minutes.
- Remove from the oven and let cool on the countertop.
- Cut into 16 squares. Store in an airtight container for a few days. They freeze great, too!
Notes
Makes 16 brownies
Food Facts
The first known recipe for brownies was published in the Sears and Roebuck Catalogue in 1897. Folklore has its origin coming from a careless cook who forgot to add the baking powder to the cake batter recipe. The origin is thought to be from America. Cocoa Powder is made from ground, powdered cocoa beans with the bulk of the cocoa butter removed. Cocoa Powder comes either natural or Dutch-processed. Dutch-processed cocoa tastes much richer and works best for baking.
Shopping Tips
Most grocery stores carry the usual Hershey’s or Nestles unsweetened cocoa*. I do not recommend either of those brands. The key in any recipe that calls for unsweetened cocoa is to choose rich cocoa such as Ghiradelli Droste, Scharffen Berger, Waltkins, or Callebaut. Most supermarkets sell Ghirardelli. Although many grocery stores carry these other brands, you can certainly find them at specialty stores like William Sonoma, Gelsons, and World Market.
Storage Tips
If you store the cocoa powder in an airtight container in a cool, dark, place, it will last up to 2 years. Place away from herbs and spices as it can easily absorb other flavors.
Serving Tips
I like to cut all 16 brownies and place each one in a decorative muffin cup. These cups can be found in your local grocery store or crafts store such as Michaels. They come in several themed prints. WW Freestyle SmartPoints 9-Blue
WW SmartPoints 9-Green
WW POINTS PLUS 6
Food Facts
The first known recipe for brownies was published in the Sears and Roebuck Catalogue in 1897. Folklore has its origin coming from a careless cook who forgot to add the baking powder to the cake batter recipe. The origin is thought to be from America. Cocoa Powder is made from ground, powdered cocoa beans with the bulk of the cocoa butter removed. Cocoa Powder comes either natural or Dutch-processed. Dutch-processed cocoa tastes much richer and works best for baking.
Shopping Tips
Most grocery stores carry the usual Hershey’s or Nestles unsweetened cocoa*. I do not recommend either of those brands. The key in any recipe that calls for unsweetened cocoa is to choose rich cocoa such as Ghiradelli Droste, Scharffen Berger, Waltkins, or Callebaut. Most supermarkets sell Ghirardelli. Although many grocery stores carry these other brands, you can certainly find them at specialty stores like William Sonoma, Gelsons, and World Market.
Storage Tips
If you store the cocoa powder in an airtight container in a cool, dark, place, it will last up to 2 years. Place away from herbs and spices as it can easily absorb other flavors.
Serving Tips
I like to cut all 16 brownies and place each one in a decorative muffin cup. These cups can be found in your local grocery store or crafts store such as Michaels. They come in several themed prints. WW Freestyle SmartPoints 9-Blue
WW SmartPoints 9-Green
WW POINTS PLUS 6
| SKINNY FACTS: for 1 brownie 192 cal, 6g fat, 12mg chol, 2g sat. fat, 40g carbs, 3g protein, 2g fiber, 80mg sodium, 27g sugar |
Skinny Facts
Serving: 1browniesCalories: 192kcalCarbohydrates: 40gProtein: 3gFat: 6gSaturated Fat: 2gCholesterol: 12mgSodium: 80mgFiber: 2gSugar: 27gBlue Smart Points: 9Green Smart Points: 9Plus Points: 6
This is a fantastic recipe. Everyone who tries these brownies wants the recipe. Even if I were not following WW I would make these. I bought one of the cocoa mentioned Droste. Very rich looking. I’m not sure if I noticed a difference from the previous two times I made these because they were excellent each time. I did notice I had to bake about 12-15 minutes more. They were still quite under asked but more manageable to cut and serve.
Wow Deb…Love your feedback. Thank you! I created this recipe years ago and realized I haven’t featured it on Skinny Kitchen for 10 years! Don’t be surprised if you see it soon.
All the best,
Nancy
Wow!! These look delicious. I’ll have to sub the white and brown sugars with Swerve but it should turn out ok. Thanks for the recipe
Thanks so much, Jackie! We’d all the love hear how they turned out using Swerve. Let us know!
All the best,
Nancy