Saturday, January 30, 2010

The last one left low fat brownie - they're that good


I had to snag the last one left for a photo!

Have you ever been to Mimi's Cafe? They have one of the best brownie a la modes - it is my weakness. It is HUGE though. Imagine an entire 8 x 8 inch brownie cut diagonally into two mega triangles stylishly placed onto a dinner plate, not dessert plate - thats how mega this brownie is - then drizzled with hot chocolate syrup and topped with vanilla ice cream.  Soooo good! Oh, wait... reality check - calories galore! Well, I want my brownies and I want to eat them too so I was on the search for a satisfying alternative and found these. Okay, so they're not exactly Mimi's brownies but they're darn good!

Until now bad-for-you brownies have been the claim to fame but its about time to recognize these low fat brownies for what they truly are: a delicious dessert that disappears fast!! This was the only one I could salvage for a photo! That in and of itself should be convincing enough to give these a try. And, since you're cutting calories on with these brownies you can enjoy them a la mode with a big small scoop homemade vanilla bean ice cream. ;-)

I jazzed these up with some Kahlua and was tempted to thrown in some chocolate chips but that would defeat the whole purpose of a low fat brownie so I was good and kept it simple. : )

I found this recipe at Obsessed with Baking. The original recipe is from Cooks Illustrated. I have done a few Cooks Illustrated recipes and they have all turned out well. Its kind of nice to have a one stop shop for a reliable recipe.


Low Fat Fudgy Brownies
Adapted from Cooks Illustrated
3/4 cup (3.75 oz) all-purpose flour
1/3 cup Dutch-processed cocoa powder
1/2 t baking powder
1/4 t salt
2 oz bittersweet chocolate, chopped **I used Baker's Chocolate and it was a bit too strong for my taste. I would increase the vanilla or coffee granules to balance it out.

2 T unsalted butter
2 T low-fat sour cream**I used fat free because it is what I had on hand. Turned out perfect. 

1 T chocolate syrup 
2 t vanilla
1 egg
1 egg white
1 cup sugar
1/2 tsp instant coffee granules

1 tbs Kahlua**I added the Kahlua - you could also try Bailey's Irish cream or amaretto.

Adjust oven rack to middle position and preheat to 350. Line an 8x8 baking dish with foil (to help remove brownies--optional). Spray foil or pan with cooking spray.

Whisk dry ingredients together. Melt bittersweet chocolate and butter in large bowl over a double boiler until smooth. 

Add sugar and mix until slightly melted. It will look grainy because there is so little liquid. Add sour cream, syrup, vanilla and whisk, add egg and whisk, fold in dry ingredients until combined

Bake until slightly puffed and toothpick inserted in center comes out with a few sticky crumbs attached, 20-25 min.
Cool completely on wire rack.

3 comments:

Steph said...

I'm so glad you enjoyed these! They are actually my favourite kind of brownies because I find regular brownies just way too much of an overload of butter, sugar and eggs.

It is extremely difficult to find a low fat brownie that actually tastes good. CI does not disappoint!

bakingwithoutabox said...

Thanks so much for sharing a recipe. My hubby loves No Pudge Fudge but it sort of breaks the whole "baking from scratch" ambition. I know he'll be sold on the Bailey's addition.

Flirting with Flour said...

I have to admit that I used the "No Pudge Brownie" mix until I discovered this ... these are so much better! Enjoy!