What can brownies do for you?

These brownines can satisfy your sweet tooth in a much more wholesome way. This recipe originally came from Fitness magazine but I tweaked it even further (of course!). 

Allow me to go off on a tangent. I am a big believer in eating foods as close to their natural form as possible. Why drink a glass of orange juice from concentrate when you could eat an orange? or eat potato chips when you could make oven roasted potatoes? and what is the deal with refined grains? We take a natural, healthy food item, strip it of its nutrients and fiber then ADD THE NUTRIENTS BACK IN ARTIFICIALLY. What is the point?

My point is that foods eaten as nature intended them have much more of their natural nutrients, fiber, and less of the salt, sugar, or fat (depending on the food product) that may be added during the processing. Studies have linked diets low in processed foods to many benefits from better skin to lower incidence of diabetes.

For this reason, I always use less refined sweeteners such as evaporated cane juice. Sugar cane does have some trace vitamins and minerals, so I say keep them!  You can find this at most grocery stores, so no specialty shopping needed. That said, I did cut down the sugar in this recipe because it should be used sparingly in a healthy diet.

White whole wheat flour is awesome for baking. If you don't use it, start now. It is made from soft wheat rather than traditional hard red wheat, so it has a lighter texture and milder taste which is ideal for baking but it's still a whole grain! How awesome is that?

Contrary to popular belief, sea salt does not differ that much from table salt as far as sodium content. It does, however, have a sharper taste which can allow you to use less. Canola oil is a good neutral oil for baking and is a much better choice than butter. Keep the oil amount the same even though you are increasing the cocoa powder and decreasing the baking chocolate. If you bake them just the right amount of time, these brownies are still deliciously fudgy. Here's the recipe:

1 large egg
1/4 cup nonfat plain yogurt
1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 cup water
1 cup plus 2T evaporated cane juice
1/3 cup canola oil
1/2 tsp sea salt
1/4 cup plus 3T unsweetened cocoa powder
2 oz unsweetened baking chocolate
2/3 cup white whole wheat flour

Combine egg, yogurt and vanilla in a medium mixing bowl. In a small saucepan, heat sugar, water, salt and oil on medium-high heat for 3 minutes, stirring constantly. Remove from heat and mix in chocolate and cocoa until smooth. Combine chocolate and egg mixture. Mix in flour just until blended. Bake in 8" square non-stick baking pan at 350 degrees just until set (about 20-25 minutes).

Now, the most important part of making your brownies healthier: Cut into 9 squares. Eat only one at at time. Sit down and enjoy it. Savor the delicious chocolately flavor and you will feel more than satisfied.

No matter how much improved, brownies are still a treat and not a free-for-all at least until someone invents brownies made of broccoli. Still waiting for that one.