This post originally appeared on the Taste and Savor blog on March 5, 2012
Not sure what got into me last week, but I needed a chocolate fix that only a batch of brownies could satisfy. I decided to take my traditional brownie recipe that I’d found in a magazine years ago and see if I could make them a little better. I replaced two of the eggs with egg whites and substituted some of the all-purpose flour for whole wheat flour and used raw sugar instead of refined white sugar. By no means, did I make these dark chocolate brownies into health food, but I was able to make some small changes that made me feel a tiny bit better about eating them. Mostly, I think I made them better in the taste category, by adding some of my favorite ingredients like espresso powder, fleur de sel and toasted almonds.
I hope you will enjoy this chocolaty indulgence as much as I did.
Better Chocolate Brownies:
2 cups Raw Sugar
1 1/2 sticks Butter, melted
1 tsp Vanilla Extract
1 Egg
2 Egg Whites
2/3 cup All-Purpose Flour
1/3 cup Whole Wheat Flour
1/2 tsp Sea Salt
1 cup Unsweetened Cocoa Powder
1 tsp Instant Espresso Powder
Topping:
1 60-70% Cacao Dark Chocolate Bar
Toasted Almonds
Step One:
Place raw sugar, butter, vanilla, egg and egg whites in a large bowl and mix to combine.
Step Two:
In a separate bowl, whisk together flours, sea salt, cocoa powder and espresso powder.
Step Three:
Gradually add flour mixture to the sugar and butter mixture and stir to combine.
Place batter in a 9 x 9 pan sprayed with non-stick cooking spray. Bake at 350 degrees for 25-30 minutes until batter pulls away from sides. Allow to cool and cut into 25 pieces.
Optional Garnish:
Melt one 3.5 oz dark chocolate bar on the stove top over low heat. Spread a thin layer of melted chocolate on top of brownie pieces and top with a pinch of fleur de sel and a whole toasted almond.
