Healthy Brownies

[FarmerChick]

I watch a show called Healthy Decadence by Devin on DiscoveryHealth tv channel. She makes low cal/low fat versions of delish foods. Good show!!! here is a great brownie and saves tons of ick off the waistline

Ingredients
1/4 cup unsweetened applesauce
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
4 egg whites
1 cup sugar
1/4 cup unbleached, all-purpose flour
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 teaspoon instant espresso powder
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup mini chocolate chips (semi-sweet)
Butter-flavored cooking spray

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Spray an 8x8 inch non-stick cake pan with spray.

In a medium mixing bowl, using a sturdy whisk or spatula, mix the applesauce, vanilla, egg whites and sugar until they are well combined.

Add the flour, cocoa powder, espresso powder, baking powder, and salt. Stir the mixture until it is just combined and no lumps remain. Pour it into the prepared pan. Sprinkle the chips evenly over the top. Bake the brownies for 20-22 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out dry (a few crumbs are okay).

Transfer the pan to a cooling rack and allow them to cool 5 minutes. Cut into 12 equal brownies. Makes 12 (1 brownie) servings.

Each brownie has: 88 calories, 2 g protein, 19 g carbohydrates, 1 g fat, less than 1 g saturated fat, 0 mg cholesterol, 1 g fiber, 133 mg sodium

Traditional Double Chocolate Brownies have: 260 calories, 3 g protein, 37 g carbohydrates, 12 g fat, 3 g saturated fat, 15 mg cholesterol, 1 g fiber, 165 mg sodium

Devin Says:
The addition of the espresso powder makes these brownies richer and more chocolaty tasting without adding calories. Just be sure you buy instant espresso powder.

These brownies are great for your children's bake sales. No one will ever guess that they are healthier, so you'll be doing everyone a favor.

 

[Wifezilla]

Not trying to be a kill joy, but...

Taking out the fat doesn't make them healthier, it just makes them more filled with sugar (when you swap applesauce for the oil and egg yolks you are replacing fat with sugar). It also makes it more likely you will eat more of them since fat is what gives the "I am full" signal.

Fat doesn't make you fat, carbohydrates make you fat. The most unhealthy things in a brownie are the flour and sugar.

I have spent the last 2 years researching health and nutrition as part of my weight loss. One of the biggest myths that add to obesity is that fat is bad. While highly refined or hydrogenated fats are bad, natural fats like those in egg yolk and lard are perfectly healthy and what humans evolved to eat and digest.

Believing that cutting fat was the key to health and weight loss was one of the things that lead to me weighing almost 300 lbs at one point.

Nothing wrong with the occasional brownie though. Just don't think that taking out the fat makes it healthier.

 

[FarmerChick]

the carbs are lowered in this recipe also

but if you eat fats as your main fuel for the body, elminiating all sugar etc....then it is fine to have the fats.

when you combine fats and sugar etc. in your meals (like I do all the time and lost 70 lbs easily)--eating everything I want-----then it is important to cut fat in my meals

so for me it is healthier definitely

cutting fat and controlling carbs was my diet success big time!


just responding to your post but I also don't want a simple brownie recipe thread to be come a how to diet thread and the evils of fat, carbs, sugar etc. etc.


everyone can make their own decision and all posters on this forum sure know how to think for themselves and research for themselves I believe.