Low Calorie Chocolate Fudge Brownies: The Perfect Sweet Treat

If you regularly read the recipes on this blog you will quickly notice that not only do I love baking, but I'm a bit of a chocoholic (understatement of the year). There are a good few brownie recipes in these archives, all from Slimming World friendly bites, naughty gooey bakes and healthy alternative using sweet potato which I think derives from a Deliciously Ella concoction. I've been training at the gym since January this year and have loved seeing the change in my body shape, however thought that it was time to lose a few pounds to help the definition come through (plus my weight had crept up ever so slightly and I want to get back 'into shape'). Strict dieting and restricting your calories is tough, but when you have a sweet tooth and love snacking things get even tougher! I found this recipe on Amy's Healthy Baking and, after a couple of tries, seem to have it perfected. 108 calories per brownie and they're not full of 'crap'... they're the perfect little treat!

Ingredients

For the brownies

90g brown rice flour (you can use whole wheat flour as an alternative)
60g cocoa powder (I used Asda's as it was in my cupboard- I'm sure this can be switched for an even lower calorie alternative)
28g coconut oil
2 medium eggs
120ml maple syrup
68g Greek non-fat yoghurt (I used Fage Total 0%)
Pinch of salt
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

For the topping

50g dark chocolate chips (I used Dr Oetker, but second time around I used Aldi Essential dark chocolate and it worked fine too)
2 tablespoons skimmed milk (you may need a touch more but judge from the texture once mixed together)
60g Green non-fat yoghurt
4 tablespoons raw cacao powder (I only had a small amount left- perhaps would be a good alternative to the cocoa powder in the brownie recipe)

1. Preheat your oven to 160℃ and lightly grease a brownie tin / baking dish and line with greaseproof paper.

2. In one bowl, mix together the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder and salt until all are combined. In a separate bowl, melt the coconut oil- I did this in the microwave on the lowest heat, stirring every now and then, but you can also melt it in a heatproof bowl over a pan of simmering water. Once this is completely melted, beat in the eggs before adding the yoghurt, maple syrup and vanilla extract. Make sure there are no lumps and that the mixture is completely smooth (the recipe says to use a whisk to make life easier but I didn't find it was necessary- the ingredients come together quite easily).

3. Stir in the dry ingredients and then mix until everything it all combined and it starts to look like brownie batter. Pour the mixture into the tin, ensuring it is spread evenly, and then bake in the oven for 10 minutes. The recipe says 15-19 minutes- I followed these instructions first time around and it was far too long. They turned out very cake-y (if you like this texture then leave them in for 15 minutes). However, I've found that 10 minutes is the perfect length of time for them to be cooked but still have that slightly gooey, more fudgey texture which is what brownies are all about.

4. Take the brownies out of the oven and leave them to cool. Once slightly cooled, transfer the brownies onto a wire rack and leave to cool further until cool to touch- this is so important otherwise the topping will melt when placed on top.

5. Melt the dark chocolate chips (or dark chocolate) in a bowl (either over simmering water or in the microwave) and then add the cacao, yoghurt and milk until they are all mixed together well and the mixture is smooth. Then smooth this evenly over the brownies. The brownies are then ready to cut into chunks- the first time around I did smaller portions and made 20 brownies, second time around I made 16 as the first lot were quite small (or I'm greedy). Store in an airtight container in the fridge- they would probably last 5 or so days (but never stick around that long in my house!!).

Based on the exact ingredients I used and the fact that I made 16 brownies out of this recipe, each brownie works out at 108 calories. Baring in mind that this is for the dark chocolate fudge brownie itself and a rich chocolate topping, I don't think that's too bad! They really help to satisfy my sweet, chocolate cravings and after one I don't feel like I want any more- my sweet tooth is curbed. I find that for the same calories, I could have a measly 3 or 4 squares of chocolate and be left craving more and unsatisfied until I have more. That's the beauty about these brownies- you get your fix but aren't tempted to go overboard, plus they don't use up much of my daily calorie allowance and are so worth it if they stop me from reaching for a chocolate bar!